Your Federation: Spring 2025
February Representative Council
President Karen Brown welcomed delegates to February Representative Council. Acknowledging Black History Month, she shared ETFO’s new Black History Month poster by Ekow Nimako. Brown also reflected on the UN’s declaration of a second International Decade for People of African Descent, proclaimed on December 17, as an opportunity to take meaningful action to address the lasting impacts of enslavement and colonialism, deliver reparatory justice, and secure the full human rights and freedoms of people of African descent worldwide.
Brown went on to talk about the work being done province-wide to organize for the Ontario election as well as plans for ETFO’s next round of bargaining. Guest speaker economist Armine Yalnizyan spoke to delegates about the impact of the U.S. election on Ontario and the importance of solidarity in the struggles affecting communities across the province. She talked about the value and importance of the care economy and encouraged educators to continue standing up for students and public schools.
April 22, Earth Day 2025
Earth Day marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. Today, Earth Day is widely recognized as the largest secular observance in the world, marked by more than a billion people every year as a day of action to change human behaviour and create global, national and local policy changes. Now, the fight for a clean environment continues with increasing urgency, as the effects of climate change become more and more apparent every day. Read more at earthday.org.
Climate Justice Resources
Are you looking for resources on environmental education? Find everything in one place by searching “climate justice” on etfo.ca. Among ETFO’s numerous resources you will find the Climate Change Primer, podcasts, significant environmental dates, Voice articles, and practical, ready to use lesson plans.
ETFO Scholarships and Bursaries
The ETFO Scholarships and Bursaries Program offers funding to members and non-members entering faculties of education, members studying at the graduate level and members upgrading their qualifications at publicly-funded universities/institutions in Ontario. This includes bursaries for members of designated groups, including Black and Indigenous educators, and bursaries for children of ETFO members. The application period opens in January and ends April 30th each year. See available scholarships and bursaries at etfo.ca.
Black History Month
The 2025 ETFO Black History Month poster by Ekow Nimako reflects the brilliance and resourcefulness of African Canadians. With the mask featured as the central image of the poster, created with approximately 6,500 pieces of LEGO, Nimako creates angular forms that add futuristic textures to the age-old practice of mask making.
This sculpture honours trailblazer Ada Kelly Whitney of Windsor, the first Black person to teach in a publicly-funded school in Ontario. The stars in the image created for the poster are a nod to Afrofuturism and show how vast and endless the possibilities are for the future of Black youth in Ontario and beyond.
There are a variety of ways that educators can use this poster to enhance their classroom activities and schoolwide engagement all year round. These include announcements, open-ended questions by division, potential assignments and curriculum expectations. Check out the available resources at etfo.ca.
International Day of Pink – April 9, 2025
International Day of Pink is an opportunity to stand against homophobic and transphobic bullying and to celebrate diversity, inclusion, courage, solidarity, kindness and acceptance. The Day of Pink was started in Nova Scotia in 2007 when two Grade 12 students saw a Grade 9 student who was wearing a pink shirt being bullied on the first day of school. The two Grade 12 students – David Shepherd and Travis Price – bought and distributed 50 pink shirts and encouraged peers to arrive at school wearing pink. Together the students took a stand and the entire school began working to prevent bullying. Check out the tools and resources available for celebrating Day of Pink at etfo.ca.
