Civic Literacy Youth Network (CLYN):
Engagement and skills to discuss, analyze, and counter racism and religious discrimination
Some members from our 2022-2023 cohort (above) and 2023-2024 cohort (below).
The Civic Literacy Youth Network (CLYN) is a chance for 16-25 year olds across Canada to engage peers, and learn skills to discuss, analyze, and counter racism and religious discrimination.
Across eight online sessions, participants will:
- Meet other participants from across Canada;
- Meet guest speakers from across Canada who are leaders and elders with deep insights; and,
- Develop leadership skills and religious literacy.
Together, we will learn to be leaders who make change in ourselves and for those around us.
Thoughts from past participants:
“(I can apply this knowledge in my) day-to-day life and my future career as it impacts how you interact with the people surrounding you.”
“I really enjoyed the CLYN and found that it was most definitely worth doing. I would highly recommend it to everyone, and hope that it will continue to run in the years to come.”
“It has been nice to talk to others all around Canada and listening to new speakers explain things I have never thought about before.”
“This has been the highlight of my month each month!”
A past participant also wrote about her experience here: https://ccrl-clrc.ca/project/rl-young-perspective
Interested in joining this network for the 2024-2025 school year?
Click here to apply.
Registration is free.
Deadline: Monday, November 25, 2024, by 9 am PST.
Background information and program details below.
Background information:
The CLYN started because young people told us they were concerned about increasing levels of racial and religious discrimination. They wanted a space to discuss these topics, but they felt that they didn’t have one. As a result, we created the CLYN to offer a space for youth and young adults across Canada to discuss related issues by incorporating a full spectrum of religious, spiritual and non-religious viewpoints.
This project continues a two-year pilot that was funded by the Government of Canada‘s Department of Canadian Heritage’s Community Support, Multiculturalism, and Anti-Racism Initiatives Program.
Why do we need the CLYN today?
- 429 companies (85.8%) among the Fortune 500 companies mention, refer to or illustrate religion on their main diversity landing page. Companies like Google, Dell, and Paypal are increasingly supporting and valuing religious diversity in the workplace. This requires future leaders to understand how to engage religious diversity in a respectful and informed manner.
- From 2017 to 2019, 18% of Canadians (nearly one in five people) who have a religious affiliation said that they: rarely or never participate in group religious activities, never engage in religious or spiritual activities on their own, and consider their religious or spiritual beliefs to be of little or no importance to how they live their lives. So, we need the skills to understand the changing face of Canada.
- In 2021, 47% of the 1.8 million Indigenous peoples who completed the federal census said that they are Christian, and another 47% said that they have no religion or hold secular perspectives. The remaining 6% affiliate with different religious groups or spiritualities. As we work towards reconciliation and build relationships with our First Nations, Metis, and Inuit neighbours, we need to understand the diversity that exists across Indigenous peoples.
- Over 60% of Canadians affiliate with a religious group, but racial/ethnic and religious discrimination are consistently the most common motivations for police-reported hate crimes. More understanding is needed to prevent or respond to discrimination in our daily lives.
The CLYN is a chance to discuss these issues of diversity, and more.
Program details:
Who is eligible to apply?
- 16-25 year olds who reside in urban, suburban, or rural regions in Canada
- Individuals of all backgrounds, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender-identity, sexual orientation, and religious, spiritual, or non-religious affiliations
What does CLYN offer?
- Opportunities to participate in community engagement and involvement.
- Opportunities to interact with youth, young adults, peers and elders from different community groups.
- Opportunities to learn from different perspectives across the country.
What will you gain from joining the CLYN?
- Experience engaging peers from different backgrounds.
- Analytical skills combined with an understanding of civic religious literacy.
- Interpersonal and dialogue skills to proactively prevent and intervene against racism, including racism based on the racialization of religion.
- A certificate to signify the civic and religious literacy skills and knowledge you have gained in this experience.
Who is leading this project?
The Centre for Civic Religious Literacy (CCRL) will be leading this project with many community partners. The CCRL is a non-religious non-profit fostering understanding about religious, spiritual, and non-religious people in all sectors of Canadian society. The CCRL team and its community partners come from a variety of backgrounds including those who are Black, Indigenous, People of Colour, 2SLGBTQ+, English and French speaking, immigrant and non-immigrant, from rural and urban areas, and have lived experience from British Columbia to Newfoundland.
Guest speakers from the past two years include:
(Left to Right)
- John Longhurst, Religion reporter & columnist, Winnipeg Free Press
- Dr. Dilmurat Mahmut, International Support for Uyghurs
- Dr. Willow Anderson, Director, Social Fabric Institute Inc.
- Elder Phyllis Kretschemer, Intercultural Grandmothers Uniting, Regina
Speakers not depicted here include:
- Representatives from Humanist Canada
- Representatives from LGBTQ+ communities
What happens during each session?
Our eight sessions will be online, every two weeks, for two hours, and:
- Begin with guest speakers;
- Follow with large group discussions; and,
- Continue in small group dialogue with peers.
Guest speakers from various communities will join to share insight about a current topic or lived experience. All meetings will be facilitated by CCRL team members who are trained educators and specialists in this area.
What are CLYN participants expected to do?
- Attend seven of eight monthly online Zoom meetings for the full duration, which requires stable internet connections
- Participate in group dialogue, i.e. share your thoughts and experiences and listen to those of others
- Be willing to critically reflect on your own views and consider those of others
What happens when the eight sessions are over?
After the eight sessions, participants have three different opportunities to consider:
- Returning as a mentor-junior facilitator to co-facilitate the next set of sessions and hone your leadership and religious literacy skills;
- (For those in Quebec): Applying for a Building Bridges Youth Initiative to act and share the skills you learned, with coaching from a local Quebec leader, and the finances to share the initiative with your peers; or,
- Returning as a participant to continue learning.
If you have any questions, please contact CCRL at info@ccrl-clrc.ca with the subject heading “Civic Literacy Youth Network.”
References:
Cornelissen. L. 2021. “Religiosity in Canada and its evolution from 1985 to 2019.” Insights on Canadian Society. October. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 75-006-X; Statistics Canada. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-627-m/11-627-m2021079-eng.htm
National Household Survey: Aboriginal Peoples. Response mobility and the growth of the Aboriginal identity population, 2006-2011 and 2011-2016. by Vivian O’Donnell and Russell LaPointe. Release date: October 29, 2019. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/99-011-x/99-011-x2019002-eng.htm