African Diaspora Youth Conference
MEdia Matters 2010
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African Diaspora Youth Conferences
Brief history
2004-Present
In 2004 three friends Dr. Cecil Houston, Dean, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Windsor, John Solarski a High School Counsellor and Dave Watkins a History Teacher at Weston Collegiate in Toronto had a conversation about black youth getting to university. They all had seen first hand the need to help young black students realise that they could get to university and do well. They agreed to create a dialogue for students who could identify with being part of the African Diaspora. Their goals were to inspire young people through an intense learning experience that would encourage them to proceed to higher education.

The first mini Diaspora conference was held on May 11-12, 2004 as part of a larger international conference on Imagining Diasporas: Space, Identity and Social Change held at the University of Windsor. Approximately 70 Canadian and American high-school students of African descent attended, representing 3 schools from the Windsor, Toronto, and Detroit areas. Students participated in discussions on the topic of Diaspora, their common African heritage, and their life and career aspirations. The students were guided through the conference by university students of African descent and workshops were led by local community leaders of African descent.

In 2005 the University of Windsor and the Toronto District School Board signed a Memorandum of Understanding to continue the work to inspire students who might otherwise discount a University education among their life goals. This is in keeping with the Toronto District School Board’s support for Equity and access to Opportunity/pathways that increase the enrolment of minority students in post-secondary programs. The University of Windsor’s collaboration in this partnership was founded on parallel interests in social justice, serving the Windsor African-Canadian community as well as the culturally diverse student population at the university. Windsor was the first university in Canada to offer an Undergraduate Diaspora Studies Program.


Dr. Cecil HoustonJohn SolarskiDave Watkins


The second conference in 2005 was Back to Your Future – An African Diaspora Youth Conference. The reason behind the title was to get students to think about their history, whether personal or cultural, and make them more aware of where they come from so they know where they are going. A visit to the John Freeman Walls Homestead and Underground Railroad Museum in Puce added another dimension to the students’ experience. Dr. Howard McCurdy the first African-Canadian Member of Parliament, served as the keynote speaker. The attendance in 2005 was 170 students, representing 8 schools from Windsor and Toronto. Unfortunately, Detroit students were unable to attend.


The third conference in 2006 was Pathway to Success – An African Diaspora Youth Conference. This particular theme was chosen focusing on the steps the students would have to take to achieve their personal success. Workshop facilitators represented several careers paths of interest to the students, in which students were given information on the tools necessary to follow the same career path. The Honourable Justice Lloyd Dean, served as the keynote speaker. The attendance in 2006 was approximately 200 students, from Windsor, Toronto and Detroit.

The fourth conference in 2007 was History + Knowledge = Power. The number of students attending this conference was 250. Students from Toronto, Windsor and once again Detroit representing nearly 20 schools. The focus of this conference was history and how it is important to know where you have been in order to know where you are going.

This year's conference (2008) will take place May 11-12 and the theme is Sankofa: Learning from the past to build the future. Once again we are expecting over 250 students from Toronto, Windsor and Detroit area High Schools.

The conference has become a life changing experience for many students. It provides an exceptional open forum where they can discuss with their peers the concerns they face as youth growing up in a North American society; where they can share the perspectives of their own diverse cultures. It is a place where they are given the opportunity to reflect on their own lives and learn with community people and university students who have been through similar situations and have excelled.

The conference has been welcomed and supported by the schools and leading members of the African-Canadian community. Interest in the conference is coming from other cities. The organizers are faced with the challenge of funding to allow growth to take place and the need to keep intact the intensity of the learning experience.


For more information please get in touch with Paula de Lyon, Student Coordinator for the conference, at de12g@uwindsor.ca or Dean Cecil Houston, at chouston@uwindsor.ca.