Twenty people attended the Diocese of New Westminster’s Anti-Racism training course October, 26h, 2013. The all-day event was hosted by the North Vancouver Deanery at Saint Catherine's in North Vancouver. The purpose of the training is to provide education about racism, why it exists, and what can be done to eliminate it.
Harold Nelson from St. Martin’s, North Vancouver, found that the workshop was very effective in dealing with such a sensitive topic. “The facilitators were excellent and quickly created a trusting environment that encouraged us to approach the material with an open mind. Fascinating and often alarming examples of racism in Canada and in the Church were discussed, the roots of racism were explained, and ways to eliminate racism were explored. It was a full day, but the time flew by because the material and the variety of training techniques were so interesting.”
Plans are being made to roll out the training course to the rest of the Diocese. Diocesan Synod 2013 passed a resolution requiring all (clergy and lay) in diocesan leadership positions to participate in anti-racism training. Watch for upcoming opportunities in your deanery.Images: Top and homepage, Some key points on flipchart paper posted at the Anti-Racism Workshop. Below, left to right; Bob Hardy (Treasurer of the Diocese of New Westminster), Raili Mazurek and Ken Lindsay listen intently at the Anti-Racism workshop day. PHOTOS by Laurel Dykstra