The fourth annual Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) Conference, hosted by the Toronto District School Board’s Centre of Excellence for Black Student Achievement (CEBSA), delivered a powerful showcase of Black youth leadership. Held on Saturday, November 1st, 2025, at Highland Hall on the University of Toronto’s Scarborough campus, the event brought together students, educators, administrators, and community partners. Their shared goal: elevate student-led research and highlight the issues that matter most to Black learners.
The conference grew out of the Black Student Summer Leadership Program (BSSLP), a creative initiative shaped by CEBSA. The program began with ten students in 2019 in partnership with the Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community, and Diaspora at York University’s Faculty of Education. Participation expanded to 30 students in 2020 and surged to 100 by 2025. This growth turned the program into a competitive, in-demand experience for students eager to lead, research, and influence their schools. BSSLP affirms Black identity, excellence, and leadership, while modeling how schools and communities can work together to expand access, create career pathways, and drive systems change.
“The future we imagine begins to take shape in the present.”
Students’ presentations at the conference stemmed from their work in YPAR. This approach empowers young people to study issues shaping their schools and communities. Through YPAR, students define problems, conduct research, and propose solutions with guidance from educators, mentors, and community partners. The model strengthens leadership, activism, critical thinking, public speaking, collaboration, and community engagement. It also builds momentum toward equity and justice, giving Black students the skills and confidence to influence change.
In her message to participants, Dr. Tanitia Munroe wrote, “This is more than a conference. Fostering Black student well-being and achievement requires real partnerships among schools, families, and communities.” She emphasized that when institutions invest in youth leadership, “The future we imagine begins to take shape in the present.”
Centrally assigned principal Thando Hyman also grounded the day in community values. “It takes a village to raise and support a Black child,” she shared. She encouraged attendees to listen with intention and carry forward the insights from student researchers who are “Stepping boldly into leadership and shaping futures filled with possibility.”
The commitment to student voice echoed throughout the day. Audley Salmon, Associate Director of Learning Transformation and Equity at the TDSB, stated that the conference reflects the “Brilliance, leadership, and determination of Black students.” He praised students for identifying challenges in their schools and leading the design of practical, community-strengthening solutions. Their research showed why educational transformation must rely on student experience, not institutional assumptions.
Director of Education Clayton La Touche reinforced this sentiment. He noted that the conference demonstrates what education can achieve when students sit at the center of learning. Through their research, students addressed issues tied to identity, belonging, agency, and academic success. Their work made clear that education is about who students become.
“The conference demonstrates what education can achieve when students sit at the center of learning.”
Presentations explored mental health, belonging, representation, safety, justice, mentorship, and the importance of centering Black girlhood. Students grounded their work in lived experience, cultural identity, and a collective vision for safer, more inclusive schools.
System Superintendent Karen Murray closed with gratitude for the student leaders who helped design the conference and for the presenters who shared their findings. She also recognized the Research Associates, educators, and mentors who supported students through a framework of self-determination, social justice, equity, and care. Their guidance ensured that students gained the tools to lead with confidence and purpose.
The 2025 YPAR Conference affirmed a clear message: when Black youth receive the platform, mentorship, and resources they deserve, they transform the systems around them.
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