June Seasonal Newsletter

你好! Welcome to the June seasonal newsletter!

May was Asian Heritage Month, highlighting the contributions that Asian Canadians have made in the development of this country. This year, the theme is “Continuing a Legacy of Greatness,” highlighting the past achievements and contributions as well as the continuous effort to maintain those contributions. Especially during the pandemic, the need to battle anti-Asian racism increases with crime reports against Asian Canadians continuously on the rise. Only a small portion of racially motivated crimes in Canada are brought to light; racist acts and microaggressions are still way too common today. However, Asian Canadians have consistently worked to help our country, and to prove this, let’s take a look at some notable people in Canadian history of Asian heritage.

Adrienne Clarkson

Born in 1939 in Hongkong, Adrienne Clarkson is most known as the 26th Governor General of Canada. Combating both racism and sexism, she was also one of the first female on-camera identities on television, with an award winning 18 year career with CBC for various programs. As the Governor General of Canada, she was a key figure in building stronger ties between the northern Indigenous population and Canada. Clearly she’s an incredibly significant person in Canadian history, not only as an Asian.

Gurdeep Pandher

Born in Punjab, Gurdeep was a literary prodigy; by grade 10 he had written numerous literary compositions such as poetry, prose, a novel, hundreds of stories, and even a play. By the age of 23, he was an author of 2 books, continuing with his lifetime passion for writing. However, he was also a passionate dancer ever since he took his first Bhangura dance lesson at age 17, and now he lives in Canada filming dance videos in the unique and beautiful landscapes of Yukon. He was featured on CBC numerous times, Buzzfeed, The Huffington Post, and many more websites.

You can find many more notable Canadians here. A lot of us learn about figures such as John A Macdonald; Caucasian men that served as Prime Ministers or significant members of the government or military. It’s easy to forget the diverse culture and background of Canada that has been flourishing for centuries, but we need to remember and acknowledge them all the same. Asian heritage month should be the start of a conversation to end racially motivated crime in Canada.

An important announcement:

Applications for Youth Leaders of York Region’s team next school year (2022-2023) are coming up soon!! Keep posted on our instagram and website!

There were many opportunities to get involved and use your voice in your community last month, and even more this month. These include:

• Social Media Ambassador for Virtual Teach and Learn

• Executive Applications at Project 5K

To find out more about these opportunities, click here!

The dedication of many councils around the GTA have also paid off in the form of events hosted. A few notable ones this month include:

• Together with Art French Contest

• Underpression.ee’s Mental Health Cup

To learn more about these events, click here!

May was a busy month, but as the sunny weather arrives I don’t doubt June will have many more events and opportunities. Summer is here, get involved in your community when school ends and follow your passions! There were, and will be many opportunities to join the teams working hard behind the aesthetic instagram posts and informative zoom events, and even more chances to join events hosted by them!

Can’t wait to see what June has planned!