Over 200 attendees at the Fiesta Solidaria
Over 200 people joined for the Fiesta Solidaria on April 24, an annual community gathering and fundraiser organized by students and teachers in the Social Change & Solidarity profile. Student families, community partners, and alumni packed the room to hear student speeches, to see student-produced films and art, and to support the profile鈥檚 new and old community partnerships.
Students shared about their three-week solidarity delegation to Cuba which took place in January, and showed a film documenting their experience. 鈥淔or me,鈥� explained Maira Jade Paynot, a second-year student who participated in the delegation, 鈥渢he trip to Cuba was an opportunity to stand as learners and allies, and to witness a people who have been living under the weight of a decades-long blockade with extraordinary dignity and creativity.鈥�
Students also spoke about the profile鈥檚 first-ever 鈥渓ocal stream,鈥� a new experiential course designed in collaboration with local organizations working towards migrant justice and Indigenous rights in Montreal. Mariam Yande Diouf, a second year SCS student who participated in the local stream and produced a short film about the experience, said: 鈥淭his intensive made me reflect on this thing we call community. I saw how interconnected the social issues in our city are鈥� I realized that this thing we call community is not something that just happens to you. It鈥檚 something you nurture.鈥�
This year鈥檚 event was marked by the presence of the profile鈥檚 new local partners. 鈥淚t was especially meaningful that we were sharing back directly to our collaborators,鈥� explains Sara Louise Kendall, who coordinates the profile. Community representatives from Solidarit茅 sans fronti猫res, the Immigrant Workers Centre, RATTMAQ, Brique par Brique, and the Jia Foundation were in the room to hear the students speak about the impact of these relationships.
Ovide Bastien, a retired Dawson teacher and co-founder of the North South Studies profile, shared about his experience of the event: 鈥淭o see how large the attendance was; to hear the very impressive and articulate testimonies of students committed to making our world better; to see just how powerful the bonds were between students and between students and teachers; all this was a very moving experience for me.鈥�
It was an emotional evening as students spoke about moving onto university. 鈥淪ocial Change and Solidarity was a gift to us all these past two years,鈥� said second-year student Victoria Ormiston, 鈥渁nd it鈥檚 now a promise to continue doing the work we started here. To be the change and create our own communities.鈥�
Funds raised from the event will go to next year鈥檚 Solidarity Delegation to Cuba and Social Change & Solidarity profile activities. Thank you to everyone who attended!
-Submitted by Sara Louise Kendall, SCS Profile Coordinator
