The Halton District School Board is proud to host the fifth annual
Human Rights Symposium on Monday, Dec. 11, 2023 to engage in vital conversations and challenge thinking. The theme of this year’s event is Holistic Health: Our voices, our stories, our calls to action, and centres around holistic health (including physical, emotional, mental, spiritual and social) as a human right regardless of age, background or socio-economic status. This year the symposium will be designed by students for students.
The Human Rights Symposium will feature a speaking panel of students and will be a virtual event for HDSB students (Grade 7-12) and staff. Registration is not required and information on how to access the event will be shared with students and staff.
Throughout the week, students and staff are encouraged to share what they are learning on social media with the hashtag: #HDSBsymposium.
The HDSB Human Rights Symposium (Dec. 11, 2023) aligns with
Human Rights Day on Dec. 10, which is observed annually to recognize the day on which the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. The principles originally enshrined in the Declaration are still relevant today.
For more information about the HDSB Human Right Symposium, email
symposium@hdsb.ca.
Quotes“This year, the Human Rights Symposium supports the HDSB’s Equity and Inclusion and Mental Health and Well-Being areas of focus in the
HDSB Multi-Year Strategic Plan 2020-2024 and our
Human Rights Equity Action & Accountability Plan: The Way Forward,” says Curtis Ennis, Director of Education for the HDSB. “The annual Human Rights Symposium unites diverse voices in a shared commitment to addressing common issues. It is a standing reminder of the value of coming together to engage in collaborative dialogue and collective action."
“The HDSB is proud of the work students are doing to recognize holistic health as a human right at this year’s Human Rights Symposium,” says Amy Collard, Chair of the HDSB. “We would like to encourage students and staff to engage, question and reflect on our traditional thinking regarding health and well-being."
“It is our collective responsibility to uphold holistic health as a human right,” says Jennie Petko, Superintendent of Education with responsibility for Human Rights, Equity, Inclusive Education and Indigenous Rights. “The year’s Human Rights Symposium provides an opportunity for our HDSB community to discuss the common barriers to holistic health and identify the ways we can address and dissolve those barriers to ensure equal access to well–being for all.”
“We recognize the importance of participating in vital discussions to challenge our thinking. The Human Rights Symposium provides an opportunity for educators and students to come together to examine important issues and drive actionable change.”
HDSB 2020-2024 Multi-Year PlanThe
2020-2024 Multi-Year Plan (MYP) that lays out five areas of focus, with the overall purpose of setting direction and prioritizing the collective actions of all stakeholders to ensure our efforts as an organization are aligned and coordinated to support the more than 65,000 students, 11,000 staff and the broader HDSB community.
This symposium addresses several of these areas of focus, notably Mental Health & Well-Being and Equity & Inclusion.
Background resourcesHDSB Human Rights Symposium2020-2024 Multi-Year Plan Human Rights Equity Action & Accountability Plan - The Way ForwardFor additional information, contact: Amy Smith, Senior Communications Officer
communications@hdsb.ca | 905-335-3663, Toll free: 1-877-618-3456