Sociology students at Trent Durham GTA had the opportunity to gain career experience developing public policy initiatives through a collaboration with the Region of Durham. As part of the course Ethnicities, Racism and Multiculturalism (SOC 3661), students worked alongside leadership from the Region’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) division, including Trent Durham Social Work alum Nilo Honarbakhsh ’16, to help advance the Region’s Anti-Hate Strategy through the initiative Together Against Hate Durham, which is funded by Canadian Race Relations Foundation. 

Making a difference in policy making
The DEI team identified five policy areas as priorities for addressing hate and discrimination in Durham Region: demographic data collection, an anti-hate coalition, equity recommendations for the proposed Bill C-9 “Combatting Hate” act,  youth leadership development and anti-hate education.  

Dr. Nadiya Nur Ali, assistant professor in Sociology, says the project offered students realistic, practical experience working on municipal public policy-making. 

"In many ways, students functioned as an extension of the DEI Office’s research team,” said Professor Ali. “They were able to strengthen their policy writing and research finding skills, and they also had the chance to use their communication skills and engage in teamwork.” 

Through their research students noted that, should Bill C-9 pass in its current state, definitions of hatred would remain vague, marginalized communities remain over-policed, and free speech and lawful protest could be affected. Students recommended that Bill C-9 needs clear legislation, community voices to highlight risks of overcriminalization and mistrust, and policy improvements that focus on prevention, protection, and accountability. 

“My biggest takeaway from the experience is recognizing that, as a student, I can contribute to real issues happening in real time,” said Sherri-Ann Emanuel, a Child & Youth Studies major at Trent Durham. "If there’s any way that I can be part of the change, I am happy to do so.” 

Connecting education, research and community  
The DEI team at Region of Durham incorporated the research findings and recommendations into a presentation made in April to the Durham Region Council, profiling the students’ work beyond the classroom.  

Trent Durham alum Honarbakhsh, the policy coordinator in the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer, was key to facilitating this collaboration between students and Region staff, helping show and prepare current students for careers in public policy. 

“The research contributed by Trent University Durham students has been instrumental in shaping strong, credible policy recommendations for the Together Against Hate Durham Project,” said Honarbakhsh. “By applying academic theory to real-world contexts, students added both depth and validation to the work, helping to create a solid evidenced-based foundation for policies being developed at the Region of Durham.” 

Learn more about Sociology and Social Work at Trent Durham.