UOIT students honoured with award
UOIT's Students Against Social Injustice (SASI) group was honoured with the Doris Anderson Award for its hard work and dedication during Violence Against Women Awareness Month in 2006, an endeavour they continued to actively support in 2007.
UOIT's Students Against Social Injustice (SASI) group promotes justice through advocacy, education, leadership and action and their tremendous efforts were recently recognized by a local community organization, the Violence Prevention Coordinating Council (VPCC).
More than 50 people from various Durham Region community organizations gathered at the Oshawa Golf and Curling Club for the VPCC annual general meeting where SASI was presented the Doris Anderson award in recognition of the group's work during Violence Against Women Awareness Month in 2006. Doris Anderson was a journalist and notorious for her women's rights activism throughout Canada from the late 1950s until her passing in March 2007.
"To be recognized by people who have dedicated their lives to raising awareness and challenging violence against women is both encouraging and empowering," said Jaclyn San Antonio, former SASI vice-president. "In a sense, it validates what we do and who we are. For me personally, this honour strengthens our commitment to justice while simultaneously enriching our spirit for activism."
Some of the work SASI was honoured for included hosting a keynote address by Tony Porter, a noted speaker and founder of A Call To Men; organizing a panel discussion that featured then-Durham Regional Police Service Chief Vern White, Dr. Walter Dekeseredy, a professor with the UOIT Faculty of Criminology, Justice and Policy Studies, and Esther Enyolu, from the Women's Multicultural Resource Centre; a two-kilometre Walk The Talk campus march; and a Break The Silence public service announcement. During the campaign, SASI partnered with several additional community organizations including The Denise House, the Y's Wish Shelter, Herizon House, Bethesda House, Catholic Family Services of Durham, the Women's Multicultural Resource and Counselling Centre, and Durham Regional Police Service.
Established in 2005 SASI was created from the teachings of the Faculty of Criminology, Justice and Policy Studies and become an officially ratified student organization in 2006. Among other activities, SASI has held sandwich parties with the food then delivered to the Gate 3:16 Outreach Centre and has collaborated with Students for Humanitarianism and Action through Respect and Education (SHARE) on the community-driven Let Them Be Kids playground project.
"The award was given specifically to SASI but I believe it is a shared honour with our faculty as it reflects the influence that our education has had on us," said San Antonio. "I believe this is a positive reflection of the type of socially conscious student culture that we are committed to building at UOIT."
