Unity Group at Maples Collegiate

"It's important that students are speaking up, because adults do that all the time, but when people see young people speaking out, it makes a difference."

The Organization –

The Unity Group has been a feature of Maples Collegiate for 13 years.  It was initiated, according to teacher Chuck Duboff, when a federal politician made racist remarks about East Indian people. Many students at Maples Collegiate were upset by this and wrote letters about it.  The responses they received were “generic”. When they spoke to Mr. Duboff about this he suggested, “If this were the ‘60’s we’d be out there with signs demonstrating.” Thus, the Unity Group was born.

Since then it has become “part of the culture of the collegiate”, and racism is not tolerated. The group has about sixty members and is involved in the school and community groups in many ways; bringing in guest speakers and showing relevant movies.  Annual happenings include a Unity March to the Manitoba Legislature each June; an event to mark March 21, the Day to Eliminate Racism; and an event on December 10 to commemorate the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Their assemblies involve the entire student body.   This year they partnered with other groups of students in the school in a project called “Brick by Brick” to do social consciousness fundraisers to collect funds for building a school in Sierra Leone.

The Interview –

I met with Chuck Duboff and two students from the Unity Group in June 2008. The articulate young women I spoke with were described by Duboff as “leaders in the school”. 

DC: How did you become involved with the Unity Group?

Nicole: My teacher mentioned that there were no Aboriginal students in the group, and suggested that I join. Another girl, Michele, and I got involved.

Chuck: She’s won an award for her writing.

DC: Wow! What writing award was that?

Nicole: The Canadian Aboriginal Writing Contest. I was in the top ten for my age group. I wrote a fictional story, based on fact, about the residential schools.

Chuck: She also wrote another excellent piece for the provincial English exam, that I happened to mark, based on her personal experiences with racism when she moved to Winnipeg from the north.

DC: What do you like best about the Unity Group?

Nicole: Everybody is really friendly, so if you want to join but are feeling shy about it, everybody talks to everybody.

Chuck: Everyone in the group is very supportive of everybody.

DC: In what way has being in the Unity Group changed your life?

Nicole: Building my self-confidence.

Chuck: Can I say something? She was very quiet when she joined the group, but she has become much more outspoken. She spoke at one of our assemblies, and she also spoke at the legislature when we held our annual Unity March.

Nicole: Before, I couldn’t speak in front of people, but now I’ve become much more comfortable with it. I had opinions before, but I wasn’t comfortable speaking about them. We’ve had to do some speaking in Biology class lately, and even though I wasn’t working with a partner, I was fine with getting up to speak. When I spoke at the legislature, I just thought of something I wanted to say.

DC: What did you speak about?

Nicole: I told people how people are always talking about all the bad things that are going on, but that you can’t just wait for somebody else to do something about it. You just have to go ahead and do it yourself. That’s what the Unity Group did when it started.

DC: Why did you become involved in the Unity Group, Dhelal?

Dehlal: I wanted to make a difference in other’s lives.

DC: In what way are you involved in the group?

Dehlal: I am involved in SWAT; Students Working Against Tobacco. We give presentations to grade 9 and 10 students in other schools. We also attended a youth conference on tobacco in Edmonton this year. There were students there from schools all over Canada. We raise awareness around the school with posters and presentations.

Chuck: Dehlal is from Sudan. She came to Canada three years ago.

DC: What differences did you notice most when you moved here from Sudan?

Dehlal: I didn’t like the winters when I first arrived. People are friendly here. There is better education.

DC: Did you speak English before you arrived here, or did you need to learn after?

Dehlal: No, I didn’t speak any English before.

DC: You would never know that now. How long did it take for you to become comfortable with the language?

Dehlal: About six or eight months.

Chuck: Were you free to speak your opinions in Sudan?

Dehlal: In Sudan the people are divided. Sudanese people don’t talk. You could get arrested for speaking out. My dad was arrested and sent to prison for fighting for his people’s rights. The country I am from, Beenshngual, was a part of Sudan. England stole it from Sudan and sold it to Ethiopia. They were supposed to give it back 25 years ago, but never did.

Chuck: Are you free to express yourself in Canada?

Dehlal: I feel I can speak for myself and express myself in Canada.

Chuck: What about you Nicole?

Nicole: The more people who speak up the better.

DC: Is there anything that either of you would like people to know about the Unity Group?

Dehlal: I would like people to know that Unity Group made a difference in our lives.

Nicole: It’s a group of young people who are fighting for a better world. It’s important that students are speaking up, because adults do that all the time, but when people see young people speaking out, it makes a difference.