Level’s Social Justice Summit a Resounding Success
On Friday, February 21st, Level Justice hosted its inaugural Social Justice Summit in Toronto, ON. Level's Social Justice Summit is a one-of-a-kind national forum for Level’s social justice fellows from various law schools to gather and collaborate on their ongoing social justice projects. The Social Justice Fellowship Program (SJFP) was launched in 2022 for Canadian law students to gain experience addressing social justice issues they are passionate about. As part of the program, law students, also known as fellows, plan and execute a social justice project of their own design. In support, Level Justice provides fellows with funding, training, connections, and guidance to execute the project to a high caliber.
SJFP allows students to work closely with Level staff, not only to gain an in-depth understanding of social justice issues, but also to advance their legal research, analysis, and writing skills. In this way, Level hopes to further law students’ commitment to social justice and create a steady stream of social justice advocates entering the legal field. While SJFP functions mainly virtually, the Social Justice Summit was a unique event which brought together fellows from Canadian law schools across the country in order to confer, collaborate, and guide each other in their respective endeavors.
The event started with an opening from Fatima Ahmed, Level’s Social Justice Program Manager. Fatima spoke of SJFP’s journey from humble beginnings to the current sprawling network of law students within the three years it has been operational. Currently, the SJFP is proud to boast 20 fellows from 11 different law schools across Canada who carry Level’s mandate to new heights. The program is unique in its establishment of a special network of social justice-minded law students who are crafting the legal profession of tomorrow.
The Summit also featured an opening from Kim Wheatley, Level’s Resident Knowledge Keeper. Kim is an Anishinaabe Ancestral Knowledge Keeper, Traditional Grandmother, and member of Shawanaga First Nation Reserve. She was gracious enough to open the event in a good way, imbuing the proceedings with her wisdom, insight, and knowledge. Kim encouraged all attendees to connect with all orders of creation as well as with the earth in order to receive clarity.
The Summit further included a Q&A session with Dr. Tess Sheldon, led by Level’s new Environmental Justice Program Manager, Tasha Stansbury. Dr. Tess Sheldon is a faculty member at the University of Windsor, Faculty of Law. Her areas of expertise include mental health, access to justice, disability, and human rights. Her experience aligned with many of the special interests that Level’s social justice fellows shared, making for an interesting discussion. Dr. Sheldon and Tasha spoke at length about social justice lawyering and what it looks like in action.
The event then dove into the substantive portion of the day, with presentations from 10 cohorts, representing 10 unique social justice projects. The project topics covered the following:
Allard: The current state and future recommendations of pro bono policies
UVic Law: Tackling barriers to public interest legal careers for law students
McGill Law: Negative experiences of Black students during law school application processes and their hindrance on enrollment and retention
UofT Law: The role of experiential legal education in movement lawyering
Ottawa Law: Under-representation of disabled people in law schools and the legal field
Windsor Law: Mental health conditions inclusion in medical assistance in dying
UCalgary Law: Discrimination at Law Society hearings
UdeM Law: Medical malpractice and racism aimed at racialized groups
Osgoode: Prisoner rights and accountability of Correctional Service Canada
Lincoln Alexander: The need for more disability-informed courts and sentencing practices
Each presentation led to fruitful and engaging discussions amongst the students, which proved to be helpful to presenters and attendees alike. The fellows had thoughtful questions, mindful suggestions, and impactful insight to offer each other. Many fellows also connected on the similarities (or sometimes, the lack thereof) of the state of affairs at their respective law school campuses, leading to unique discourse with a national lens. Indeed, the Social Justice Summit proved to be a one-of-a-kind experience for law students who wish to engage in social justice work on an in-depth and macro level.
Level Justice would like to extend a thank you to the sponsors of the Social Justice Summit: Thomson Reuters, the Canadian Heritage Fund, as well as the Unifor Social Justice Fund. The Summit would not have been possible without the support and efforts of the aforementioned organizations. Level hopes to establish this event as an annual occurrence, continuing to connect the social justice advocates of tomorrow.
