Beyond the Headlines

Will Canada meet its Sustainable Development Goals?

In 2015, 193 member countries of the United Nations agreed to 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s), to be achieved by 2030. The SDGs are meant to be a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity by improving health and education, reducing inequality, and spurring economic growth – all while tackling climate change and preserving our environment. Now that it’s 2023, the clock is ticking, and the road to 2030 is at its halfway point.
That raises the question: are these goals still within reach?Or is this an impossible dream?
A Young Diplomats of Canada (YDC) delegation comprising of four Canadian youth made it their mission to answer this question whenthey attended the annual High-level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development, which is the central UN platform for the follow-up and review of the SDGs. In just a moment, you will hear from these YDC delegates as they chat about where Canada’s progress is with the 2030 SDGs, what it’s like to participate in a UN conference of this magnitude, and some of the key trends to look out for as the clock to 2030 counts down.

Sheltering Futures and Building Tomorrow: Navigating Youth and Housing Policy in Ontario

Today, we’re honing in on the topic of the housing crisis and how Toronto can remain a resilient city in the future. Every level of government and nonprofits are working toward finding the best method to resolve the pressing housing crisis for the future generations. Jad El Ghali from New Majority will bring the perspective on the housing crisis and the challenges they are facing as they work with youth for their future.

Fire and Frustration: Insurgency Dynamics in the Middle East

The Israel-Hamas war has taken an immense toll on both sides and caused thousands of casualties. As difficult of a topic as this is, shedding light on this war, with an objective and critical lens, is a vital endeavor in the hope that history should never repeat itself in this way again.
 
Today, we take a step back to discuss the histories in the region and the rise of Hamas to power, through to the present-day. For our guest today, we welcome Mr. Jon Allen, and professor Alejandro Paz to help us get a better understanding about the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas Conflict and how insurrection groups like Hamas rose into power in the region. 
 
Before we begin this episode, our hearts here at Beyond the Headlines go out towards those who have suffered and lost tremendously through this war, from both sides. Any statements we make in this episode are rooted in empathy and a desire for peace. Our focus is on fostering understanding, compassion, and support for those affected by the devastating consequences of war. We understand that this is a difficult topic, so we welcome conversations on Twitter/X (@Byond_Headlines), or by reaching out to us on Instagram @beyondtheheadlines. We are listening.

10 years of China’s Belt & Road Initiative

This week's episode dives into the BRI's evolution over the last ten years where we take a closer look at BRI's as a tool of China's foreign policy, its impacts in the Global South, and its ongoing recalibration.
 
Note: The figure at 39:03 is supposed to be $170 billion. “The African Development Bank estimates that Africa will need $170 billion a year to fill its infrastructure gap”. 

The Role of Peer Support in Mental Health and Addiction

Ontario has launched a new initiative called Roadmap to Wellness, which aims to develop a comprehensive and connected mental health and addiction system for the region. Over 1 million Ontarians face mental health and addiction issues each year, and the system faces challenges including long wait times, service fragmentation, and lack of evidence-based funding. We spoke with our Allyson Theodorou about Ontario’s Roadmap to Wellness and the role of peer support in the mental health and addiction sector. 

Civics Education in the New Normal - Part 2 (Dimitri Pavlounis)

Are Canadian students being set up for success as adults in a democratic society? A functional democracy requires its citizens to participate fully in its collective institutions, which exist to serve the public interest and create public value. In this episode, we are looking at the role that civics education plays in creating a healthy, happy society. We believe that a strong civics education provides up & coming citizens with the relevant knowledge and toolsets necessary for participating respectfully in the political process to achieve the social outcomes that they want. Some observers claim that current civics curricula are inadequate in preparing students for their adult roles as civic participants. 
 
In this episode, we have invited two experts to join us for a conversation about the role of civics education in contemporary democracies. Our first guest, Rebecca Rajcak, will speak about the landscape of the modern civics classroom in Ontario, and what could be improved, from an educator's perspective. Our second speaker, Dimitri Pavlounis, will join at 11:30 to discuss the role of civics education more broadly, how civics education is linked to democratic outcomes, and his work with CIVIX - a non-profit organization which leads the popular student vote programs in civics classrooms across Canada.
 
Further Reading:
 
Hess, D. E., & McAvoy, P. (2014). The political classroom: Evidence and ethics in democratic education. Routledge.
 
Pavlounis, D., Johnston, J., Brodsky, J., & Brooks, P. The Digital Media Literacy Gap: How to build widespread resilience to false and misleading information using evidence-based classroom tools. CIVIX Canada, November 2021.
 
Guests:
 
Rebecca Rajcak is Program Leader of English, Canada & World Studies, Social Sciences & Humanities, First Nations, Métis & Inuit Studies, and Library Services at a high school in Burlington. She teaches English, Civics and Careers, special education, and I-STEM classes. She holds a Master’s Degree in Literature from Queen’s University, as well as Bachelor degrees in English (UofW) and Education (Western). Rebecca is a dedicated and passionate anti-colonial, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive educator, and chairs as a mentor on her school’s student Equity Club.
 
Dimitri Pavlounis is the Research Director at CIVIX, a Canadian educational charity dedicated to building the skills and habits of active and informed citizenship among youth through experiential learning opportunities. He recently helped lead a large-scale national evaluation of CTRL-F, a digital literacy program aimed at helping students navigate our polluted information environment. Prior to joining CIVIX, he completed his PhD in Media Studies at the University of Michigan and taught numerous courses in media studies and digital studies at colleges and universities in the U.S.
 
Producers:
 
Connor Fraser - Executive Producer
 
Maria Cvetkova - Junior Producer

Civics Education in the New Normal - Part 1 (Rebecca Rajcak)

Are Canadian students being set up for success as adults in a democratic society? A functional democracy requires its citizens to participate fully in its collective institutions, which exist to serve the public interest and create public value. In this episode, we are looking at the role that civics education plays in creating a healthy, happy society. We believe that a strong civics education provides up & coming citizens with the relevant knowledge and toolsets necessary for participating respectfully in the political process to achieve the social outcomes that they want. Some observers claim that current civics curricula are inadequate in preparing students for their adult roles as civic participants. 
 
In this episode, we have invited two experts to join us for a conversation about the role of civics education in contemporary democracies. Our first guest, Rebecca Rajcak, will speak about the landscape of the modern civics classroom in Ontario, and what could be improved, from an educator's perspective. Our second speaker, Dimitri Pavlounis, will join at 11:30 to discuss the role of civics education more broadly, how civics education is linked to democratic outcomes, and his work with CIVIX - a non-profit organization which leads the popular student vote programs in civics classrooms across Canada.
 
Further Reading:
 
Hess, D. E., & McAvoy, P. (2014). The political classroom: Evidence and ethics in democratic education. Routledge.
 
Pavlounis, D., Johnston, J., Brodsky, J., & Brooks, P. The Digital Media Literacy Gap: How to build widespread resilience to false and misleading information using evidence-based classroom tools. CIVIX Canada, November 2021.
 
Guests:
 
Rebecca Rajcak is Program Leader of English, Canada & World Studies, Social Sciences & Humanities, First Nations, Métis & Inuit Studies, and Library Services at a high school in Burlington. She teaches English, Civics and Careers, special education, and I-STEM classes. She holds a Master’s Degree in Literature from Queen’s University, as well as Bachelor degrees in English (UofW) and Education (Western). Rebecca is a dedicated and passionate anti-colonial, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive educator, and chairs as a mentor on her school’s student Equity Club.
 
Dimitri Pavlounis is the Research Director at CIVIX, a Canadian educational charity dedicated to building the skills and habits of active and informed citizenship among youth through experiential learning opportunities. He recently helped lead a large-scale national evaluation of CTRL-F, a digital literacy program aimed at helping students navigate our polluted information environment. Prior to joining CIVIX, he completed his PhD in Media Studies at the University of Michigan and taught numerous courses in media studies and digital studies at colleges and universities in the U.S.
 
Producers:
 
Connor Fraser - Executive Producer
 
Maria Cvetkova - Junior Producer

The Story of Canada’s Telecom Monopoly

For this episode, two guests join us to talk about the telecommunication monopoly in Canada, Professor Fenwick McKelvey from Concordia University and Mr. Joe Rowsell from Telus. With the ongoing merger between Shaw and Rogers, and the recent service outage experienced by Rogers’ users, we have seen rising concerns within Canada’s monopolistic Telecommunication industry.  We dive into the current landscape of the industry and explore the existing problems within the telecommunication systems. Additionally, we will discuss the government’s role in regulating the industry. 
Producers 
Vicky Li - Junior Producer
Kriti Sharma - Junior Producer
Keyi Liu - Junior Producer

Canada’s Democratic Deficit

Low voter turnout has plagued Canada’s elections for decades, and people are increasingly apathetic towards the democratic process. In this episode we host a discussion to ask whether Canada has a democratic deficit. Are democratic institutions accurately representing the “will of the people” and are they providing goods & services that people value and want? This goes beyond the trend of voter turnout, to consider a wide range of democratic institutions, such as: Party financing, lobbying, the welfare state, the electoral system, and much more!

A Possible Paradigm Shift? The War in Ukraine and Green Energy Transition

The war in Ukraine has fundamentally changed the way in which we think of numerous issues in public life and international relations, from refugees to food security to nuclear proliferation. However, one of the topics that has received considerable attention in the last year has been the relationship between fossil fuels, clean energy, and global security. Since the war began, the world has seen skyrocketing energy prices, introspection on the sources of fossil fuel energy, and anxieties over the future of energy stability. This has led to scholars, politicians, and experts arguing for a stronger link between the pursuit of clean energy transition and global security. This episode will aim to address the bigger questions of this debate and their implications for Canada, and the world.
Through a conversation with Mark Winfield from York University’s Faculty of Environment and Urban Change, the first segment of the episode will discuss the effects of the war in Ukraine on the discourse surrounding energy transition and Canada’s role as a global energy exporter
In the second segment, we have a discussion with Scott McKnight, from the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. This segment puts emphasis on the global trends in Green Energy Transition in the wake of the conflict, with particular emphasis on how these issues affect China and the Global South.
Our final guest is Hlib Mikhno, a junior professional in the fields of external relations and energy transition, who recently represented Ukraine as the European Climate Pact Ambassador during high-level youth policy dialogues with the Vice-President of the European Commission for the European Green Deal. Hlib’s segment explores Ukraine's energy transition through the prism of Russia's invasion, with a focus on the constant shelling of Ukraine's energy infrastructure, plans for EU integration, and post-war reconstruction.
Guests:
Mark Winfield, Professor at the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change at York University.
Scott McKnight, Professor at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy.
Hlib Mikhno, European Climate Pact Ambassador for Ukraine in various EU institutions 
Producers:
Marie Ascencio - Senior Producer
Antoine Fougère-Ramsamooj - Junior Producer