Laurier expert alert: Pink Shirt Day

Feb. 16, 2022
For Immediate Release

Waterloo – Pink Shirt Day, also known as Anti-Bullying Day, is Wednesday, Feb. 23 this year. Wilfrid Laurier University has several experts available to speak about bullying, cyberbullying and their impacts.

Ardavan Eizadirad, assistant professor in the Faculty of Education, has written and taught about inclusion and decolonization in education in Canada and abroad. His research interests include equity, standardized testing, community engagement, anti-oppressive practices, critical pedagogy, social justice education, resistance and decolonization. He is an educator with the Toronto District School Board; author of Decolonizing Educational Assessment: Ontario Elementary Students and the EQAO; and co-editor of Equity as Praxis in Early Childhood Education and Care, Counternarratives of Pain and Suffering as Critical Pedagogy: Disrupting Oppression in Educational Contexts (forthcoming) and International Handbook of Anti-Discriminatory Education (forthcoming). Eizadirad is the founder and director of EDIcation Consulting, which offers equity, diversity and inclusion training to organizations. He is also a community activist with the non-profit organization Youth Association for Academics, Athletics, and Character Education in the Jane and Finch community in Toronto; a board of directors member for Amadeusz, which provides educational programs and services for incarcerated youth and young adults; and a member of the Race and Identity-Based Data Collection Community Advisory Panel with the Toronto Police Services. Contact: aeizadirad@wlu.ca

Mark Eys is a professor in the departments of Psychology and Kinesiology and Physical Education, the Laurier Research Chair in Group Dynamics and Physical Activity, and the supervisor of the Group Dynamics and Physical Activity Laboratory. He is an expert in sports psychology, group dynamics and team building. He is available for comment on group dynamics in sport and what makes teams function successfully, as well as the use of initiation rites and hazing in groups. Contact: meys@wlu.ca

Danielle Law, associate professor in Laurier’s Youth and Children’s Studies and Psychology programs, is an expert on cyberbullying, associated mental health concerns and responsible Internet use. Law’s research examines how children and adolescents develop cognitively and socio-emotionally as they interact and socialize using technologies. Contact: dlaw@wlu.ca

Michael Woodford, professor in Laurier’s Faculty of Social Work, is an expert on the mental health and well-being of LGBTQ2S+ youth. Woodford’s research explores how bullying and other forms of discrimination can increase LGBTQ2S+ youth's risk for poor mental health and other negative outcomes, as well as the factors that can foster resilience. Woodford is leading the Thriving on Campus Study, a province-wide study exploring the experiences, mental health and academic success of LGBTQ2S+ university students in Ontario. Read more about his work. Contact: mwoodford@wlu.ca