Gail Hunter, a longtime faculty member of George Brown College and a leader in early childhood education (ECE), has made an indelible impact in communities for more than forty years. Now, with the creation of the R.G. Hunter Anti-Racism Scholarship, she will continue her legacy of anti-racism advocacy and support for Black and Indigenous Students pursuing their education in ECE.
Gail, who will be retiring this year, joined George Brown College as a full time ECE Professor and Coordinator over 33 years ago. During this time she played a vital role in developing the Winter Intake ECE diploma and the Early Childhood Leadership Degree.
Additionally, Gail has been instrumental in the creation of numerous programs and workshops within the faculty of ECE. These programs include the Jamaican ECE student experiences which see students doing Field Placement in Jamaican Basic Schools. In addition, she has also helped establish working relationships with ECE programs in both Guyana and Grand Cayman.
While she has accomplished numerous things during her time at the College, one area that she is most proud of is her role in anti-racism and anti-bias training both locally and beyond. From 1989-1991, Gail held an advisory position on the City of Toronto’s Race Relations Committee. Around this time, Gail and her colleagues opened the first Multicultural and Anti-Bias Resource Centre for Early Childhood Educators in Toronto. More recently, Gail has helped to develop an anti-racism training series for ECEs within Canada and recently co-wrote modules for BodySwaps® the VR Platform for Soft Skills Training regarding identifying and confronting biases and microaggressions.
Gail was instrumental in developing a set of Anti-Racism ECE training modules for the Nova Scotia Ministry of Education and is currently working with the Peel Region Early Years and Child Care Services Division. She continues to support the advancement of ECE both domestically and internationally through facilitating workshops and working with ministries of education and other ECE teaching institutions.
Through the creation of the R.G. Hunter Anti-Racism Scholarship, Gail is hoping to provide support and encouragement to Black and Indigenous ECE students pursuing a career in the sector and who will be leaders in upholding Anti-Racism/Anti-Bias Principles. Your donation is greatly appreciated.
100% of your donation will go to George Brown College students, no processing fees or administration fees will be applied to your gift. You will receive a tax receipt by email for donations made over $20.
For additional information, please contact Gabriella Goutam at the George Brown College Foundation at gabriella.goutam@georgebrown.ca or 416-415-5000 ext. 3289.Thank you for your generous support.
