The Jane Finch Social Innovation Hub was created in response to feedback from a February 2019 community town hall meeting that identified providing resources to support successful academic transitions for Jane Finch students at York as a key priority. Owing to a dedicated space and a robust support network, a successful peer environment was created, one that engages these students in the academic and social life of York.
The Hub provides students with a range of resources — a common-hour session, study groups, tutoring, information workshops — all with an eye to helping them navigate the academic, social, and administrative elements of university life. Social and cultural events connect students to each other and to the York community. First-year students are offered one-on-one meetings with a mentor, typically a senior undergraduate or graduate student from the local community. As an innovation Hub, we also envision spaces that allow students to get involved in projects that address diversity and social-justice issues.
Organizational Structure
The Hub has a part-time coordinator and works with an advisory committee comprised of representatives from:
Quick Links
Hours
The Hub is now open for in person support for students, Monday - Thursday, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Contact
Nia Tinker
Hub Coordinator
niatinkerrelations@gmail.com
Asad Ahmed
Hub Coordinator
asadahmedw@gmail.com
Marierose Talla
Community Projects Coordinator, York University-TD Community Engagement Centre
rtalla@yorku.ca
Mohamed Ahmed
Executive Co-Director, Success Beyond Limits
m.ahmed@successbl.com
What's happening at the Hub?
"As the coordinator for the Jane Finch Social Innovation Hub my role was to oversee the logistics of the room. For me, it was much more than just a room. I saw students build friendships and relationships in a space that was dedicated to them. I saw students find a space that they could call their own, and that was important."
— Khadar Hilowle
Former Hub Coordinator
Projects
In the fall of 2020, with the support of an Academic Innovation Fund grant, Hub students created two modules on navigating the transition to university. The modules are based on interviews and testimonials from thirty-two student participants from Jane and Finch. The videos can be viewed on Success Beyond Limit’s You Tube channel.
Module 1
York undergraduates from Jane and Finch talk about what they wish they had of known before arriving on campus, the challenges they faced, issues they didn’t understand (and how they were resolved), and, more generally, how they adjusted to university life.
Module 2
The focus in this video is on the resources, strategies, and people that students from Jane Finch found most helpful in navigating the academic and social dimensions of first year. Features interviews and reflections from undergraduate and graduate students at York and at other universities, study tips, and a virtual tour of students’ favourite spaces and activities on the York campus (e.g., the Writing Centre, the Jane Finch Student Innovation Hub, the library, student clubs, sports teams, etc.)