The Shift Podcast is a platform for equity-deserving and underrepresented students to tell their stories. On this podcast, students speak about their lived experiences at Queen’s, how these experiences are shaped by identity, their visions for a safer and more inclusive campus climate, and what needs to happen for there to be a meaningful and lasting culture shift. Listeners will also learn about services and resources that exist for equity-deserving students at ֱ and hear tips for where to find community and support.
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Listen to Season 2, Episode 1: 'Speak Loud, Speak Clear':
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Please note: some of the Shift Podcast feature Queen’s students’ experiences and perceptions of campus safety and conversation about topics relating to discrimination and harassment. Some listeners may find this content upsetting or challenging to listen to. If you feel overwhelmed while listening to this podcast or reflecting on it later, pay attention to your needs. There are resources to support you.
"[Being a racialized student] you kind of feel like a martyr for a cause at times because you have to be here to try to make a change and make a difference, but it’s also at the cost of my own mental health."
-2nd year Political Studies student
Podcast Resources
Click on the episode title to find resources and concepts referenced in the episode and other relevant information. To see a transcript of each episode, please visit our and select 'show transcript' below the caption of the episode you're looking for.
Queen’s Yellow House : Yellow House is a safe, comfortable and accountable space for queer, racialized and marginalized students to create community, to feel empowered, to empower others, to celebrate and to honour their histories. We seek to engage students in initiatives that actively dismantle oppressive, racist and colonial ideologies and practices.
The Peer Support Centre is a drop-in service providing all undergraduate students with confidential, non-judgmental, and empathetic peer-based support.
A support service for everyone at ֱ, promoting an internationally informed and cross-culturally sensitive learning environment.
LIT: Using an intersectional, community-based approach, Lead Include Transform Training gives students, faculty and staff an opportunity to reflect on personal privileges and oppressions and how they show up on campus.
: "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack" is a 1989 essay written by American feminist scholar and anti-racist activist Peggy McIntosh which compares White Privilege to 'an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, codebooks, visas, clothes, tools , and blank checks.'
Queen’s Yellow House: Yellow House is a safe, comfortable and accountable space for queer, racialized and marginalized students to create community, to feel empowered, to empower others, to celebrate and to honour their histories. We seek to engage students in initiatives that actively dismantle oppressive, racist and colonial ideologies and practices.
Student Experience Office (SEO): in the Division of Student Affairs at ֱ offers programs and services to orient students to university life, to support their successful transitions into and through university, and to encourage leadership development, student engagement, and co-curricular involvement while at ֱ. Our programs and services help prepare students to achieve not only their personal, social, and academic goals, but also their professional and community aspirations.
Human Rights and Equity Office (HREO): the HREO strives to advance a culture of human rights, equity and inclusion by inspiring and educating community members through: developing and implementing innovative strategies in employment and educational equity; providing information, advice and assistance to individuals or groups at Queen’s regarding protections available under polices and legislation; providing non-judgmental sexual violence prevention and response support; and improving access for everyone on campus by removing barriers, encouraging accessibility, and promoting the duty to accommodate.
Lead, Include, Transform (LIT): Using an intersectional, community-based approach, Lead Include Transform Training gives students, faculty and staff an opportunity to reflect on personal privileges and oppressions and how they show up on campus. LIT is offered in partnership between the SEO and the HREO.
An event put on by the Yellow House in partnership with Athletics & Recreation which serves as a safe and inclusive opportunity to swim at the ARC for trans, non-binary, genderqueer, genderfluid, or any other non-cisgender folks.
Trans Connect Nights: Event hosted by the Yellow House for trans, non binary, two spirit, agender, genderqueer, genderfluid, questioning, and other gender diverse students at ֱ. to gather and socialize.
Gender Splendor: A support group hosted by Yellow House in collaboration with Student Wellness Services. This group is open to trans, nonbinary, two-spirit, agender, genderqueer, genderfluid and other non cisgender students at ֱ. Come meet and talk to our 2SLGBTQ+ councellor, and Sexual and Gender Diversity Advisor, and other students.
QSuccess: QSuccess is a program within the Student Experience Office designed to support first-year student transition through peer mentorship. QSuccess mentors work 1:1 with first-year students to help ease the transition to university life. Upper year mentors are responsible for building a good rapport with their mentees and sharing their own relevant experiences to help the transition to Queen’s.
Whether you're an undergraduate, Masters or PhD student, SASS will help you discover ways to write essays, reports, theses, dissertations and academic articles, to study effectively, and to develop your academic English skills.
a series of online lessons designed to prepare you for undergraduate studies at ֱ offered through SASS.
Positive Space: The Positive Space program offers visibility and support to 2SLGBTQI+ communities. Positive Space stickers posted at the entrance to work, living, or study areas, and on personal belongings such as backpacks or laptops, encourage the ֱ community to celebrate the gender and sexual diversity that exists on campus and to work to overcome subtle and overt forms of discrimination and harassment.
Health Promotion: A part of Student Wellness Services, Professional staff at Health Promotion offer wellness coaching appointments to any student interested in changing a health behaviour. They also provide meaningful volunteer experiences to 80 students through the Peer Health Educator, Peer Wellness Navigator and Campus Observation Room programs. Health Promotion work is also supported through student practicum placements and several part-time, paid student opportunities each year.
: "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack" is a 1989 essay written by American feminist scholar and anti-racist activist Peggy McIntosh which compares White Privilege to 'an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, codebooks, visas, clothes, tools , and blank checks.'
A tool for understanding how white supremacy manifests in a range of ways in society.
Queen’s Yellow House: Yellow House is a safe, comfortable and accountable space for queer, racialized and marginalized students to create community, to feel empowered, to empower others, to celebrate and to honour their histories. We seek to engage students in initiatives that actively dismantle oppressive, racist and colonial ideologies and practices.
QSuccess: QSuccess is a program within the Student Experience Office designed to support first-year student transition through peer mentorship. QSuccess mentors work 1:1 with first-year students to help ease the transition to university life. Upper year mentors are responsible for building a good rapport with their mentees and sharing their own relevant experiences to help the transition to Queen’s.
University Council on Anti-Racism and Equity (UCARE): The University Council on Anti-Racism and Equity (UCARE) was established to coordinate, monitor, and report on the progress of university-wide initiatives to address racism and promote equity, diversity, and inclusion. The Council helps to shape the vision and strategy of the university and serves as a critical voice for diversity and inclusion at Queen’s
High above the campus treetops, a new office space for Queen’s Health Sciences (QHS) has nestled on the fourth floor of the School of Medicine (SOM) building. It’s called “The Nest,” the new space for all things related to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Indigeneity and Accessibility (EDIIA). It is a nurturing, welcoming and safe gathering space for QHS students, employees, and community members to come together to work and connect in fellowship.
Student Experience Office (SEO): in the Division of Student Affairs at ֱ offers programs and services to orient students to university life, to support their successful transitions into and through university, and to encourage leadership development, student engagement, and co-curricular involvement while at ֱ. Our programs and services help prepare students to achieve not only their personal, social, and academic goals, but also their professional and community aspirations.
QSuccess: QSuccess is a program within the Student Experience Office designed to support first-year student transition through peer mentorship. QSuccess mentors work 1:1 with first-year students to help ease the transition to university life. Upper year mentors are responsible for building a good rapport with their mentees and sharing their own relevant experiences to help the transition to Queen’s.
Four Directions: The Four Directions Indigenous Student Centre (4D) is open and committed to being of service to Indigenous Students at ֱ.
Student Wellness Services: Student Wellness Services (SWS) supports the personal, academic, and social health development of students at ֱ by providing a range of programs and services. They aim to offer a welcoming, confidential, and integrated service that is responsive to your health and wellness needs.
the AMS is the ֱ Student Government. The AMS aims to represent Queen’s University students within the university and externally by working to further the best interests of the members of the AMS, giving particular concern to representation on issues related to education.
215 Kamloops is in reference to the remains of 215 children found buried at former B.C. residential school.
The annual Orange Shirt Day on September 30th opens the door to global conversation on all aspects of Residential Schools. It is an opportunity to create meaningful discussion about the effects of Residential Schools and the legacy they have left behind.
Whether you're an undergraduate, Masters or PhD student, SASS will help you discover ways to write essays, reports, theses, dissertations and academic articles, to study effectively, and to develop your academic English skills.
A PIC in commerce allows students to designate a non-Commerce elective course for pass/fail grading that would normally have letter grading.The goal is to encourage students to take courses in a wide variety of areas, and explore a subject without worrying about their GPA.
Campus Observation Room: The Campus Observation Room (COR) is an on-site non-medical detox service overseen by Student Wellness Services with the support of trained student volunteers and Kingston Health Sciences Centre professional staff (ASWs). It is a voluntary, confidential and a non-judgmental place where students who have had too much to drink can come to sleep.
Sexual Assault Centre Kingston is a not-for-profit organization providing free, confidential, non-judgmental support for all survivors 12+ regardless of gender or identity of recent and/or historic sexual violence in Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington (KFL&A) since 1978.
Sexual Violence & Prevention Response Services: The SVPRS is part of the Human Rights and Equity Office, an independent department on campus located in Mackintosh Corry Hall. SVPRS is the point on contact on campus for students impacted by sexual violence and for prevention initiatives.
Human Rights and Equity Office (HREO): the HREO strives to advance a culture of human rights, equity and inclusion by inspiring and educating community members through: developing and implementing innovative strategies in employment and educational equity; providing information, advice and assistance to individuals or groups at Queen’s regarding protections available under polices and legislation; providing non-judgmental sexual violence prevention and response support; and improving access for everyone on campus by removing barriers, encouraging accessibility, and promoting the duty to accommodate.
Queen’s First Aid Campus Response Team is a university campus first aid response team serving Queen’s University and its direct community in Kingston. Queen’s First Aid serves as a confidential and professional service responding to medical emergencies on campus.
Queen’s Yellow House : Yellow House is a safe, comfortable and accountable space for queer, racialized and marginalized students to create community, to feel empowered, to empower others, to celebrate and to honour their histories. We seek to engage students in initiatives that actively dismantle oppressive, racist and colonial ideologies and practices.
@QueensUStudentAffairs
@QueensEvents
MyCareer is a portal run by ֱ Career Services which allows students to book appointments, sign up for events and workshops and browse and apply for jobs online.
A dance fitness class offered by Yellow House and Athletics & Recreation that focuses on different Afro-Caribbean styles of dance.
"The “model minority” myth commonly refers to East, Southeast and South Asian communities in North America that are considered to be inherently advantageous, intelligent, and hardworking compared to other minority groups. The term “model minority” was coined in the United States by sociologist William Petersen in 1966 during the civil rights movement. The concept of a model minority creates a false positive and a harmful narrative that reinforces systemic racism, does more damage than good, and ignores significant anti-Asian racism that many have experienced throughout Canadian history." -UBC
Student Wellness Services: Student Wellness Services (SWS) supports the personal, academic, and social health development of students at ֱ by providing a range of programs and services. They aim to offer a welcoming, confidential, and integrated service that is responsive to your health and wellness needs.
Psychology EDI Committee The goal of the Psychology EDI committee is to work towards lasting and meaningful change that makes the department diverse, equitable, and inclusive in accordance with social justice principles. These principles include that: (a) progressive change needs to happen within structures, individuals, and our discipline; (b) that change is everyone’s responsibility, and should not be disproportionately shouldered by marginalized groups; (c) and that power, privilege, and majoritized groups need to be named and addressed as well as oppression, marginalization, and minoritized groups.
Queen’s Women of Colour Collective (QWOCC) strives to provide a supportive community open to discussing issues pertaining to ethnicity, academics, and personal narratives. QWOCC fosters a creative environment for both women of colour and allies to share stories, advice and celebrate diversity within the Queen’s community. QWOCC will utilize social media, blog-based content, and regular on-campus networking events to instill a sense of support and friendship among Queen’s students.
Canada's only charity training and empowering young leaders to revolutionize mental health in every province and territory. Jack Chapters are groups of young people at high schools, colleges, universities, and community settings who work year-round to identify and break down barriers to positive mental health and make concrete change in their communities across Canada.
ֱ Student Accessibility Services: ֱ Student Accessibility Services (QSAS), in collaboration with instructors and staff, is committed to supporting students with disabilities as they pursue their academic goals. Through encouraging the use of well-implemented Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in combination with individualized academic accommodations, QSAS seeks to remove disability related academic barriers.
The Peer Support Centre is a drop-in service providing all undergraduate students with confidential, non-judgmental, and empathetic peer-based support.
BIPOC Talk is a branch of the Peer Support Centre that is catered towards BIPOC students. Sessions are conducted by BIPOC-identifying volunteers who are trained to confidentially, non-judgementally, and empathetically listen to students and recommend appropriate resources. No appointment is needed, just drop in during our hours of operation!
Empower Me & Console: Mental health support services available to students. Undergrad and MBA Students can sign-up for Console using their Queen’s netID and password and receive access to 24/7 crisis support (available 365 days per year) plus short-term solution-focused 1-on-1 counselling through Dialogue. Graduate students can call Empower Me (1-833-628-5589 in North America) to receive 24/7 crisis support (available 365 days per year) and book short-term solution-focused 1-on-1 counselling. This is available to students, even if they opt out of the supplementary health & dental plan.
"The Castle": Set within the 600-acre Herstmonceux Castle estate, Bader College, Queen’s University, is the only campus that gives its students the opportunity to study, research and focus on their chosen field within an environment that promotes sustainable global impact. It is location in rural East Sussex in the UK.
: Highly anticipated by both Queen’s University students and the Kingston community, Vogue Charity Fashion Show is an annual performing arts show produced and executed entirely by students at Queen’s University. 27 years in the making, VCFS is the largest student run fashion shows in all of Canada and has become the largest student run club on campus.
(ֱ Muslim Students' Association): QUMSA act as a focal point for Muslim students to meet other fellow Muslim students on campus and create a sense of community at Queen’s University.
: a meal taken by Muslims at sundown to break the daily fast during Ramadan. ֱ and QUMSA offer Iftar meals to students observing Ramadan.
ֱ Faith & Spiritual Life: F&SL offers multi-faith, non-judgmental support for religious, spiritual, personal, and financial problems, concerns or crises.
The Shift Survey (formerly known as the Student Experiences Survey): The Shift Survey - started in 2021 - gathers information from Queen’s students about overall campus culture and climate, including experiences, perceptions, and behaviours with respect to diversity, inclusion, and sexual violence at the university.
a 2022 drama film written and directed by Sarah Polley. Based on the Canadian 2018 novel of the same name by Miriam Toews, itself inspired by the gas-facilitated rapes that occurred at the Manitoba Colony, a remote and isolated Mennonite community in Bolivia.
an intimate theatre showcasing contemporary independent, foreign & art films in downtown Kingston.
a Vietnamese restaurant in downtown Kingston.
Human Rights and Equity Office (HREO): the HREO strives to advance a culture of human rights, equity and inclusion by inspiring and educating community members through: developing and implementing innovative strategies in employment and educational equity; providing information, advice and assistance to individuals or groups at Queen’s regarding protections available under polices and legislation; providing non-judgmental sexual violence prevention and response support; and improving access for everyone on campus by removing barriers, encouraging accessibility, and promoting the duty to accommodate.
refer to people’s tendency to process information by looking for, or interpreting, information that is consistent with their existing beliefs. This biased approach to decision making is largely unintentional, and it results in a person ignoring information that is inconsistent with their beliefs.
an initiative at ֱ aimed at building allyship and working towards a safer and more inclusive campus culture through opportunities for dialogue and human connection.
Queen’s Yellow House : Yellow House is a safe, comfortable and accountable space for queer, racialized and marginalized students to create community, to feel empowered, to empower others, to celebrate and to honour their histories. We seek to engage students in initiatives that actively dismantle oppressive, racist and colonial ideologies and practices.
: Q+ is a professional development committee under the Smith Commerce Society. Our mission is to empower LGBTQ2S+ students at ֱ. Our mandate has three pillars: professional development, community, and allyship.
: An Instagram account created for and by ֱ students that highlights all things queer in Kingston, Ontario.
Sunday Supper Series : The Sunday Supper Series is a monthly initiative that aims to encourage open dialogue in a safe space and address the experiences of students, specifically equity-deserving students, on Queen’s campus. The topics are informed by the results of the 2021 Shift Survey.
: The Education on Queer Issues Project (EQuIP) is a student-run organization under the Social Issues Commission at ֱ. Its purpose is to create a safe environment for individuals on ֱ campus and in Kingston of all sexual/romantic orientations and gender identities. EQuIP strives to create a fun, welcoming, and educational community for queer and queer-positive individuals while advocating for human rights and raising awareness about queer-related issues.
: EngiQueers advocates on behalf of, supports, and celebrates LGBTQ+ students and their allies in engineering at Queen’s University. EngiQueers is dedicated to cultivating a positive, accepting, inclusive, and accessible environment for all students.
: Consensual Humans is a Queen’s student organization founded in early 2017 with the mission to bring thoughtful and inclusive discussion about consent to campus. They aim to foster a responsible and educated consent culture among students.
Gender-Based Violence Awareness & Bystander Intervention Program: The GBV Awareness and Bystander Intervention Certificate Program offers students a collection of workshops to choose from and build their awareness and skills in relation to GBV prevention and Bystander Intervention.
Sexual Violence & Prevention Response Services: The Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Service is part of the Human Rights and Equity Office, an independent department on campus located in Mackintosh Corry Hall. SVPRS is the point on contact on campus for students impacted by sexual violence and for prevention initiatives.
Human Rights & Equity Office: The HREO strives to advance a culture of human rights, equity and inclusion by inspiring and educating community stakeholders through: developing and implementing innovative strategies in employment and educational equity; providing information, advice and assistance to individuals or groups at Queen’s regarding protections available under polices and legislation; providing non-judgmental sexual violence prevention and response support; and improving access for everyone on campus by removing barriers, encouraging accessibility, and promoting the duty to accommodate.
: The ֱ Equity Conference, working under the Arts and Science Undergraduate Society (ASUS), is a conference dedicated to provide members of the Queen’s and Kingston communities with an opportunity to learn about various equity-related topics, participate in anti-oppression and advocacy-based workshops, and influence meaningful changes with respect to social issues.
Sunday Supper Series: The Sunday Supper Series is a monthly initiative that aims to encourage open dialogue in a safe space and address the experiences of students, specifically equity-deserving students, on Queen’s campus. The topics are informed by the results of the 2021 Shift Survey.
: The Levana Gender Advocacy Centre is a student-funded organization committed to creating & nurturing a radical community of Kingston students and residents.
: The Queen’s Black Academic Society (QBAS) began in 2011 as a passion project between graduate and undergraduate students eager to foster community among self-identified people of colour. Their mission is to advance Black academics on a whole through a focus on education, equity, wellness, and issues pertinent to the Black community.
Queen’s Yellow House: Yellow House is a safe, comfortable and accountable space for queer, racialized and marginalized students to create community, to feel empowered, to empower others, to celebrate and to honour their histories. We seek to engage students in initiatives that actively dismantle oppressive, racist and colonial ideologies and practices.
Four Directions: The Four Directions Indigenous Student Centre (4D) is open and committed to being of service to Indigenous Students at ֱ.
Japanese Language Buddies (): Japanese Relations at ֱ aims to promote Japanese culture and foster international understanding to ֱ students and the Kingston community. They also serve as a bridge between exchange students from both ֱ and Japan.
ֱ's Statement Regarding Kamloops Indian Residential School burial site : A response to the discovery of the Kamloops Indian Residential School burial site.