Girls Action Foundation Presents: Activate Change!
“Activate Change,” was a virtual gathering of girls* programmers and youth leaders. An inspiring group of young womxn leaders from the greater Toronto area led discussions and workshops around youth-led social change and activism in the context of COVID-19 and explored questions such as: How can we continue to advocate for ourselves and our communities in the face of a global pandemic while also protecting our health and safety? How can we seize this moment to redefine what leadership is? Participants learned skills and tools to put into practice as we to collectively rebuild and reimagine a better future for ourselves, our communities, and for all.
Recordings and other event materials are available to download using the links below. We are currently in the process of translating these materials into French; please continue to check back for updates.
How to Get your Voice Heard in Politics
with Serisha Iyar of Leading in Colour
Learn tips for how to mobilize your community during the COVID-19 pandemic and develop skills targeted towards getting your voice heard in politics at the federal, provincial and municipal levels.
Serisha Iyar is the Founder and Executive Director of Leading in Colour, an organization dedicated to providing young racialized activists with the necessary tools to conduct their advocacy. She is passionate about politics with experience in government relations, public policy, human rights education and lobbying. Serisha graduated from McGill University in 2017 where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in World Religions. You can connect with her on social media @serishaiyar.
Social Media
Instagram: @leadingincolour @serishaiyar
Twitter: @leadingincolour
Facebook: @leadingincolour
Redefining Leadership
with Arezoo Najibzadeh of Young Women's Leadership Network
This workshop will explore and challenge our understandings of leadership for the purpose of creating ecosystems that cultivate feminist and anti-oppressive leadership in young women, girls, and gender queer youth.
Leadership is often defined in hierarchical, masculine, and oppressive terms that do not reflect the diverse ways in which marginalized young women, girls, and gender queer youth lead and inspire change within their communities and civic institutions. It is only through understanding our biases in leadership development and community building that we can offer collective & inclusive visions for leadership.
Arezoo Najibzadeh is a rising voice for women’s civic and political participation in Canada. As co-founder of Young Women’s Leadership Network (YWLN), she works with young women leaders and civic institutions to identify and address barriers to young women’s engagement and success within grassroots and institutional politics.
Read more: www.arezoonz.ca/about
Social Media
Instagram: @youngwomxnlead @arezoo_jaanz
Twitter: @youngwomxnlead
Facebook: @YoungWomXnLead
The Power of Personal Narratives
with Jessica Ketwaroo-Green, Principal Consultant at JessieKet
Stories are powerful tools humans use to drive thought and motivate behaviour; so why not use your story to drive impact and support your community? This workshop will teach you how to craft a compelling personal narrative to engage groups of people to become advocates of your social campaigns. Participants will also learn how to create spaces of healing within communities through the power of their “story”.
Participants Will:
● Learn how to tell their story in an engaging way to get people to support your cause
● Learn how to leverage community-care techniques through storytelling
Jessica is a Bachelor of Arts graduate, majoring in Politics and Governance from Ryerson University. Her academic career focused on women’s issues, social justice, women’s political engagement, gender equity and policy studies. Throughout her career, Jessica has worked primarily in the nonprofit sector coordinating programs, on a personal mission to advance the social, political and economic position of women in Canada.
Through her work with WomanACT, Jessica is on a mission to reduce high-risk domestic violence in our community and communities across Canada through multidisciplinary action and policy change.
Social Media
Instagram: @jessieket
Twitter: @jessieket
Visions from 2025: A New Virtual Storytelling Hub
with Rachel Wang of Evoke Creatives and Jenn Addison of Girls Action
Jenn Addison from Girls Action Foundation and Rachel Wang from Evoke Creatives for launched a new virtual storytelling hub: Visions from 2025 with the goal of creating a space where girls and young womxn across Canada can come together to imagine and build a more just, inclusive, and feminist future through creative expression - from letter writing to creating zines to visual arts and media. he theme for the first call for submissions was environmental justice.
Learn more:
https://evoke-creatives.com/visions2025
Rachel is a Community Facilitator and Communicator at Evoke Creatives - a social enterprise with a mission to bring more racialized youth to the frontlines of the environmental movement. With a lens on racialized youth and pedagogy, Rachel is focused on supporting the arts as a medium for mobilizing knowledge and inspiring environmental justice and action. She also continues seek learning experiences and mentorship through Ukai Projects, and in her roles as Communications Specialist at WWF-Canada and Facilitator for the British Council Active Citizens program.
Social Media
Instagram: @evoke_creatives
Twitter: @evoke_creatives
Facebook: @EvokeCreatives
Event coordinator / contact person:
Jenn Addison, Network Coordinator
partner@girlsactionfoundation.ca
Communications contact:
Naoual Laaroussi, Communications and Administrative Coordinator
communications@girlsactionfoundation.ca
