Camilo Garay recently joined CivicAction as the Senior Manager of Development. A DiverseCity Fellow alum, he brings a commitment to building a more inclusive region that values diverse leadership and provides a platform for all stories to be heard. How would you describe your 2020 Fellows experience? What were your biggest take-aways during the program and now as […]
ELN Spotlight
Welcome to the ELN Spotlight, where you can find profiles of ELN members, relevant thought leadership and reflections, and recaps of ELN programming. We’re always looking to spread the word about inspiring emerging leaders doing meaningful work through Faces of ELN and to share your ideas and reflections on city-building, civic issues, and inclusive leadership through Ideas of ELN.
Interested in being featured or nominating another rising leader to be featured? Simply complete this short application.
ELN Spotlight: Pride Month
June is Pride Month, a time for members of the 2SLGBTQ+ communities to reaffirm their identity, celebrate their culture, and commemorate the past. For allies, this is also a time to educate yourself on the diverse lived experiences of people in these communities, learning ways to breakdown systemic barriers and discrimination that still exist today. […]
ELN Spotlight: Rohit Goenka
Meet Rohit Goenka, an emerging leader whose journey has taken him from Kolkata, to Winnipeg, to Toronto. His volunteer and professional work has led him to support thousands of students in pursuing their educational journeys and equip millions of Ontarians with financial safety. As a newer Torontonian and ELN member, Rohit reflects on what he […]
5 Key Takeaways from Digital Dish with Brampton Civic Leaders
On March 31st, 2021, the ELN brought together a panel of civic leaders from Brampton to discuss the city’s current and future priorities as it looks to not only recover from COVID-19 but build back better. The panel featured: Jaipaul Massey-Singh, Moderator: 2020 CivicAction DiverseCity Fellow and Principal at Aurora Strategy Group Gwyn Chapman: Senior […]
ELN Spotlight: Simone Samuels
Simone Samuels joins Civic Action as the inaugural Director of Inclusion. She brings with her almost a decade of experience working with youth and marginalized communities. Before joining Civic Action, Simone was the Director of Outreach at the Ontario Justice Education Network a non-profit that delivers public legal education to vulnerable young people. To learn […]
Spotlight on Black Rising Leaders
This Black History Month, we’re spotlighting some of the incredible Black rising leaders within our network to showcase the work they do, the leaders who have inspired them throughout their leadership journeys, and what it means to be a Black rising leader at this moment in history. Keep reading to meet nine incredible leaders! Alicia […]
Speakers Spotlight: 2021 ELN Snowcial
On January 28th, 2021, we’ll be welcoming eleven inspiring rising leaders to the virtual stage at our annual ELN Snowcial to share PechaKucha talks on the theme of inclusive cities. Scroll down to learn more about their leadership journeys and get a sneak peak of their presentation. Excited to tune in to their talks? Join […]
The ELN Top Ten: Highlights of 2020
You may be thinking: highlights and 2020 in the same sentence?! Despite a challenging year in so many ways for all of us, the ELN has done our best to make the most impact we could. And boy, was there impact! We launched new programming, hosted thirteen events, and brought hundreds of rising leaders to […]
3 ways to get involved in #GivingTuesday in the GTHA!
by Nicole Danesi, Communications Lead with the ELN Executive Committee and Associate Manager of Donor Marketing with CanadaHelps Following the retail rush of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, GivingTuesday is a day celebrating generosity and giving in all forms. On December 1st, 2020, millions of Canadians and people around the world will come together (while […]
ELN Spotlight: Leslie Woo
From founding member of the ELN, to the new CEO of CivicAction! We’re so excited to be welcoming Leslie Woo, a respected leader with over 25 years of experience building sustainable communities and shaping urban growth, to the team. Learn more about Leslie and her city-building journey. My name is… Leslie Woo I speak (other […]
Real Talk on Anti-Black Racism in the GTHA
On June 18, the Emerging Leaders Network (ELN) Co-Chairs Letecia Rose and Idil Burale and Executive Committee members Debora Jesus and Anika Harford hosted Real Talk with Black Leaders, a dedicated space for Black rising leaders in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) to come together to share experiences and aspirations for building a […]
Real Talk on Reconciliation: Allyship in Action
On June 23rd, the ELN brought together rising and risen leaders from the Indigenous community in the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area for Real Talk on Reconciliation. Over 100 ELNers joined us to hear what these incredible Indigenous rising leaders had to say about allyship, land acknowledgements, taking action beyond Indigenous History Month, and more. Below […]
ELN Spotlight: Active Allyship in Reconciliation
Honouring the diversity of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples and cultures also means acknowledging the challenges these communities face and the role rising-leaders must play in supporting them. Celebrating National Indigenous History Month marks our ongoing commitment to supporting education and active allyship within the ELN. As we work to overcome systemic racism, while […]
Digital Dish with Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie: Top 5 Takeaways
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Emerging Leaders Network has heard loud and clear that rising leaders from across the GTHA are looking for opportunities to engage with decision-makers and contribute to important conversations around relief and recovery. On May 19th, CivicAction brought together nearly 100 rising leaders for an ELN Digital Dish with Mayor Bonnie […]
ELN Spotlight: Anna-Kay Russel
Meet Anna-Kay Russel. Originally born in Kingston, Jamaica and now calling Toronto home, Anna-Kay is a passionate policy professional involved in both Leading Change Canada and the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance. But her biggest city building accomplishment is co-founding the first-ever Toronto Black Policy Conference, an event that brought together 300 Black policy professionals […]
ELN Spotlight: Rising Leaders Rise to the Challenge
COVID-19 has brought on unprecedented challenges worldwide and emerging leaders across the GTHA are rising to the challenge. From stepping outside of their comfort zones through job redeployment to the front-lines, to leading innovative strategies within their organizations in response to our “new normal”, we’re celebrating the many ways emerging leaders across the GTHA are […]
COVID-19 & the ELN: Five Key Issues from Rising Leaders
We asked. The ELN answered. Between March 24 and April 2, 2020, we canvassed over 200 ELN members to get a better idea on how they’ve been affected by COVID-19, which supports they need now, and how they want to be part the GTHA’s recovery efforts. Whether it was through our recent online survey, in […]
Grow your network with #ELNonline: Mentorship
As virtual becomes the new normal, we’re leveraging a new tool in the ELN Facebook group that matches members who are interested in participating in online mentorship and facilitates digital meet-ups or chats. Here’s how it works: Join the Group: Join by clicking ‘Mentorship’ in the left sidebar of the Emerging Leaders Network Group on […]
ELN Spotlight: 15 Ways to Stay Connected
As a network of rising leaders actively plugged into civic issues, we know it can be difficult to practice social distancing (especially for those extroverts among us). At a time when we’re being called to step up and stay home, organizations and individuals are coming forward with innovative initiatives and resources to help us manage […]
ELN Reflections: What Obama Taught Me About Leadership
Debora Jesus is a 2020-21 ELN Communications Lead and the Marketing and Communications Coordinator at Ryerson University’s Legal Innovation Zone. Learn more about Debora here. On January 23rd, the Economic Club of Canada launched an event series on the future of work and the new economy. The forum opened with Future Skills: A Conversation with […]
ELN Member Spotlight: Debora Jesus
Meet Debora Jesus. Debora is one of the 2020-21 ELN Communications Leads and the Marketing and Communications Coordinator at Ryerson University’s Legal Innovation Zone. Debora was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil and moved to Canada in 2015, where she completed a Master of Arts in Communication and New Media at McMaster University. Prior to her […]
ELN Member Spotlight: Rebecca Klaassen
CivicAction is thrilled to welcome Rebecca to the team as our new Program Manager for the Emerging Leaders Network. Warm, engaging, and with an awesome toolkit of skills, Rebecca most recently worked with Apathy is Boring where she coordinated the Toronto RISE project and led groups of youth in becoming more civically and democratically engaged. […]
A fond farewell from your 2018-19 ELN Co-Chairs
Dear ELN Network, As our term as ELN Co-Chairs comes to a close, we can’t help but reflect on our journey and want to thank the many incredible people who helped make this an extraordinary two years advancing the most pressing challenges that face the GTHA. When we began our journey in January 2018, we […]
A view from the sidelines at The Emerging Leaders Bootcamp
Written by CivicAction’s Communications Intern, Kyle Hayward. On November 16th emerging leaders rose bright and early ready to break a sweat for ELNstudio: Better Leader Bootcamp, located at U of T’s Daniels Architecture building. My role as part of the Communications team was to document the day’s events and amplify #ELNbootcamp. Nearly 150 ELNers registered […]