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 us at the ELN Snowcial!
Speaker Highlights
- Nawal Masoud: How a Postal Code Impacts Our Future
- Priyank D’Sa: Beyond Burgers (& Hotdogs): Celebrating Diversity through Street Food
- Alicia Richins: Our COVID Response and the Future of Sustainable Development
- Ashley Fruck Siomos: The Power of a Purchase
- Harpreet Singh: Public Revitalization- a Case Study of County Court
- Tanya Rumble: We All Count
- Sanaa Ali-Mohammed: Fostering Brave Workplaces for Inclusive Nonprofits
- Janeen Brown: Diverse LeadHERs
- Ramz Aziz: A Digital Tale of Two Cities (A Story of Love, Life and Tech)
- Qua Boissoneau & Grace Francisci: Northern Girls in the City
Meet our Speakers
Nawal Masoud
How a Postal Code Impacts Our Future
This talk will explore historic inequality in access to resources and opportunities that people experience based on the neighborhood they’re from in Toronto. By drawing from her own experiences, diving into the connection between postal codes and systemic racism along with the resulting income & skills gap, Nawal hopes to discuss solutions so that postal codes are just a series of letters and numbers indicating an address and not determining a person’s future potential for success.
Raised in one of Toronto’s most vibrant immigrant neighborhoods, Nawal saw firsthand the disparities in to access to opportunities depending on a person’s postal code, ultimately driving her to become a youth mentor by delivering capacity building workshops that enable them to realize their future potential. As a civic minded individual, she is an award-winning champion of diversity & inclusion initiatives to advocate for diverse voices to be amplified in spaces of leadership especially as we build back from the pandemic for a more inclusive Toronto.
Priyank D’Sa
Beyond Burgers (& Hotdogs): Celebrating Diversity through Street Food
In this talk, Priyank will take a look at the culinary industry in Toronto and how the city can bounce back from the 2020 coronavirus pandemic as a more affordable, inclusive and vibrant city by creating a space for street food.
Priyank D’Sa is a community organizer from Toronto who has been involved in politics and advocacy at the federal, provincial and municipal levels. He is passionate about civic engagement and getting Canadians, especially youth, more involved in the political process. He has been making use of the lockdown to improve his culinary skills, take up tattooing and explore the city on a bike.
Connect with Priyank on LinkedIn.
Alicia Richins
Our COVID Response and the Future of Sustainable Development
While the COVID-19 pandemic has caused serious disruptions and even whole reversals of some of our progress to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals, it has also required us to (and proven that we can) act swiftly and radically to take care of each other in the face of loss and uncertainty. This presentation will focus on this COVID silver lining, which forms a blueprint for the rapid transformational change needed to face climate change and achieve our all-encompassing goals for sustainable development.
Alicia is a Sustainability and Social Impact Consultant working to bring the UN Sustainable Development Goals to local organizations and businesses, while also working as the Partnerships and Standards Manager at the Common Approach to Impact Measurement. A proud dual citizen of Canada and Trinidad and Tobago, Alicia holds a Master in Environmental Studies, Planning Concentration, and a BA in Economics and Social Science (Honours), both from York University.
Connect with Alicia on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram or her website.
Ashley Fruck Siomos
The Power of a Purchase
Whether purchases are done through the various sectors or individuals, purchasing decisions have massive impacts, and it is vital that we make informed decisions that guarantee the protection of people and our planet. This talk will dive into topics like supply chain, diverse owned and local businesses and the impact of purchasing decisions on communities, our environment and human rights. We will discuss the potential for change given the bold actions of individuals, through the sharing of wisdom with others, and using our influence to inspire change in the various sectors we work. It is our responsibility to make better choices today.
Ashley is the Manager of Responsible Sourcing and Supplier Diversity at TD Bank where she works to influence Corporate Responsibility across TD’s supply chain through supplier engagement activities that reduce social, environmental and ethical risk and enhance diversity and inclusion. She has recently completed a certificate in The Health Effects of Climate Change with Harvard and is currently pursuing a certificate in Ethics in Action through the Sustainable Development Goals Academy. Ashley is a 2018 CivicAction DiverseCity Fellow.
Harpreet Singh
Public Revitalization- a Case Study of County Court
This discussion will focus on public space revitalization using case examples from the County Court Resident Association’s work. Over the past five years the association has worked with a wide and diverse constituency group to build environmentally forward-facing programs and to support neighbourhood capacity.
Harpreet is the current President of the County Court Resident Association in connection with the City of Brampton and the Toronto Regional Conservation Authority. He also serves on Regional Ward 3 and 4 Advisory Council for the City of Brampton. Singh is a graduate from York University’s Environmental Studies with undergraduate work focusing on public space and has over ten years of municipal service with the City of Toronto.
Tanya Rumble
We All Count
How can data be leveraged for anti-racism work and to create a more equitable social sector in the GTHA? This presentation will explore this idea within the context of the City of Toronto Data for Equity strategy of which FindHelp Information Services /211 Central is a partner – this strategy aims to collect, analyse and use data to inform program planning and service delivery in support of the City’s equity and prosperity goals.
Tanya is a new mom, professional fundraiser and public sector leader. She is deeply passionate about the themes of equity, inclusion, power and privilege and how they intersect with social and community services, public health, food and baking, and philanthropy. Tanya is Vice-Chair with FindHelp Information Services /211 Central and Board Director with the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Canada. Tanya gratefully acknowledges the traditional territories of the Mississauga and Haudenosaunee nations, whose traditional territory she lives and works with her husband and infant son. Tanya was a 2010 DiverseCity Fellow.
Sanaa Ali-Mohammed
Fostering Brave Workplaces for Inclusive Nonprofits
2020 was a year marked by conversations about taking action on systemic racial discrimination in Canada, including in non-profit and charitable workplaces. In light of these conversations, this presentation will describe some of the challenges to addressing racial discrimination in the sector, and offer some recommendations to create brave workplaces, a first step to healthier work environments for Black, Indigenous, and people of colour workers in the sector.
Sanaa Ali-Mohammed has over 8 years of experience working on anti-racism and equity-focused initiatives within the non-profit sector. She is a current Board Member with the Urban Alliance on Race Relations, where she has contributed to conversations about racism and discrimination for outlets like the Philanthropist, the CBC and NOW Magazine. You can find Sanaa on Twitter @snarkysanaa.
Janeen Brown
Diverse LeadHERs
This talk will dive into the importance of cultivating young women from diverse backgrounds to become leaders.
Janeen Brown is the Executive Director and Founder of EmpowHERto. She is an advocate for the well-being of woman, building self-confidence, and female entrepreneurship.
Connect with Janeen on LinkedIn.
Ramz Aziz
A Digital Tale of Two Cities (A Story of Love, Life and Tech)
Smart city transformation touches the lives of residents in unique ways. This talk will examine the journeys and experiences of two unique people touched by a rapidly evolving municipal landscape.
Ramz is a lawyer at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP. He is a former Research Fellow with the School of Cities at the University of Toronto, and currently serves on the City of Toronto’s Digital Infrastructure Community Advisory Group. His goal is to help realize a future where the costs and benefits of digital transformation are distributed equitably, fairly and justly among stakeholders in society.
Qua Boissoneau & Grace Francisci
Northern Girls in the City
Qua and Grace’s talk will explore their perspectives on inclusive cities as Indigenous women born and raised in North and Northwestern Ontario now living in the GTHA.
Grace and Quazance (Qua), two Anishinaabekwewog, host a weekly podcast call the#CallHerAuntyPodcast . Both women were born and raised in North and Northwestern Ontario and like many Indigenous young people, made the decision to move down south to pursue education and employment. In their weekly episodes, they share their personal struggles as now urban Indigenous women and the experience that come with it. Their goal is to normalize accessing mental health supports, making it acceptable to live on an air mattress if you have too and accepting that sometimes you lost on the Toronto Transit System – and that’s okay!
Excited to hear from these speakers? Don’t forget to register for the ELN Snowcial!
Happening January 28th 2021.