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 […]
What's New
Interested in knowing what we’ve been up to? You’ve come to the right place! Below, you’ll find updates of our recent events, see what our members have been up to, and discover what others are saying about us and our programs.
Event Recaps | Program Updates | ELN Spotlight | DiverseCity Fellows | News Releases | In the News | Fellows in Focus
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 […]
Fellows in Focus: Kendra Kerr
Reflections on allyship and anti-racism conversations Kendra Kerr is a member of the DiverseCity Fellows 2020 cohort and Manager, Partnerships and Projects at MLSE Foundation. The world is changing. The activism we are seeing today through massive social media campaigns (#blackouttuesday), or countless brands releasing statements calling for racial justice, or even the significant demonstrations […]
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 […]
CivicAction Announces 2020 DiverseCity Fellows as Toronto Region Leadership Unites for COVID-19 Response
Posted on Cision. TORONTO (May 13, 2020) – Over the past few months Canada’s leaders have stepped up to address the COVID-19 pandemic. But as we move through recovery and build back a better region, there’s a unique opportunity to increase diversity in our leadership ranks and plug new voices into decision making tables. That’s […]
Re:Action Task Force of Rising and Risen Leaders Launched for COVID-19 Recovery
As our region looks to recover and rebuild from COVID-19, we need to ensure that a diverse set of voices are included at decision making tables. As part of this effort, CivicAction was thrilled to kick off our Re:Action Task Force on April 28, 2020. Co-Chaired by Toronto City Councillor and 2018 DiverseCity Fellow Brad […]
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 […]
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 […]
A debate is worth watching, even if it won’t change your mind
ELN Communications Lead Sean Mackay is a digital marketing and communications professional working in Toronto’s real estate industry. Sean works as Managing Director at Livabl, an online publication that helps consumers better understand and navigate the real estate market. Sean is a mentor with the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC), an organization that addresses […]
What matters this election? Some insights from Hamilton young leaders
2018-20 ELN Communications Lead Alyssa Lai is a permanent resident in Canada. While she can’t vote in Canadian elections, she enjoys being a fly on the wall as she observes and follows election and current affairs news. Alyssa is fascinated by the discourse around various social, economic, and political issues and shares her thoughts regularly […]
#AskELNExec chat with Alyssa Lai
On July 23, we had a Ask Me Anything Twitter chat with current ELN Communications Lead Alyssa Lai to learn more about her experience on the ELN Executive Committee. Read below to find out what Alyssa has to say about her time on the committee! Alyssa, why did you apply for a position on the […]
Dishing about diversity’s key ingredient: inclusion
Written by Pranav Sidhwani Pranav Sidhwani is an ELN member and works as a management consultant and sees cities as his natural habitat. Connect with Pranav. As a newcomer to Canada, I’ve been looking to build my community and meet people who share not only my concerns for the world we live in, but also […]
Let’s Get Rooted
Written by Shiva Mazrouei Shiva Mazrouei is Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Doctors Without Borders Canada and is a passionate equity and inclusion advocate as well as an active ELN member. Want to know more? Connect with Shiva. — In true millennial fashion, I have moved several times between cities for work, which had me […]
Here’s what in store for the ELN in 2019
We’re off and running in 2019! It’s a whole new year and our plans are bigger, bolder, and better. First off, thanks so much to all those network members who braved the weather and came out to our 2019 Snowcial at The Gladstone Hotel. The event name was way more apt than we had expected […]
Your year with the ELN.
When they said time flies, they forgot to mention that it flies on rocket fuel. It seems like just yesterday we met for the first time to map out our vision for 2018. Now we’re already planning out how we can make next year’s programming even bigger and better. Our amazing ELN community has made […]
Button design contest winner announced
Congratulations to Cassandra, winner of the ELN’s “I’m Voting” button design contest. Distilling the complexity of a community into a single image isn’t easy, but it’s a challenge Cassandra D’Ambrosio decided to tackle. When creating her button design, she paired sketch style illustrations and bright colours to represent the vibrancy of the GTHA’s communities. […]
Municipal elections: Coming soon to a community near you
Municipal government shapes our cities. Municipal elections are an important part of shaping where we live. Our cities and towns are where we work, go to school, shop for groceries, raise families, and build communities. City council’s decisions and policies impact all of these areas. Council controls zoning for residential housing and rent controls, is […]
Oh the Places You’ll Go
Written by Crystal Kyabaggu Crystal Kyabaggu is a CPA and graduate of the Richard Ivey Business School at Western University. Crystal has a deep love for music and works as an Accountant and Business Manager within the Entertainment industry. Want to know more? Connect with her! – I’ve been to my fair share of career […]
Prepare for the Ontario election in 8 easy steps!
The provincial election is the most important time to speak up and influence Ontario’s priorities for the next 4 years. Your vote on June 7th will influence decisions on how the government addresses the affordable housing crisis, supports job growth, prioritizes transit strategies, and other important issues. But sometimes with all the information out there […]
You don’t find passion. It finds you.
Written by Jelena Lazarević. Jelena is the Senior Communications Advisor on our CivicAction Team. She is always looking for ways to contribute her strong digital media and graphic design skills to a variety of causes. When she’s not tweeting away, you’ll find her traveling, behind the camera, or indulging in good food. Find out more […]
“Walk It Talk It”? Provincial party leaders court youth vote at Laidlaw Foundation Youth Town Hall
Written by Seher Shafiq. Seher is the DiverseCity Fellows Program Manager at our CivicAction Leadership Foundation. She is extremely passionate about civic engagement and was heavily involved in get-out-the-vote efforts during the 2015 federal election, so expect to see her tweeting and sharing information and thoughts on the upcoming elections! Find out more about her here. […]
Flexing your mentorship muscles
Written by Alyssa Lai. Alyssa is a 2018-2019 ELN Communications Lead, 2017 DiverseCity Fellow and Digital Marketing Coordinator at Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation. Find out more about her here. — In my ten years in Canada, I’ve had many mentors, both formal and informal. I’ve benefited tremendously from mentorship in many different ways. From helping me understand cultural […]
Black on Bay Street author Hadiya Roderique joins ELN for some vital and mind-expanding Real Talk
Written by Sean MacKay. Sean is a 2018-2019 ELN Communications Lead and Managing Editor at BuzzBuzzHome. Find out more about him here. — Like so many of those who read Hadiya Roderique’s Black on Bay Street essay in The Globe and Mail, I was blown away by her powerful story of representation, exclusion, and oppression, at […]
Message from the Managing Director: The power of volunteerism.
By Jodie Rawn For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been that girl. You know the one – on student council, coordinator of any and all school events, active in campus life (go WLU!), member of every employee engagement committee I could find…yep, THAT girl. I was a joiner in every sense of the […]