OCIC Symposium 2026: Strengthening Global Citizenship Through Collective Action
April 9 – 10, 2026
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Symposium 2026. This in-person gathering created space for international cooperation sector actors, community leaders, students, youth, activists, allies, and others with interest to deepen understanding and commitment to global citizenship.
What the Symposium was all about:
- Reflecting on what it means to be a global citizen today
- Learning from local and global leaders advancing community-centered and community-led development, equitable partnerships and global social justice
- Open and inclusive spaces for capacity strengthening and knowledge exchange
- Strengthening our collective impact through collaborative learning and discussion that bridges local and global realities
- Meaningful connections that foster collaboration, partnership and collective action
Date and Time
Thursday, April 9, 2026 from 1:00pm – 4:30pm ET
Friday, April 10, 2026 from 8:30am – 5:30pm ET
Location
Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus, U of T,
108 College Street, Toronto
This initiative is undertaken with financial support from the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada.
Thank you to our event sponsors for supporting the participation of their international and national partners at OCIC’s Symposium 2026.
PHOTO GALLERY
PROGRAM & EVENT DETAILS
Program
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Code of Conduct & Health and Safety
The event will be a mask-friendly environment for all participants. While not mandating the use of masks, we ask all participants to review the most recent Government of Canada and provincial guidance on COVID-19 and other communicable illnesses and kindly request that you refrain from attending should you have any symptoms or related concerns.
All participants are also requested to review the OCIC Anti-Oppression and Anti-Racism Policy, and the OCIC Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment Policy available on the About Us page of the OCIC website in advance of the event, and to act accordingly throughout the event and in all following engagements with the Council and its members.
Questions? Contact Mishka Watin, OCIC Membership and Administration Coordinator, by email at mishka@ocic.on.ca
Are you interested in sponsoring or having a table at the OCIC Symposium 2026?
Download the Sponsorship Package [PDF]
Session Details & Speakers
Welcome, Land Acknowledgement & Grounding
Begin the Symposium with a collective welcome and grounding moment led by our Symposium hosts, Melissa Hammell with Kimberly Gibbons and Shehara Athukorala, followed by welcoming remarks by Paul Galipeau.
Shehara Athukorala
Kimberly Gibbons
Melissa Hammell
Opening Plenary
Shifting Power in Practice:
Locally-Led Development in Action
Learn how development organizations are putting locally-led principles into practice to foster more equitable, inclusive and sustainable change. Explore the six core principles of locally-led development with Jakub Nemec, followed by sharing real-world examples with Marie Meloche, Sopheap Sreng and Dr. Felagot Taddese, in conversation with Shehara Athukorala, demonstrating how these principles are applied in practice across global health, feminist system change, and community-led conservation.
Led by Christina Masching, participants will also take part in an interactive gallery walk to reflect on the principles and explore how they connect with their work.
Shehara Athukorala
Ontario Council for International Cooperation (OCIC)
Christina Masching
Salanga
Marie Meloche
Jane Goodall Institute of Canada
Jakub nemec
Salanga
Sopheap Sreng
ADRA Canada
Dr. Felagot Taddese
Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief (CPAR)
Reflections on Global Citizenship and Partnerships
Hear from Assistant Deputy Minister, Leslie E. Norton, International Assistance Partnerships and Programming at Global Affairs Canada, who will offer reflections that speak to the importance of this gathering and its focus on global citizenship, collaboration, and shared responsibility, followed by a Q&A session.
Leslie E. Norton
Plenary Session
Framing Global Citizenship:
Representation, Youth Leadership, & Models of Engagement
Explore how youth are shaping policy, driving change and building the future of Canada with Anjum Sultana, in conversation with Loïc de Fabritus, Alison Horton, Negin Kamvizh, Dinojah Patkunarajah and Zeina Shabaan. Panelists will share lessons learned, innovative approaches, and challenges from their youth programs, from campus initiatives and fellowships to advocacy campaigns and multi-sector partnerships, highlighting how youth can move from learning to action, become policy shapers, and strengthen democratic resilience.
Loïc de Fabritus
Alison Horton
Zeina Shabaan
Negin Kamvizh
Dinojah Patkunarajah
Anjum Sultana
Parallel Dialogue
Scaling Community-Led Models For Transformative Global Citizenship And Girls’ Education
Join Hyang Cho, Kohima Daring, Nyaluma Elise, Catherine Rina Guda, Ahmed Ali Hassan, Rano Mansurova and Nasima Nazrieva in a session exploring how community-led development models shift power, strengthen local leadership, and anchor programming in locally driven decision-making. Panellists will share their organizations’ approaches: Acted’s AGORA and Catalyst methodologies, World Renew’s People’s Institution (PI) Model, and Good Neighbours’ Community-Driven Menstrual Health and Education Program. Together, speakers will highlight lessons learned, innovations, and strategies for sustaining impact.
* Most relevant to practitioners, program managers, and donors interested in learning about community-driven development models, equitable approaches and advancing global citizenship.
Hyang Cho
Kohima Daring
Nyaluma Elise Ndiforba
Catherine Rina Guda
Ahmed Ali Hassan
Rano Mansurov
Nasima Nazrieva
Parallel Dialogue
Beyond Traditional Funding: Adapting to a Changing Landscape
Join Tariq Bhanjee, Sarah Bird, Tanya Cothran, Tiffany Nyklickova, and Kim Umbach to explore perspectives from different organizations and how they have adapted to a changing and challenging funding landscape. This session will provide an opportunity to explore a model to introspect on funding internally, learn about alternative financing models, hear from a philanthropic donor on expectations, and then look at how local innovations have adapted.
* Most relevant to practitioners, program managers, and donors interested in advancing community-driven development, equitable partnerships, and sustainable resourcing models.
Tariq Bhanjee
Sarah Bird
Tanya Cothran
Tiffany Nyklickova
Kim Umbach
Parallel Dialogue
From Story to Solidarity:
Trans MENA Photovoice as Global Citizenship in Action
Join the YSMENA research team, Yousef Alhammadi, Cléo, Dr. Roula Kteily-Hawa and Khalil I. Rantissi, behind a community-based participatory project centering transgender and gender-diverse Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) newcomer young adults in Ontario to explore how arts-based research can advance global citizenship and community-led advocacy. The session will include a screening of two short films documenting the project journey and public exhibition, artistic storytelling and reflections from participants, and a facilitated dialogue on migration, identity, and collective action. Panellists will share how participatory methods like Photovoice create safe spaces, amplify marginalized voices, and translate lived experiences into public engagement, policy influence, and ethical storytelling.
* Most relevant to practitioners, educators, and community organizations interested in arts-based research, community-led knowledge mobilization, and advancing global citizenship through participatory and creative approaches.
Yousef Alhammadi
Cléo
Roula Kteily-Hawa
Khalil I. Rantissi
Lunch & Learn Table Hosts
Participants are invited to connect over lunch and engage in small group conversations with Tariq Bhanjee, Leslie Chan, Marian Dodds, Molly Grove and Kate Leigh Lexington. Through stories, research, and lived experience, these exchanges offer an opportunity to explore ideas, ask questions, and connect more deeply.
Tariq Bhanjee
Join Tariq for lunch to discuss bridging the gap between innovative funding frameworks and actionable, sustainable community impact. Hear how his background in Planning and Public Health, has led to a unique intersectional lens that balances rigorous socio-economic analysis with a deep commitment to social impact.
Leslie Chan
Join Leslie for lunch to discuss the global and institutional power dynamics that shape scholarly communication systems, digital infrastructures, and research evaluation. You can also learn about his work with the Knowledge Equity Lab to champion the visibility and recognition of research from the Global South and alternative models of knowledge dissemination.
Marian Dodds
Join Marian for lunch to chat about storytelling and to hear about her post-retirement years in Ethiopia, first as a pedagogy instructor at a rural college and then as a gender advisor at the Ministry of Education. You can ask her about her memoir, "Tizita—A Memoir of Perseverance and Enchantment," published in 2025.
Molly Grove
Join Molly for lunch to learn more about Salanga’s work in providing tools, training, and technology services in MEAL and community-led development around the world. If you’re all about building partnerships, sharing best practices, and developing tools and processes that bring projects to life and shift power to communities, then you and Molly will get along.
Kate Leigh Lexington
Join Kate for lunch to hear how she connects her human rights work with the therapy model, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). She will share how distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness, can be adapted and delivered within refugee and newcomer communities through peer leadership and community-based programming, outside of clinical settings.
Parallel Dialogue
From Implementation to Policy Influence:
Translating Evidence into Government Decision-Making
Join Mark Loewenberger and Dr. Felagot Taddese to explore how a tele-ultrasound program in rural Ethiopia became a vehicle for locally led, feminist, and equitable systems strengthening. The session will include a case presentation, facilitated breakout discussions, and collective reflection, highlighting how governance, operational control, and power were intentionally transitioned to local institutions. Panellists will share how these design choices advanced service delivery, strengthened public systems, and translated evidence into policy while promoting solidarity, equity, and global citizenship.
* Most relevant to practitioners, program managers, and donors interested in locally led development, feminist SRHR, and translating evidence into sustainable policy impact.
Mark Loewenberger
Dr. Felagot Taddese
Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief (CPAR)
Parallel Dialogue
Activating Global Citizenship:
Advocacy for Systems Change
Join Taryn Russell and Lindsay Sheridan for an interactive workshop exploring how advocacy can advance sustainable, transformational change locally and globally. Participants will engage in hands-on exercises and group discussions, applying practical advocacy tools to mobilize communities, build relationships with decision-makers, and strengthen collective impact. The session will also highlight the upcoming launch of OCIC and Results Canada’s free online advocacy course, providing a resource for participants to continue developing their skills and integrating advocacy into their ongoing work for global social justice.
* Most relevant to practitioners, CSOs, program managers, and individuals seeking practical advocacy skills to advance systemic change and global citizenship.
Taryn Russell
Lindsay Sheridan
Parallel Dialogue
Guided Wellness Session:
Sustainable Wellbeing for Global Professionals
Join Samina Jamshed for a guided mental health and wellness session providing participants with space for reflection, respite, and creative engagement. This interactive session introduces practical tools and best practices to support mental well-being and build resilience in demanding professional contexts. Participants will explore accessible strategies to sustain their energy, stay grounded, and continue contributing meaningfully to their work.
* Most relevant to practitioners, humanitarian and development workers, and participants seeking to strengthen personal resilience and wellbeing while engaging in complex global work.
Samina Jamshed
Musical Performance & Conversation
Enjoy live music and storytelling with Sara Kae, an Ojibwe and Cree artist, writer and performer, in this reflective session. Blending song with conversation, this session creates space for connection and dialogue to explore themes of identity, community, and our role as global citizens in shaping our collective future.













