Innovation Lab 2023 Part 1: Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation: Realities From Across the Globe 
Friday, February 2 from 2:00pm – 3:30pm EST

Thank you to everyone who attended!

Knowing the importance of taking climate action now, and recognising the incredible work being done and needed globally to combat the negative impacts of climate change, Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation: Realities From Across the Globe will include Canada’s Ambassador for Climate Change, Catherine Stewart, and distinguished speakers from four civil society organizations working to effect positive and sustainable change in local communities, globally.

This webinar will introduce key concepts relevant to OCIC’s Innovation Lab 2023 Part 2 – Arts-Based Engagement Toward Climate Action, February 11 in Toronto, which will include a focus on storytelling and creative communication as tools to motivate climate action. 

Who should attend?

OCIC’s welcomes all those interested in reflecting upon their relationship to climate in a local, national, and international context, and in building their skills in arts-based communication. This may include:

• International cooperation sector professionals in OCIC member organizations and other interested organizations
• Youth, educators and community mobilizers who are active in or aspire to get involved in the international cooperation sector and want to learn more, and make connections

About the Contributors: 

Catherine Stewart, Canada’s Ambassador for Climate Change

With over 25 years in the federal government, Catherine Stewart’s most recent role was Assistant Deputy Minister of International Affairs at Environment and Climate Change Canada. Since 2014, she has served in senior executive roles at ECCC including as Canada’s Chief Negotiator for Climate Change, Director General Multilateral Affairs and Climate Change, and Director General for the Americas.

Prior to joining ECCC, Catherine was Director, Strategic Policy and Integration for the National Fighter Jet Procurement Secretariat and served as an executive at the Privy Council Office. She also worked on defence and security policy at the Department of National Defence over the span of a decade, covering areas such as Cabinet affairs, Ministerial speechwriting and Canada’s participation in the NATO Alliance.

Prior to joining the federal government, Catherine worked on a United Nations peacekeeping and electoral mission in Mozambique. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University and a Master of Arts in Public Administration from Carleton University. Catherine is married and has three sons.

Moderator – Ameena Ilahi, Executive Director of Rooftops Canada/Abri International

Ameena Ilahi has over 20 years experience in international development with a strong focus on the nonprofit sector. She is the current Executive Director of Rooftops Canada. Previously, she served as the Country Director for Relief International in Pakistan, Assistant Country Director with CARE International in Pakistan, and the Deputy Country Representative with The Asia Foundation where she led its human rights and women’s empowerment programs. With over 15 years in the field, Ameena brings sound understanding of complex and fragile settings in the Global South and countries in transition including Pakistan, Egypt, Romania, Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia. Ameena has worked in varied development sectors, including human rights, women’s economic empowerment, good governance and democratization, emergency response, water, sanitation & hygiene, agriculture, institutional strengthening and capacity building. She holds a B.A. in Sociology/Anthropology from Carleton University in Ottawa, and a M.Sc. in Agricultural Development from the University of London, UK.

Panelists: 

Demba Coundoul, Director of Programs of the Jane Goodall Institute of Senegal

Demba Coundoul is the Director of Programs with the Jane Goodall Institute Senegal since 2020. He has more than 15 years of experience in administrative, financial and human resources management in organizations in Senegal and Europe. He brings his experience in local development and women’s economic groups support in the BCR project.

Sonya Santolin, Director, Governance and Board Secretary at Firefighters Without Borders

Sonya is a qualified corporate lawyer (member of the Ontario Bar Association) and has experience supporting several international boards. She is experienced in corporate law, corporate governance and sustainability, and corporate and regulatory compliance. Sonya was elected to the Board in September 2019 as the Board Secretary and Chair of the Governance and Nominating Committee.

Innovation Lab 2023 Part 2: Arts-Based Engagement Toward Climate Action
Saturday, February 11 from 9:00am- 5:00pm EST

Location: Centre for Social Innovation (CSI) – Spadina
192 Spadina Avenue, Suite 101, Toronto, ON M5T 2C2, Canada

Thank you to everyone who attended!

Join OCIC for a unique in-person learning opportunity focused on storytelling and creative communication as tools to motivate climate action. This one-day event will build on key concepts introduced in our Innovation Lab 2023 Part 1 – Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Virtual Panel, to further explore the value and ethics of public engagement through arts-based approaches, using climate change as the angle for this exploration. Using film, photography, and other artistic mediums, participants will be exposed to transferable, arts-based engagement tools to document their stories of climate and engage others in their work.

The day will kick off with a plenary session with Gen-Z filmmaker Kasha Sequoia Slavner focused on how to approach and frame your story and will include a screening of Kasha’s first film The Sunrise Storyteller, followed by a Q&A.

During lunch participants will have the opportunity to network with other participants, including staff of international cooperation sector organizations in Ontario participating in #IDW2023.

In the afternoon participants will select an artistic medium they are keen on exploring further through an in-depth workshop with a locally recognised artist. The freedom and accessibility of arts-based approaches will allow space for participants to challenge traditional story narratives and to innovate how they tell their own stories of change and impact. We hope the day will provide accessible and meaningful opportunities for folks to explore new ways to connect with themselves, their story, and others.

Who should attend?

OCIC welcomes all those interested in reflecting upon their relationship to climate in a local, national, and international context, and in building their skills in arts-based communication. This may include:

• International cooperation sector professionals in OCIC member organizations and other interested organization
• Youth, educators and community mobilizers who are active in or aspire to get involved in the international cooperation sector and want to learn more, and make connections
• Others who are interested in using film, photography and other artistic mediums to document their stories of climate and engage others in their work

About the Contributors:

Kasha Sequoia Slavner

Kasha Sequoia Slavner is a Gen-Z, multi-award-winning first-time documentary filmmaker who comes to the profession as a seasoned photographer, entrepreneur and social justice advocate for over a decade. She was only 16 years old when she set out across the world for six months to make The Sunrise Storyteller and completed it upon returning to high school.

Using her passion for visual storytelling to make the world a better place, she was selected as the recipient of the very first Kim Phuc Youth Award for Peace. In addition, Kasha was selected for the class of 2017 Global Teen Leaders by legendary music producer Nile Rodgers’ We Are Family Foundation & TEDxTeen and was also selected into the inaugural cohort of the We Global Learning Centre’s new social entrepreneurship program. In 2018 she was chosen by Yunus & Youth as one of their Fellows and in 2019 selected by Global Changemakers to join their cohort. Most recently this committed changemaker became a Diana Award Holder, for sustaining positive social change in the memory of Diana, Princess of Wales. In 2019 she was chosen to be part of the inaugural launch of projects selected for the Voices of SDG16+ at the United Nations High Level Political Forum. In September 2019,she spoke to over 750+ students at the United Nations for The International Day of Peace Student Observance on the topic of climate & peace. Recently she became a 2021 Climate Ambassador of the Global Youth Climate Network, an Ambassador for Youthtopia and a liaison for the One Better World Collective. She is also a 2021 Basel Pacey Award Finalist, a 2021 Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies Trailblazer, Evolutionary Leader and a 2022 Commonwealth Youth Awards Finalist, an Earth Prize Ambassador, Artist for Ecocide Law and a 2022 Leader for Tomorrow with UN Youth for Disarmament. Kasha is a 12x UN Youth Delegate, presenter, adjudicator and a long-time member of The Canadian Voice of Women for Peace, the former Ontario Regional Advisor for the Canadian Council of Young Feminists. She is a frequent public speaker and is an accredited expert for the Women’s Media Center, a non-profit co-founded by Gloria Steinem, Jane Fonda and Robin Morgan. Most recently Kasha was selected as one of the Wonder Grantees for Sustainability by the Shawn Mendes Foundation.

In addition, Kasha tours with a 32 piece photography exhibition “Travels into the Heart” and has completed a second large scale exhibit about Sustainable Development Goal #16 (Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions) – The exhibition is entitled Picture 16©. At 17 Kasha wrote & published her first 200+ page book of photography “Reflections of the Sunrise Storyteller – A Journey into the Heart as a Global Citizen”. She’s a frequent public speaker, has been commissioned by National Geographic Learning, is a contributor to Thrive Global, The Huffington Post, Good Magazine, Matador Network & appeared in several podcasts.

Lab Facilitators:

Amanda Cupido (Podcasting Workshop)

Amanda Cupido is an award-winning podcast producer, radio executive, university instructor, author, and entrepreneur. She is the founder of Lead Podcasting, a full-service podcast production company that specializes in developing podcasts for thought leaders and organizations. In addition, Amanda is the program director at AM 640 Toronto, where she leads a team of producers and radio hosts.

Amanda’s expertise in storytelling through audio formats has led her to train executives and professionals across the globe. She is the author of the Amazon bestseller, Let’s Talk Podcasting: The Essential Guide to Doing it Right and is a sought-after speaker who has spoken at numerous renowned organizations including World Vision, Deloitte and Sid Lee. Amanda has also spoken at the largest podcast conferences in the world including Pod Fest, Podcast Movement and the Hot Docs Podcast Festival.

Amanda is passionate about empowering the next generation of media professionals to hone their audio storytelling skills. She is a part-time university lecturer and has helped to redefine the radio courses at both Seneca College and Toronto Metropolitan University. Amanda believes that communication through audio formats helps to enhance human connection and hopes to inspire organizations to use audio storytelling to foster learning, growth and community.

Amanda has a Bachelor of Journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University and a Master of Professional Studies in the Psychology of Leadership from Penn State University.

Karen Natalia Villanueva (Muralism Workshop)

Karen is a Colombian social worker currently based in Tkaronto, Kanata (Toronto, Canada). She graduated from York University with an HBA in International Development Studies and is a Master of Social Work graduate from the University of Toronto with a specialization in health and mental health. Karen currently holds the portfolio of Deputy Executive Director at Centre of Learning & Development. For the past 7 years, through her community development practice, Karen integrates her passion for popular education, activism and visual arts to foster capacity building in immigrant and newcomer populations.

Sid Naidu (Photography Workshop)

Sid Naidu is an emerging artist and photographer who uses visual arts as a tool for creating social impact. Earning a Bachelors in Arts & Contemporary Studies from Toronto Metropolitan University in 2010 and completing a graduate certificate in International Development at Centennial College in 2019, Sid built his independent freelance practice around the creative industries and community building.

Born overseas and moving between different worlds of culture, Sid Naidu’s documentary work is influenced through the journey of a first generation Canadian immigrant who was raised in the cultural hotbed of Scarborough, Toronto. Drawing inspiration from street arts, cultural movements and global development, he worked and lived across Asia, Australia and the Americas to create bodies of photographic works and collaborate on development projects.
Through the lens of a creator and changemaker, Sid has worked with organizations including Artscape, Action Against Hunger Canada, City of Toronto, Toronto Metropolitan University, Centennial CollegeComplex Canada, Toronto Community Housing, Toronto Public Library, TEDx and UNICEF Australia. His personal journey led him to co-found “Scarborough Made,” a collective that documents stories of humanity through photography and filmmaking. Over the past two years, he has grown the project as the managing director to raise over 100K in funding to provide creative mentorship opportunities to youth and develop public art installations in underserved communities.

In 2020 Sid founded SNCD Inc. as a creative venture to develop social impact projects that can support artists, start-up brands and socially-minded organizations in their purpose-driven work. For 2022, Sid has been awarded grant funding from the City of Toronto, Toronto Arts Council & The Toronto Public Library, to develop arts programming that can engage youth around documentary storytelling and the visual arts.

Watch for details on additional contributors, coming soon!

Health & Safety measures:

This event will be a mask-friendly environment for all participants. While not mandating the use of masks, Toronto Public Health strongly recommends wearing a high-quality, well-fitting mask in all indoor public settings. Participants will be expected to comply with all provincial guidelines in force at the time of the event.

OCIC kindly requests that all participants pre-screen for COVID-19 or COVID-like symptoms prior to attending the training, and refrain from attending should you have any symptoms or related concerns.

Virtual Panel: Career Journeys in International Cooperation
Monday, February 6 from 11:00am – 12:30pm EST

Thank you to everyone who attended!

Join OCIC at a virtual Career Panel for students and other individuals with interest in working in the international cooperation and humanitarian sectors in Canada. The panel will profile professionals who offer a variety of approaches to advance global efforts towards improved food security, climate action, health, education and gender equality, and who bring diverse personal experience, expertise and backgrounds to their role. It will explore:

• Panelists’ personal career paths
• Perspectives on the ways their education and experience is relevant to their current positions
• Insights into the changing priorities and skills needed in their area of work and current opportunities in their sector
• Suggestions for students and professionals looking for work in the sector

About the Contributors:

Moderator – John Abraham, Academic Dean of the United College at the University of Waterloo

John Abraham is the Academic Dean of United College at the University of Waterloo. He supervises the capstone year international placements for the undergraduate International Development program and advises on placements for the Masters of Development Practice program.

Panelists:

Léa Beaudry, Senior Education Specialist for the Latin America and Caribbean regions at Global Affairs Canada

Léa Beaudry has worked for 15 years in governance, human rights, child protection and education programming. She is currently Senior Education Specialist for the Latin America and Caribbean regions with Global Affairs Canada’s (GAC) Global Issues and Development branch. Previously Child Protection Specialist with UNICEF in Honduras (2017-2021), she supported efforts to strengthen the national child protection and juvenile justice systems, preventing violence against children/GBV, setting up protection services for migrant and IDP children, and coordinating protection and education in emergencies actions. Lea has also previously worked with Global Affairs Canada in Honduras and at HQ on RBM/Risk Management, governance and human rights programming; and with Canadian NGO CANADEM on development and election observation programs. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the University of Ottawa and a master’s degree in International Cooperation and NGO Management from the Universidad de Granada, Spain.

Leslie Chan, Associate Professor at the Global Development Studies Department at University of Toronto Scarborough

Leslie Chan is an Associate Professor, Teaching, in the Department of Global Development Studies (DGDS) and the director of the Knowledge Equity Lab at the University of Toronto Scarborough. Leslie served as the Program Supervisor and Associate Director of the Centre for Critical Development Studies (now the DGDS) from 2013 to 2021. An early practitioner of the Web for scholarly exchange and online learning, Leslie has been interested in the role and design of knowledge infrastructures and their impact on local and international development.

Rachel Morrison, Project Manager at Good Neighbours Canada

Rachel Morrison is a young immigrant from the UK with a passion for gender equity and women’s rights. She graduated from the University of Sussex with a Master’s degree in Human Rights, and throughout her career has worked in frontline domestic abuse and suicide intervention support services. Since moving to Canada one year ago, Rachel has transitioned into the international development sector, now working as Project Manager at the multinational humanitarian development charity Good Neighbors, which operates in 47 countries worldwide.

Tina Sweeney, Senior Outreach and Partnerships Officer at Cuso International

For the past eight years Tina Sweeney has been part of Cuso International’s communications and marketing team. She creates spaces to strengthen global citizenship and social inclusion while amplifying the voices and stories of those around the world. Tina is an executive board member of the Canadian International Council (CIC) Toronto branch and a member of The Program Advisory Committee for the International Development program at Centennial College. Tina was nominated by a partner and awarded Canada’s 100 Black Women to Watch by the Canada International Black Women Event in 2019.

Virtual Panel: Demystifying the Women, Peace and Security Agenda, and its linkages to Climate Change
Wednesday, February 8 from 11:00am – 12:30pm EST

Thank you to everyone who attended!

Gender dimensions are indispensable when considering the impacts of climate change, as climate vulnerability exacerbates existing power relations, norms and practices that inhibit progress toward achieving gender equality. These gendered impacts in many ways mirror the same vulnerabilities women face in situations of conflict. In 2022, the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls described climate change as “the most consequential threat multiplier for women and girls, with far-reaching impacts on new and existing forms of gendered inequities.” As women and girls face the brunt of climate disasters, there is a need to pivot their voices and their involvement in policy-making and advocacy processes on the climate adaptation and mitigation efforts.

In this event Canada’s Ambassador for Women, Peace and Security and other distinguished panelists will help to demystify the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda and Canada’s current role in exploring its linkage with climate change. They will also bring out regionally specific examples of the gendered impacts of extreme weather events in Afghanistan and South Asia, and its intersection with human rights, poverty and existing social norms.

Who should attend?

The panel is intended for those interested in learning about the Women, Peace and Security agenda and its linkage with climate change. Please join us if you are:

• An individual or organization curious about or working in the field of gender equality, quality education, climate change, women, peace and security, and the overall promotion of the Sustainable Development Goals
• A youth, educator and/or community mobilizer aspiring to get involved

About the Contributors:

Jacqueline O’Neill, Canada’s Ambassador for Women, Peace and Security

Jacqueline O’Neill has a bachelor’s degree in commerce from the University of Alberta and a master’s in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Throughout her career, Ms. O’Neill has supported the creation of national strategies and policy frameworks for more than 30 countries, NATO, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and the United Nations. She has helped establish the field of women, peace, and security and its application in governments, security forces, and multilateral organizations.

She has advised the Government of Canada on the country’s first (2011-2016) and second (2017 to present) national action plans on women, peace, and security.

As President of the Institute for Inclusive Security, Ms. O’Neill directly supported coalitions of women leaders in Colombia, South Sudan, Sudan, Pakistan, and beyond. Through this work, she advocated for women’s meaningful inclusion in peace negotiations, national political dialogues, and policy making. She also worked at the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Sudan and at Khartoum’s Ahfad University for Women.

Along with former Lt. General Roméo Dallaire, she helped found the Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative to eliminate the use of children during conflict. Prior to that, Ms. O’Neill was a policy advisor to Canada’s Secretary of State for the Asia-Pacific region. Most recently, she was a Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Canada Institute, an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University, and a member of the board of directors of the Canadian International Council.

Host – Pragya Tikku, Community Engagement and Gender Equality Specialist at OCIC

Pragya Tikku is development professional with five years of experience in the sector and has largely worked for the civil society and the United Nations. Prior to joining OCIC she worked with UN Women India as a Consultant for Inter-Governmental processes, Humanitarian Action, Women, Peace and Security. She recently concluded her Masters’ in Public Policy from McGill University, where she worked on her capstone project exploring gender and climate change and worked part-time as a Research Assistant for the Research Network on Women, Peace and Security. She also holds a Masters in Human Development and Childhood studies from University of Delhi and a diploma in Child Rights law from the National Law School of India University (NLSIU). Leveraging her educational background and work experience, her interest and expertise lies in the development and policy issues relating to women and children, especially gender equality, women’s empowerment, child rights, women/children peace and security. She is currently supporting OCIC’s Youth Policy-Makers Hub (YPH), Gender Equality Hub, and other transformative public engagement efforts.

Moderator – Dr. Siham Rayale, Senior Policy Analyst, Foreign and Security Policy at Global Affairs Canada

Dr. Siham Rayale’s (PhD) research and advocacy has focused on issues relating to women, peace and security and women’s political participation in conflict and post-conflict contexts. Siham has extensive experience working in complex humanitarian environments and leading research that promotes women’s inclusion in peace processes. She is currently a Senior Policy Analyst at Global Affairs Canada as well as a lecturer at the University of Toronto (Scarborough) in the Women and Gender Studies department. She has a Masters in Development from York University (Canada), an LLM from Osgoode Hall Law School at York University, and a PhD from SOAS, University of London.

Dr. Lauryn Oates, Executive Director of the Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan

Lauryn Oates (PhD), is Executive Director of CW4WAfghan, where she also contributes to the planning and design of the organization’s education programming in Afghanistan in the areas of teacher education, literacy education, and technology for education. CW4WAfghan created Afghanistan’s first and only open educational resource (OER) initiative, the Darakht-e Danesh Library, winner of a presidential citation from the American Library Association (2018) and developed a successful adult literacy education program known as Afghanistan Lowalee (Afghanistan Reads), recognized as a Literacy Best Practice honouree by the United States Library of Congress (2017). Lauryn has designed national strategies to promote children’s reading for governments in the global South, and has led numerous evaluations, verifications and gender analyses for USAID funded education projects in Afghanistan. Her doctoral research with the Language and Literacy Education Department at the University of British Columbia (UBC) focused on the development of mother tongue teaching resources using ICT for primary teachers in northern Uganda. She is currently Adjunct Faculty at the Faculty of Education at UBC, and has taught graduate students at the School of Humanitarian Studies at Royal Roads University in Victoria since 2014.

Dr. Raskhshinda Perveen, Gender Expert

Dr. Raskhshinda Perveen (PhD) is a thoughtpreneur, author, activist, medical doctor, and gender equality expert. She is an intersectional feminist who introduced Social Entrepreneurism to Pakistan, and a single parent who transitioned from a career in medicine into public health and journalism. She had the honor of creating the award-winning series “Gender Watch” on gender issues on PTV (Pakistan Television) between 1999-2001 that not only pioneered generating a public discourse on gender issues with youth perspectives, but also instituted the Urdu alternative of gender (sinf) in Pakistan. From 2002 to 2003 she was a Gender Advisor to South Asia for the Canadian Government and led five country gender equality programs. In Pakistan, she founded the first co-working space, Kafe Kaam, & founded the first ever Chamber of Women Social Entrepreneurs dedicated to the struggles of disabled, divorced, abandoned wives, and trans women. As an op-ed writer, she has covered a variety of subjects including gender, power, patriarchy, class, social justice, inequalities and climate issues.

Background
Read ‘Prime Minister Names First Ambassador of Women, Peace and Security’