OCIC’s e-Magazine iAM: Ideas, Actions, Movements
What is iAM?
iAM is a multimedia e-magazine published by OCIC that promotes an increased awareness and understanding of global issues. iAM encourages critical thinking and presents new perspectives from a variety of actors through visual art, music, written articles, photo essays, videos and more. iAM examines how theory and action intersect, looks at how to put reflection into practice, and unites marginalized voices from around the world in the name of global social justice, human dignity and participation for all.
iAM Vol 10: Reflections from the Intersections – An Exploration of Intersectionality, Development and Change
What is intersectionality? Why does it matter?
Simply put, intersectionality is the understanding that we all have multiple identities – such as race, gender, ability and more – that come together (or ‘intersect’) to make us who we are and how we experience oppression and inequality. OCIC recognizes intersectionality as a way of acknowledging how social categorization and identity contribute to the oppression or marginalization of individuals or groups. You can find more information about this in the OCIC’s Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Policy.
The term dates back to the 1980s and was initially used as a way to describe the particular challenges faced by Black women, who experience both gender-based discrimination and anti-Black racism. In more recent years, the use of the word ‘intersectionality’ has been expanded to talk about the challenges (and privileges) associated with particular identifiers beyond race and gender, including class, religious association, physical ability, wealth status, and more.
In short, intersectionality is about recognizing that life is not experienced in the same way by everyone (even among people who share similar identity characteristics – i.e. just as European and Black women might not experience life’s opportunities in the same way, so too do Black women experience life differently from person to person).
By adopting an intersectional lens, we are more able to understand the nature and causes of these different life experiences. From there, we have more opportunity to transform our institutions, governments and social groups in ways that offer equitable opportunities, benefits and assistance to all.
iAM Vol 10 Launch Event
Meet the contributors of iAM e-Magazine Vol 10 and hear the stories of Reflections from the Intersections: an exploration of intersectionality, development and change. Join us on March 7, 2019 for a memorable evening of panel discussions, networking and celebration.
Schedule
| 6:00 – 6:15 | Registration & Refreshments | |
| 6:15 – 6:30 | Land Acknowledgement & Welcome | |
| 6:30 – 6:40 | iAM Vol 10 Submission Showcase: Red Path Skirt by Larissa Crawford | |
| 6:40 – 7:20 | Panel Discussion: An exploration of intersectionality, development and change Moderator:
Panelists:
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| 7:20 – 7:30 | Performance: Spoken Word Poetry by Britta B. | |
| 7:30 – 8:00 | Closing Remarks & Networking | |
Panelists & Presenters
Larissa Crawford is an anti-racism and Indigenous researcher who currently serves as an Advisor to the Ontario Anti-Racism Directorate, Ontario Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services, and as a member of the Toronto Police Services Anti-Racism Advisory Panel. She also works as a public speaker, an Associate Anti-Racism Trainer with St. Stephen’s Community House, and she is a water advocate whose activism seeks to address issues of resource exploitation and environmental racism through the recognition of the legal rights of nature in Canada. Larissa proudly passes on Métis and Jamaican ancestry to her two-year-old daughter, Zyra.
Shafia Shaikh is an artist, curator, and community organizer, currently working in Toronto. Her work strives to bring awareness to the lived experiences of people of colour, as a means to contribute to change. Shafia is the founder of The E.W.o.C. Project, an initiative committed to creating art that highlights the complex narratives of women of colour and their intersecting identities, in public art, as a means to defy prejudice against gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, ability, and identity. Proceeds are donated to organizations/charities involved in activism for marginalized groups, on a local and global scale.
Shaelyn Wabegijig is Algonquin from Timiskaming First Nation but grew up in Rama First Nation. She graduated from Trent University in April 2018 with a BAH in Indigenous Studies and Philosophy. She currently lives in Peterborough and continues to be involved in community initiatives such as being a board member and volunteer for Kawartha World Issues Centre (KWIC). She works from her home, traveling frequently for her work as a Project Manager for an Indigenous non-government organization, Plenty Canada. One of the most notable projects she is currently working on is the Indigenous Cultural Mapping program of the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve.
Yusuf Zine is an actor, writer, producer and co-founder of Innerspeak Media, a creative studio based in Toronto which focuses on film and multi-media. His career in the entertainment industry began by working as a professional actor in the Toronto film and television scene, appearing in various television commercials and shows. In 2013, he created and starred in an award-winning comedy web-series about racial stereotypes in the entertainment industry called Fame & Fidelity, which was an official selection at the 2014 Los Angeles Web Festival. Yusuf then went off and completed his Masters in Social Justice and Community at Wilfrid Laurier University. In 2016, he co-wrote and directed his first theatre production with a group of Rohingya refugee youth in KW entitled I Am Rohingya. The show has since won multiple awards across Canada and has garnered international recognition. His team at Innerspeak Media also produced a documentary about the Rohingya genocide and the process of putting this theatrical reenactment together, entitled I Am Rohingya: A Genocide in Four Acts. Yusuf is now on an international tour with the film and the cast & crew.
Performer
 | Britta B. is a Toronto-based spoken word poet, emcee and arts educator. Her poetry has featured in notable spheres such as TEDx, The Walrus Talks, The Stephen Lewis Foundation, and the Art Gallery of Ontario. Britta is an alumna of the Toronto Arts Council Leaders Lab and an active member of the League of Canadian Poets. |
Event Details
- When: Thursday, March 7, 2019 | 6:00 – 8:00 PM
- Where: Metro Hall, Rotunda, 200 Wellington Street West, Toronto, ON (M5V 3C6)
*This venue is wheelchair accessible - Tickets: FREE (please RSVP)
Previous volumes
iAM Vol 9
iAM Vol 9: Re-Imagining Innovation features 17 pieces from 26 contributors that seek to push beyond the conventional narrative of innovation leading to economic growth, and focus on areas like the process of innovation, new approaches to business models and technologies, and new funding models and partnerships that add value for all stakeholders of development.
Open Science Manifesto challenges conventional ways of thinking about how knowledge is produced, and poses critical questions of innovation for whom, by whom? HIVSmart! and the Indigenous Friends Mobile App provide insights on open access to information and tech agency for marginalized populations. Sparking Innovation through $300,000 Innovation Fund, Nurturing the Practice of Innovation, and An Innovative Approach to Global Youth Development use accelerators as tools for others to engage in new business models.
Innovation on the Road, Disposable Cameras, and Creating Space for Innovation Partnerships-Building share insights into stakeholder and public engagement. Chartering Landscapes of Innovation in Adolescent Girls & Women’s Global Menstrual, Sexual and Reproductive Health is a must-read related to gender equality, and for those with an appreciation for mapping, Traditions to Pasture Policy offers a unique journey through Kyrgyzstan.
These and other contributions to iAM Vol 9 are drawn together with illustrations by Jay Ginsherman, who uses fine art as a medium to embody the innovation process — the holistic raw formulation of ideas, concepts, and designs. We invite you to join us in Re-Imagining Innovation towards sustainable development through the multiple lenses offered within, and look forward to hearing what these contributions spark for you.
iAM Vol 9: Re-Imagining Innovation Launch Event
On Wednesday, March 21, 2018 OCIC and the iAM Editorial Board held a launch event for Re-Imagining Innovation E-Magazine. Participants had the opportunity to meet with authors of iAM Vol 9 E-Magazine and hear their stories of Re-Imagining Innovation through visual art, photo voice, written articles, photo essays, videos and more! iAM Vol 9 E-Magazine aims to Re-imagine Innovation through critically exploring how the application of new ideas can create value-added solutions to the challenges of sustainable development, or perhaps create more complexities. iAM Vol 9 brings together innovative knowledge agents to explore participatory approaches to innovation, the use of information and other technologies, and shared best practices and toolkits.
iAM 2018 Launch Speakers & Program
Explore all volumes of iAM: Ideas, Actions, Movements
View Volumes 1-8 below. The accessible version of iAM Vol.5 can be found here.
