OCIC Youth Policy-Makers Hub
Global problems like gender inequality and climate change affect people of all ages everywhere. These complex problems require holistic inter-generational approaches, diverse mindsets, multi-disciplinary methods and multi-sectoral dialogue. OCIC recognizes the wealth of knowledge, experience and leadership that youth leaders bring to the international cooperation sector in Ontario and beyond. We want to help enable the active participation of youth at local, national and international policy-making tables to inform decisions that concern their lives, future and the planet.
OCIC’s Youth Policy-Makers Hub (YPH) seeks to engage diverse youth from across Ontario in international cooperation policy processes in support of Gender Equality, Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP) action areas, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In doing so, we also hope to increase the awareness and interest of Ontarians, especially youth, in international cooperation and key global issues, and to offer opportunities for meaningful participation in advocacy and policy-making processes, meetings and delegations.
MEET THE 2022-2023 YOUTH POLICY-MAKERS
Laura Perez Gonzalez (She/Her)
As an impact-driven professional with experience in the international development sector, Laura is drawn to policy advocacy efforts in the interest of promoting inclusive youth-driven solutions and contextual gender empowerment opportunities. She is most passionate about youth, education, and gender transformative approaches to development and actively looks for opportunities to be engaged in community-led programming. Sha has been privileged enough to work in education and gender-focused programs and research with diverse communities in the Caribbean, Africa, Europe, and North America. These experiences have emphasized her commitment to work from a human-centered and social justice lens to intentionally advance participation, representation, and innovative opportunities with and for youth. Important both professionally and personally are the objectives outlined by SDG 4 and SDG 5. Quality education for marginalized communities is an overall driving force in her passion for advancing a critical lens to international development.
Samsoor Akberzai (he/him)
Samsoor is a third-year Health Science student at Queen's University. His interest in policy advocacy efforts rose after taking a course in global population health. This course taught him about the different SDGs and ways he can be involved. After finding out about OCIC, he thought it would be an excellent opportunity to be involved and apply the skills he learned in class. His interests mainly lie in gender equality and quality education. Outside of global health and advocacy, he loves being involved with research projects with the Queen's Faculty of Health Science and playing basketball.
Joëlle Kabisoso (she/her)
Joëlle is an award-winning community engagement coordinator, workshop facilitator and social entrepreneur. She is a graduate of Brescia University College, where she holds a BA in family studies with a certificate in family mediation from York University. She is the founder and executive director of Sisters in Sync, a non-profit with a mission to bridge the gap between the lived experience of Black trauma survivors. She specializes in gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. For her advocacy work, Joëlle has been the recipient of many awards such as Top 100 Black Women to Watch in Canada, 2022 L'Oréal Paris Women of Worth, and 2021 YWCA Trailblazer award amongst more. She hopes to continue to create spaces for Black trauma survivors to have their voices heard and to transform policies that currently impede on one's fair and equitable access to justice.
Gladys Trinidad (she/her)
With a background in Fashion Design and Content Creation, Gladys is passionate about sustainability, climate change and workers and women’s rights, specifically within the fashion and textile industry. Her work and personal experiences inspired her to go back to school for International Development. She also has experience working in communications, which has allowed her to use both her creativity and passion to advocate and share information on various social media platforms to magnify global issues and influence online communities. She truly believes that online tools hold incredible power in this generation. With her passion in fashion, development and content creation, she hopes to amplify voices and create a safer environment for workers in a more sustainable and ethical future in the fashion industry.
Bill Lu (he/him)
Bill holds a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University and a Masters' in political science from York. He also holds a graduate diploma in Asian Studies from York University, and will be completing project management certification in the fall with the University of Toronto. He currently works with Indigenous Services Canada as an evaluations officer, working on Indigenous health policy and land management. He also has experience working with the Ontario provincial public service as a policy analyst (co-op), specifically with MCCSS (Ministry for Children, Community and Social Services). His main career interests lie in equity, diversity and inclusion and working with / empowering marginalized communities.
Angelique Jeanty (she/her)
Angelique is a health and social science student at the University of Ottawa. Her education is centered around the health and social well-being of populations. Throughout her academic journey, she became interested in better understanding the impact of policies in reducing inequalities and providing equal opportunity in Canada and around the world. She has professional experience working at different levels of government and in client service roles in her community. Through OCIC’s YPH, she hopes to be inspired by youth across Ontario who believe in promoting people-centered development and taking action for social justice. Being involved in policy advocacy efforts will equip her with necessary tools to pursue global social change through her academic and professional pursuits. Outside of work and academics, she enjoys getting involved in her community and spending quality time with friends and family.
Mishika Khurana (she/her)
Mishika is a third-year Geographic Analysis student at Toronto Metropolitan University. As someone majoring in a degree specializing in the spatial trends and patterns of locations, she has gained a unique interest in courses that focus on the environmental loss of ecosystems by natural and manufactured events. Growing up in Toronto, she has witnessed the amount of green space lost in various neighbourhoods. She wants to help encourage the norm of having access to green space. She also carries a significant passion for gender equity and food insecurity. She is actively working towards bridging that gap through her community, school and on a grander scale in Canada.
Nora Afifi (she/her)
Nora is originally from Victoria, BC. She moved to Ottawa in 2020 to pursue her studies in International Development at the University of Ottawa. She is very persistent in what she wants to be. Her colleagues would say she is reliable, and her friends think she is a good listener (probably because she loves learning about others). It's meeting people with different backgrounds and experiences that fuels Nora and her hopes for a better, more just future. She is desperate to see real change and progress. She is tired and frustrated by stagnation, but not discouraged. Policy is one of the best tools that we have to move towards social and climate justice, and she is hoping to advance such work as part of this cohort. In her spare time, she is an avid reader, a watercolour artist, and an amateur movie critic, otherwise you can find her slipping down another Wikipedia rabbit hole.
Aisha Rob (she/her)
Aisha is a researcher and policy analyst working at the intersections of law and technology. She has an academic and professional background in digital technologies, human rights and global governance. Her current work focuses on responsible innovation and inclusive policy-making for digital transformation. She works across the government, academia, civil society and industry sectors, as part of several international and interdisciplinary projects. She hopes her work will contribute towards harnessing the power of advanced technologies for a more just and sustainable world order.
Linnaea Jasiuk (she/they)
Linnaea is a queer, white settler to Turtle Island. Their area of specialty is in environmental sciences and health geography and understanding how their environment, identities, cultural and social contexts influence individual and community health. She is passionate about working to improve social determinants for healthier more sustainable communities and environments. She believes that community is not bounded by political borders but is the connections shared globally. Moreover, that meaningful change will come from coordinated efforts and responsive interdisciplinary policy that can effectively guide international cooperation for improved gender equity and sustainable development. Through their career, they have worked in various sectors, including environmental education with the Indigenous reconciliation efforts and community health policy. All with the lens of improving social determinants of health measures and community health outcomes. In their spare time, they enjoy exploring, hiking, restoring furniture, trying new foods and spending time with their partner, and their dog Gryffindor.
Caylin Sun (she/her)
Caylin is a passionate environmental and social justice advocate who strives to advance climate action through both professional work and personal projects. During her studies in the Master of Science in Sustainability Management program at the University of Toronto, she focused a majority of her research on existing policies and provided policy recommendations on the development of sustainable and affordable housing. Most recently, Her work involves providing policy advisory on federal and provincial carbon pricing programs for industrial emitters, as well as advocate for fair policy development. Caylin believes in the power of knowledge sharing and creative expression, and she enjoys talking, blogging, and making illustrations on topics like sustainability, community building, and personal development in her spare time.
Jessica Gooden (she/her)
Jessica recently graduated with a BScH in Biochemistry from Queen’s University. Throughout her undergrad, she also pursued a Cert. in Global Action & Engagement, which fostered her passion for healthy and equitable global development, social justice, and policy creation and advocacy. As a result of her education and lived experiences, she aligned with the SDGs of no poverty, good health and well-being, and reduced inequalities. She has been active members of national NGOs like Results Canada, and provincial NGOs like the Sickle Cell Association of Ontario, who respectively advocate for global poverty reduction and health equity.
Arooba Bari (she/her)
Arooba is a fourth year Population Health and Psychology student at University of Toronto Scarborough. She is very knowledgeable about the UN Sustainable Development Goals and equity frameworks. She is interested in advocating for marginalized and disadvantaged communities through policy development and social justice. She looks forward to being involved in policy advocacy with OCIC to achieve inclusive and encouraging working and living environments.
Kathryn Kalinowski (she/her/they)
Raised in rural eastern Ontario, Kathryn currently works as a junior analyst for the federal government. She is pursuing her Honours Bachelor of Health Sciences with a specialization in population and public health at the University of Ottawa. Her interest in health policy and advocacy stems from personal experience with disability and chronic illness. She is passionate about sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and health equity. Her dedication to SRHR is demonstrated in her volunteer research work, studying access to emergency contraception in Canada through the American Society for Emergency Contraception (ASEC). In her spare time, she is a content writer for Sex[M]ed, a sexual health education platform for healthcare practitioners. By joining the OCIC’s Youth Policy-Makers Hub, she hopes to promote political participation among rural youth and to advocate for a healthier future for all.
Mishaal Yasir (she/her)
Mishaal is a second-year student at the University of Waterloo studying Political Science and Business. She is immensely passionate about all humanitarian issues across the globe and believes that youth should also play a bigger role in policy advocacy efforts. She likes to do volunteer work that revolves around youth in policy and has volunteered with the Liberal Party of Canada, along with HanVoice as the Co-President of the UWaterloo chapter. At her current position as the Co-President of the HanVoice Waterloo chapter, she extensively works to raise awareness and advocate for improved human rights of North Korean citizens and defectors and have gained strengths in design and communications.
Shimmi Kelly (she/her)
Shimmi is a student at Western University, majoring in English Literature with a minor in Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies. She is motivated to be involved in policy advocacy efforts through her passion for social justice and equality. So far, she has worked as Advocacy Director for Western USC’s PrideWestern and Gender Equality Network, and is set to be the President of Gender Equality Network in the fall. In the future, she hopes to help people, particularly marginalized groups, by fighting for their rights as a human rights lawyer.
Abdiqani Hussein (he/him)
Abdiqani lives in Etobicoke, Toronto, Ontario. He works with an Edtech organization that helps teachers around the world in teaching English as a second language. He has always been passionate about policy making and having the ability to advocate change in others' lives since a young age. He was motivated by his observance and experience of different societies and how they have implemented policies in their societies and countries and a passion of his is to help the society. His main strengths include his ability to try to take on problems, crystalize them, break them down and come up with solutions. In his free time, he likes to read biographies of great leaders who have solved great problems for their people. He also enjoys playing soccer and having a good time with family and friends.
Maheen Khalid (she/her)
Maheen is interested in making cities and communities sustainable and making them resilient against climate change. She is interested in climate activism among youth and how they can mobilize effectively to create change. She is motivated to be involved in policy advocacy because climate change is the most pressing issue facing society today, and there must be policy options to tackle this issue. She has completed her undergraduate degree in environmental science and public policy and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in city planning.
Khalil R. (he/him)
Khalil is a Tkaronto based Palestinian Refugee, multidisciplinary professional, artist and activist. He holds a master’s degree in international studies and diplomacy with international experiences in human resources, procurement, administration and project management, along with volunteering, community engagement and social affairs experiences. As building a better world is a collective global responsibility, work, and effort, he is trying his best to make his creative piece in the global freedom fighters mosaic. He believes that simple actions can have a big impact and effect world societies that are very diverse. This deeply motivates him to stay dynamic in community engagement and keep looking for new adventures.
READ THE YOUTH pOLICY-mAKER bLOGS
Prepared by: Youth Policy Advocates
Youth Policy-Makers Hub, OCIC | 2020-2021
