Archived Changemaker Conversations
Winter 2024
FROM INSIGHT TO ACTION
WINTER 2024 CONVERSATIONS
ENVIORNMENT & SUSTAINABILITY
FEATURING: Dr. Israel Dunmade
Changemaker Conversations: In Person Celebration
You're invited to spark new connections, ideas and conversation, and meet our changemakers in person! Please join us on Tuesday May 14, 2024 from 4:30pm - 6:30pm at Sunalta Community Association.
Our event is an opportunity to celebrate and show gratitude to the changemakers in our community, while gathering face-to-face. The event will close with a very special announcement, along with a door prize draw with a chance to win 2 annual admission passes for you and a friend to visit intriguing exhibits at Contemporary Calgary all year long!
Embracing the Circular Economy for Sustainability
Join us in a thought-provoking conversation delving into the intricate layers of the circular economy – a transformative approach to sustainability that aims to redefine our traditional linear consumption patterns. Guest Speaker Dr. Israel Dunmade will cover the definition of the Circular Economy, present research in this field, and provide industry specific examples that showcase various adaptations of circular economy practices. The conversation will touch on product life cycle design, consumption, resources, and uncover how we can not only reduce our environmental impact but also foster economic growth through sustainable practices.
Date: January 25, 2024, 12:15 PM - 1:30 PM
Israel Dunmade is a Professor of Sustainable Engineering in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Mount Royal University, Calgary. His doctoral degree was in Environmental and Process Engineering with specialization in Industrial Sustainability from BTU Cottbus, Germany. Israel has more than 25 years industrial/postsecondary teaching and research experience in Africa, Europe and North America. His research areas include sustainable infrastructure, sustainable design and manufacturing, lifecycle engineering, and circular economy. He was a former Alberta Regional Director/Council member of the Canadian Society for Bioengineering (CSBE), and a member of the Board of Directors of Canadian Society for Bioengineering Foundation.
Furthermore, Dr. Dunmade was a DAAD scholar, Carnegie Fellow, Past President of the African Network of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers and former Chair of International Affairs Division of the American Society for Agricultural and Biological Engineers. He is a recipient of several research grants and awards of recognition. Prof. Dunmade is a Professional Engineer, Project Management Professional and Environmental Professional. He is the lead editor of the textbook entitled Sustainable Engineering: Concepts and Practices (Green Energy and Technology) by Springer Publisher. ISBN: 9783031472145
Israel is currently leading a multi-national research program on lifecycle engineering, sustainable manufacturing, and circular economy. His extracurricular activities include reading and playing board games.
WELLBEING & BELONGING
FEATURING: Bukola Ojemakinde
From Passion to Action: Making experience-based change with Bukola Ojemakinde
What drives you to make a difference in the community? Join us on Thursday, February 8th as Bukola Ojemakinde inspires us to move from passion to action by taking personal experiences and transforming them into ways of giving back to those around her. As a newcomer to Canada, arriving in 2006, Bukola and her family faced new experiences and challenges daily. After nearly 20 years in Canada, she’s found joy in making a difference for those with similar experiences, by founding a local non-profit called Ladies in the Family Foundation. During this Changemaker Conversation, we are privileged to hear Bukola’s story and become inspired to make a change based on our own experiences.
Date: February 8, 2024, 12:15 PM - 1:30 PM
Bukola Ojemakinde, a Chemical Engineer and community leader in Calgary, has established two non-profit organizations over the past five years. One of them is Ladies in the Family Foundation (LIFF), which fosters healthier relationships, emotional well-being, and better integration into Canadian culture for women and their families. Through partnerships with organizations like the Calgary African Community Collective (CACC), The Distress Centre of Calgary, and Women's Centre of Calgary, Bukola addresses critical challenges faced by black girls, women, and seniors. Recognized for her community service, she was named one of the five Suncor employees making a difference and received the Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee Medal. As the Executive Director of Bridge to Oasis Foundation, Bukola received the Innovative Leadership Award at the Bhayana Awards. Additionally, she serves on the board of directors for the Calgary African Community Collective and recently joined the Gender Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Subcommittee, supporting Calgary's initiatives in these areas.
WELLBEING & BELONGING
FEATURING: Steacy Pinney
calgary reads – a story of change and possibility: from grassroots movement making to letting go and scaling up
Listen alongside Steacy Pinney as she tells the tale of how one local organization’s legacy lives on. Learn about the ‘Dandelion Wager’ - an innovative strategy to address succession, sustainability and scale. Community change efforts need to be dynamic and adaptable. This story’s moral is that a more equitable and resilient future for young readers is possible and so is distributed leadership where unusual partners come together to own a challenge, to work in new ways and collaborate strategically to redesign the systems that must work better to support children.
Date: February 22, 2024, 12:15 PM - 1:30 PM
As a former educator, literacy consultant and founder and former CEO of Calgary Reads, Steacy Pinney has been helping children, families and educators experience the life-changing magic of reading for more than four decades. As a reader, placemaker and ‘possibilitarian’ one of Steacy’s proudest achievements is The Little Red Reading House, a whimsical, heritage home in Inglewood where families and school classes experience the wonder of reading and book ownership. Steacy is an active community leader, volunteer, connector and Changemaker in Residence at Mount Royal University. She is most proud of being a mom of three amazing daughters, who have been her best teachers and her growing role as ‘Nana’ and storyteller to four wonderful grandchildren.
RIGHT RELATIONS + RACIAL EQUITY
FEATURING: Hagir Sail
WELLBEING + BELONGING
The Nonprofit Resilience Lab - A community journey through complexity and co-design
The Nonprofit Resilience lab is a multi-year social lab that began in 2021 with the central question of: How might we reimagine and transform how the nonprofit sector co-creates thriving, resilient communities in the context of increasingly complex challenges and pressures. Over the past 3 years, the lab has taken a deep dive into the challenges and possibilities, and engaged community participants from across the sector in co-designing solutions.
Join Lena Soots-Haley, Director of the Studio and lab facilitator, and Ken Lima-Coelho, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters and lab participant, as we share the unique partnership between Trico Changemakers Studio and Calgary Foundation, the lab journey, process and impact.
Date: March 21, 2024, 12:15 PM - 1:30 PM
FEATURING: Lena Soots-Haley & Ken Lima-Coelho
Allyship: Defining your role in advocacy and creating inclusive spaces for all.
Rooted in the work of anti-racism and removing systemic barriers, Hagir Sail joins us from Calgary African Community Collective, a Black-led, non-profit in Calgary, to share her work in bridging system gaps and advocating for the inclusion of African Canadians within our society. This conversation will offer a systems change approach to equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI), and will highlight some initial practices and techniques to guide participants on their allyship journey, while creating safe and inclusive spaces for all.
Date: March 7, 2024, 12:15 PM - 1:30 PM
Hagir Sail is a highly respected professional with over a decade of experience in anti-racism and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in Calgary. Her multicultural background, stemming from her time in Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Canada, provides her with a unique global perspective on racial inequality. Holding a degree in Political Science from the University of Calgary, she has excelled in roles focused on community development and social justice, effectively leveraging her governance expertise. Hagir's commitment to creating inclusive and equitable communities extends to her volunteer work, making her a tireless advocate for marginalized individuals and communities. She currently serves as a Principal Consultant with the Calgary African Communities Collective, where she plays a crucial role in advancing anti-racism, DEI, and systemic change within African communities. Hagir's unwavering dedication and passion make her an influential figure, inspiring positive change and collaboration toward a more equitable future in Calgary.
Lena is the Director of the Trico Changemakers Studio at Mount Royal University. She is an educator, facilitator, process designer and consultant with over 20 years experience working with academic institutions, local government, community organizations and business in multi-interest collaborations for systems change. Her work focuses on social innovation with an emphasis on designing processes and programs that foster deep collaboration and transformative learning. Lena has been a faculty member in Social Innovation at Mount Royal University and with the Centre for Dialogue and the Centre for Sustainable Community Development at Simon Fraser University.
Ken is a passionate storyteller and connector with over 25 years of experience in broadcasting, brand and fund development, the arts and community-building. A graduate of the University of Calgary in communications and the University of King's College (Halifax) in journalism, Ken is enjoying his new role as President & CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Calgary and Area, a charity devoted to helping kids succeed through mentorship. Ken is a well-known and busy community emcee for numerous organizations including The Calgary Foundation, University of Calgary, Mount Royal University, Calgary Economic Development and the Calgary Stampede. As a volunteer, Ken is currently a board director with The Calgary Foundation, and a member of the Foundation's Major and Signature Grants Committee. He’s also a board director with Honens and is a founding member of the Calgary Chamber’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. In 2020, Ken received The Calgary Award for Community Advocate - Individual from The City of Calgary. In 2022, he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal in recognition of his significant contributions to the province through community service. In his spare time, Ken is a founding member of the well-known comedy a cappella group The Heebee-jeebees, a husband and the father of two cool kids, one who loves hockey and the other who loves singing and dancing.
WELLBEING + BELONGING
QriTical Care: 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusivity and belonging in and around Calgary
Celeste and Corinne join us to dive into the details of how their newly launched QriTical: queer + trans research hub fosters connection and a sense of belonging for 2SLGBTQIA+ students, faculty, staff, and the broader community at Mount Royal University. Together, we’ll hear the motivations behind the launch of the hub, followed by the importance of establishing this new venue at MRU to spark social change.
Date: April 4, 2024, 12:15 PM - 1:30 PM
FEATURING: Celeste Pang and Corinne Mason, Co-Founders of QriTical: queer + trans research hub
Celeste (she/they) is a sociocultural and medical anthropologist, and Assistant Professor of Women's and Gender Studies at Mount Royal University. Their research, education, and community work focus on aging, disability, and care access and equity, with significant focus on 2SLGBTQIA+ issues.
Corinne (they/them) is a Professor of Women's and Gender Studies. Their current research focuses on institutionalization of feminist and queer logics in higher education, queer kinship, and queer parenting in the time of “parental rights.”
ENVIRONMENT + SUSTAINABILITY
Navigating Climate Change: Beyond Superficial Responses
Join us for an enlightening conversation with Mike Mellross and Rod Ruff of Alberta Ecotrust Foundation as they delve into the urgent topic of climate change. Guest speakers will explore the intricacies of human systems and approaches in responding to climate change, shedding light on why current systems have fallen short of their intended goals. Drawing from their own life experiences, they will share valuable insights on how we can foster meaningful change on individual, communal, and global levels. Together, we will engage in conversations on navigating the complexities of climate change; how we might redefine our responses to climate change and pave the way towards a sustainable future for generations to come.
Date: April 18, 2024, 12:15 PM - 1:30 PM
FEATURING: Mike Melross and Rod Ruff, Alberta Ecotrust Foundation
Mike has over 25 years experience in sustainability, climate change policy, environmental programming and management systems, working across the private, public and charitable sectors. Mr. Mellross is currently the Vice President of Alberta Ecotrust Foundation. Over the last four years, Mike led the development of the Climate Innovation Fund, a $43.4 million endowment. The Climate Innovation Fund is designed to catalyze emissions reductions across Calgary and Edmonton. During his time at Alberta Ecotrust, he has also guided the team responsible for the management of Alberta Ecotrust’s various grant programs.
Prior to joining Alberta Ecotrust, Mike supervised the Energy Transition and Utility Supply unit at the City of Edmonton. His team was responsible for the implementation of Edmonton’s Community Energy Transition Strategy. Mike also managed the City’s utilities file which included the initiation of a power purchase agreement for the procurement of 100% green electricity for city operations.
Rod Ruff is the President at Alberta Ecotrust Foundation and loves to work across boundaries and build creative partnerships to advance a more sustainable future in Alberta.
Rod is passionate about program design, evaluation, and collaboration. He has led strategic projects for Alberta Ecotrust which includes participating as a founder of the Low Carbon Cities Canada initiative which established the Climate Innovation Fund in Calgary and Edmonton, and Project Blue Thumb – Canada’s first social innovation lab aimed at addressing water quality issues.
When he isn’t at work, or spending time with his wife and daughter, you can find him nestled in a book, fly fishing in the Bow River, or hunting in the prairies near his hometown of Medicine Hat.
WELLBEING + BELONGING
The WHY behind Tribe Artist Society with Dwight Farahat
Dwight Farahat joins us for an insightful and inspiring conversation, sharing his experience from youth, to now founder of registered charity, Tribe Artist Society. Dwight connects with us to reflect on this personal journey and inspire changemaking with a strong emphasis on finding your WHY, and letting it guide you through challenges, using perseverance and authenticity along the way. This conversation explores a new perspective on reconciliation: the use of play and fun, to achieve a sense of belonging and togetherness for everyone within the community.
Tribe Artist Society creates sober spaces where Hip Hop, art, and Indigenous culture live. Its goal is to use these three tools to bring people of all nationalities together in the spirit of reconciliation and unity.
Date: May 2, 2024, 12:15 PM - 1:30 PM
FEATURING: Dwight Farahat
Dwight Good Eagle Farahat, AKA Tribe.1491, is a Hip Hop rapper and the founder of Tribe Artist Society. His roots trace back to the Siksika Nation, Palestine, and Wales. Tribe is well known for his work with Indigenous teens, powerful storytelling, motivational speaking and freestyle rapping.
Tribe Artist Society is the first Indigenous-led Hip Hop and arts organization in Calgary. With the mission to help artists become their most powerful selves and to create sober spaces where Hip Hop lives, they offer various programs including Monday Rap Night, which is open to all aspiring rappers to network and practice the craft of freestyle rapping in the spirit of reconciliation.