Meet the Changemakers - Be the Changemaker
- Date
- October 12, 2022
- Time
- 5:30 PM EDT - 8:30 PM EDT
- Location
- In-person (Rogers Communication Centre)
- Contact
- Tanya Rumble, tanya.rumble@torontomu.ca
Hosted by:
Faculty of Arts and Hot Docs
Description:
Meet ordinary Canadians doing extraordinary things to make their communities better places.
Join Hot Docs and TMU’s Faculty of Art’s The Democratic Engagement Exchange and connect with bold and unlikely changemakers who inspire us to jump in and get involved in civic issues close to our homes and hearts.
Hot Docs’ Citizen Minutes (external link, opens in new window) is a series of 8 short documentaries that showcases mothers and grandmothers, friends and neighbours, trailblazers and innovators.
Featuring four of the films, the screening will be an opportunity to meet the people behind the films, discuss the role that documentary films play in creating change and consider how we act as changemakers in our own communities.
About the films:
Mending a Crack in the Sky — shares the story of two Somali-Canadian mothers, who organized a group to collectively combat gun violence and hardship while facing cultural and racial barriers.
Body Politic — provides a behind the scenes look at how Dr. Jill Andrews (MPP, Toronto - St. Paul) educator, activist and eccentric cat-lady-turned-politician took her fight for body justice, human rights, representation, access and equity to the legislature as the first queer Black person elected as a member of provincial parliament.
Excluded by Design — reveals how bad design is undermining our democracy. Writer and community activist Dave Meslin demonstrates how design simple steps that we can take now can radically change how citizens engage with their communities.
The Gift — demonstrates “Mino Bimaadiziwin,” an Ojibway phrase meaning “live the good life.” Part of living a good life is to dedicate a share of your e!orts to the greater good, giving assistance and showing kindness wherever needed. The film is directed by Rachel Garrick who is a band member of Lac Seul First Nation and resides in Hudson, a small community in Northwestern Ontario.
Host:
John Beebe
Senior Advisor and Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Arts
John founded the Democratic Engagement Exchange in 2017. John’s passion for democratic engagement started while biking across North America when strangers from all walks of life took pity on a sweaty teenage kid and opened up their homes, shared a cold drink, provided him a hot shower and shared a little of their lives.
Since then, John has had the opportunity to work for the US Congress, exhibit photos at the United Nations, and lead national engagement efforts for organizations like the Samara Centre for Democracy and Pathways to Education.
Through these professional and personal experiences, John continues to be reminded of the wisdom that resides in our communities when we take the opportunity to engage and listen.
To learn more about John and other efforts to foster democracy, visit the Faculty of Arts.
Location:
RCC204,
Rogers Communication Centre,
80 Gould St, Toronto, ON M5B 2M7
