Changemakers give voice to marginalized communities
Photo: Kathryn Trnavsky and Jeffery Hersovits were among 25 Ryerson students, faculty, administrators and social entrepreneurs who attended the annual conference.
For generations, the voices of the Canadians whose roots stretch back farthest have been among the most marginalized. (Re)Imagining Our Community, a project by Kathryn Trnavsky and Jeffery Hersovits (recent graduates of the School of Urban and Regional Planning) seeks to give indigenous adolescents a voice on community planning.
Trnavsky and Hersovits are two of the Ryersonians who presented at the 2016 Ashoka U Exchange (external link) , held at Tulane University in New Orleans Feb. 25-27. The annual Exchange, which envisions higher-education institutions as incubators for positive social change, gathers faculty, staff, students and administrators from 150 universities to discuss and develop new methods of learning.
“At the heart of everything we do is to influence both the institution and planning discipline to recognize the importance of meaningful engagement with indigenous communities,” said Trnavsky. “We want planners to recognize their historical complicity in the colonial project that took land from First Nations communities, and recognize that their work continues to marginalize voices. By sharing – or amplifying when possible – community member voices into these discussions, we hope to begin changing the conversation.”
Trnavsky and Hersovits developed a relationship with the Eabametoong First Nation through a project during their senior year of undergrad. The community reached out through a former Ryerson First Nations housing project under supervision of Ryerson prof Shelagh McCartney. “Our studio work and McCartney's research continue to focus on understanding the history of the housing process in the community and engaging community members in finding alternatives which would better suit their values,” said Trnavsky.
Originally funded through the J.W (external link) . McConnell Family Foundation (external link) Recode (external link) project, (Re)Imagining Our Community engages youth (primarily ages 8-9) in discussions on space in their community. “Using maps and drawing exercises we encourage youth to think about different aspects of their community, and document changes they would like to see as well as the feelings that they associate with a number of places,” said Trnavsky. The group then uses this information both in the community and to influence governments and public policy.
(Re)Imagining Our Community has become part of the +city lab (external link) , a consultancy agency that seeks innovative models for engaging with indigenous communities. At the Ashoka Conference, Trnavsky and Hersovits sought to bring the perspectives of indigenous Canadian youth to an international audience, and to promote the inclusion of indigenous and youth voices in decision-making processes.
Trnavsky and Hersovits were among 25 Ryerson students, faculty, administrators and social entrepreneurs who attended the Ashoka U Exchange, including students from the SocialVentures Zone (SVZ) and RU a Changemaker (external link) . "Our students are among the world's top young social innovators effecting change in areas such as poverty alleviation, health, sustainability and education," said Wendy Cukier, vice-president research and innovation atRyerson . "It is great to see them learning from and sharing their ideas and models of innovation with other young changemakers from across the globe at the Ashoka Changemaker Exchange."
Among the attendees were students Sarah Brigel and Jennifer Fischer (SVZ) for The Microbe Hub (a compost farm to reroute organic materials from landfill waste); Stefany Nieto for Growing North; Barbara Lukasz for Be The Change (a streamlined online platform for corporate sponsorships); and Alif Ruhul and Lediona Canellari for Farnium (a company dedicated to building smart, intuitive urban green roofs).
