Designing for social change

What does social innovation mean to you?

For me, social innovation is using your creativity and your position in society to develop something that is going to change communities and help other people.

What sparked your interest in social innovation and social justice work?

I've always had a natural lean towards social justice work. Maybe because I am a person of colour, I'm a woman, and I belong to many equity-seeking groups. I also joke sometimes that it's because I'm a Pisces and Pisces are known for being more sentimental and emotional - I think I've always just naturally been a very empathetic person.

Going into university, I was more focused on educating myself within the career paths that I’ve typically seen represented in graphic communications, and in that, there isn't necessarily a clear connection to social justice or activism. This was something that I struggled with because I’ve always wanted to do something that relates to activism and graphic communications; I wanted to find that binding point. That actually relates to how I landed at OSI, but I don’t want to get too ahead of myself! 

You first became involved with OSI through our program Social Innovation for Social Justice (SI4SJ). Can you tell us a bit more about your experience in SI4SJ?

This is one of my favourite memories. 

When I first saw the email for SI4SJ, I was excited about the project, but I was also intrigued that it was in New York City. It's so rich with people's stories and even with immigrants, and I just knew that so many different stories lived there. The experience was so foreign to me, but I was excited to see what could come out of it. I had decided to apply to the program, and I really wasn't sure if I would get in. To be honest, I wasn't even sure if my parents would be on board with me taking the opportunity because I had never travelled by myself in the past. I'll never forget life after that trip; my parents were so open to me going on other trips with the university afterward. The program totally spearheaded this sense of freedom and even agency, which I think is something that OSI strives to do. In creating this program, OSI inadvertently gave me this sense of agency.  

I was a photographer on the project, and I took all of the photos for one of the agencies called New Alternatives for Children (NAC) (external link) , an organization that offers high quality services in support of birth, foster, and adoptive families caring primarily for children living with medically complex disabilities. It was so nice to see the kind of encouragement that NAC had for the children there. It’s a beautiful thought that there are these groups of people all around the world who are doing such incredible work, and you may have no idea that these things are going on... but to be able to visit the agency and learn about what they were doing was so special. 

I remember there were so many things about the trip that were new for me, just being in New York City and experiencing the air. It's a very exciting place - not only because I was in the city on my own without my parents, but getting to go to this amazing agency was just so eye-opening. That in itself was a privilege as well, being able to go on that trip, take photographs and document what was happening, and then bring it back to be published in the upcoming book.

How did your experience in SI4SJ lead you to want to further explore social change within graphic communications?

Before and after SI4SJ, I wanted to be able to continue doing work with social justice projects - I just didn't know how to bridge that gap at the time. 

One example of getting started was when I first got my camera and was searching for freelance clients. Alison Finney, from the Faculty of Community Services (FCS), had introduced me to Kiké Roach, the Unifor National Chair in Social Justice and Democracy at Toronto Metropolitan. Kiké is in charge of organizing Social Justice Week at Toronto Metropolitan, and after connecting with her, I started to do photography for Social Justice Week events. By doing that work, I was placed in an environment where I was able to educate myself about social justice while also doing photography, and found myself often putting down my camera, just to listen. If I had never taken that opportunity, then I would never have found myself in that space.

What led you to want to work with OSI for your third-year GCM internship?

For my GCM internship, I wanted to try and apply for jobs in spaces that were doing work in social innovation but still pertained to graphic communications. I decided to look at the Career Boost roles, and I saw the opening for a ‘Social Innovation Assistant.’ The position required skills that related to graphic communications and special projects in social innovation. I would also get to assist in running the social media accounts for OSI, and in that, you're not just writing content or doing graphic design work, but you’re also promoting projects that are doing good work. I had also already done this project with OSI that completely changed my life - so why not come back and see what else we could do together?

Can you tell us about some of the projects you worked on with OSI this summer? Were there any new learnings or key insights that stand out?

In my internship with OSI, I've been able to work on so many projects - all of which have taught me so much. One of the main opportunities has been working on a systems mapping project with Student Financial Assistance (SFA). Within that project, I acted as the graphic designer. We were exploring the system of the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) and what it was like for students to go through the process of applying for OSAP. We started by looking at what information was already available to students and seeing how we could turn that into some sort of visual piece of communication. I soon realized that I was not only doing the graphic design of it, but I was also involved in developing the program in itself for future use. Now we're turning it into this research project, which is huge and also really exciting - I’m happy to be someone who was a part of that foundational base!

What advice would you give to other students in Graphic Communications Management or similar areas of study, who want to get more involved with social innovation and social justice work?

I think I would just really emphasize confidence. It's honestly always a lot easier said than done, but if you’re really passionate about something, you'll naturally have confidence in your abilities and it will make it easier to end up getting where you want to be.

For me, being a part of the SI4SJ program, and now working for OSI, I feel like I have found a place where I feel very comfortable to do the work I want to do. It's like this little pocket of the university that's so special - such a small office, creating such a great impact. It just goes to show how important it is to put yourself out there and believe in yourself.

Lastly, what are you looking forward to this semester? Are there any new projects you’ll be working on?

I'm starting a few new positions. There is a creative writing Journal on campus with the English department called the White Wall Review (external link)  and I’ll be taking on the position of design lead - helping with their promotional materials and overseeing their website with creative exploration. 

I will also be starting as president for RyeTAGA (external link) , a student group connected with GCM. I'm really excited about this position as well because it's a management role and a new opportunity for me to get to be a leader - and hopefully a good one!