The 2024 LSJC cohort includes leaders from across sectors in the GTA who are working on social justice issues including food insecurity, Queer rights, homelessness, disability, and more.
Learn more about each project and meet the teams below.
This project aims to increase awareness in the community by creating content about Intimate Violence in various languages and implementing art programs. Our initiative revolves around raising awareness about societal issues stemming from superficial reasons, achieved through art programming and content creation to expose injustices and curb harmful practices that disrupt healthy societal functioning.
Team members:
Marcos Collao Cerda
Simranpreet Kaur
Fernanda Morales
Rodriguez
A walking tour project in heritage neighbourhoods in Tkaronto (“Toronto”) exploring our identities as Chinese Canadians and newcomers.
Walking with us uses walking as a methodology to connect people across communities, engage in critical conversations, and inspire civic engagement on social justice issues.
Team members:
Gu Luo
Victor Zhang
Longchunzi Yu
We aim to create a framework for organic allyship within the P&G organization to allow inclusive participation for all employees.
Team members:
Beth Whitfield
Maxine Wright
Nathalie Voyer
Our focus is on preventing homelessness by addressing high-risk evictions through strategies such as public funding for rent and improved access to essential services. Additionally, we aim to address barriers to housing stability, including affordability and restrictive landlord requirements, particularly for marginalized groups impacted by mental health challenges.
Team members:
Nithyen Manohar
Lorina Morgan
Moe Akel
Erica Wright
SEII is a pivotal project led by the Inclusivity Institute for Better Data (IIBD). Its goal is to address and shed light on the complex issues surrounding spatial disparities in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Through data-driven research and community engagement efforts, the SEII aims to advocate for better policies to promote equitable access to essential resources and opportunities.
Team members:
Sayo Ibsa
Dara Dillon
Obinna Dinneya
The Youth Action Collective aims to empower 2SLGBTQIA+ youth in the GTHA, focusing on Brampton, Mississauga, and Hamilton, by fostering learning environments that prioritize anti-racism, anti-queerphobia, and anti-violence. Through educational opportunities and grassroots organizing, we strive to equip youth with the skills and confidence to drive interpersonal and systemic change within their communities.
Team members:
Sreya Roy
Saadia Khan
Sarina Sarraf
Lha Gyalo is a community-led initiative offering culturally-informed workshops rooted deeply in Tibetan knowledge and practice. Guided by our Elders and other experts, participants engage in interactive land-based cultural practices to reconnect with Tibetan traditions.
Team members:
Tenzin Choedhen
Tenzin Dheden
Kunsang Choedhen
Our project aims to improve accessibility and utilization of employment services for youth in Toronto, by increasing awareness, resources, and investments in city-funded initiatives like TCHC YouthWorx. We prioritize the creation of a Summer Youth Employment Program to provide year-round opportunities, mentorship, and jobs, ultimately striving to ensure equity-deserving youth have access to meaningful and sustainable employment for long-term career success and economic security.
Team members:
Hafsa Fatmi
Serena Nudel
Stephen Mensah
The project endeavors to streamline essential services and initiate a systems-level change by delivering authenticated information, extensive services, and promoting community involvement for newcomers in the GTA. Its objective is to enhance the efficiency of essential services, ultimately contributing to a more inclusive and supportive environment. This empowerment will support newcomers in the GTA, fostering their successful settlement and integration across diverse domains.
Team members:
Shagufe Hossain
Sarah Fardeen
Albaab Habib
This project aims to address the health and well-being of South Asian women affected by Honour-Based Violence (HBV) prevalent in the GTA and across Canada, guided by the comprehensive definition of Women’s health provided by the World Health Organization. We seek to overcome barriers hindering access to support and create a supportive environment through targeted advocacy and educational efforts, promoting holistic health and resilience among South Asian Women facing instances of violence.
Team members:
Farheen Khan
Mahdiba Chowdhury
Jyoti Shukla
We are interested in further investigating gaps and misalignment between the affordable housing funding programs and Toronto’s municipal planning process and Toronto’s municipal planning process.
Team members:
Natalie Barcellos
Gelila Mekonnen
Niko Casuncad
Our project aims to create an accessible greenspace out of an unused hydro corridor located across the street from the TCCC to meet the community’s needs and advance cultural and social wellbeing.
Team members:
Jigme Duntak
Dechen Tenzin
Rignam Wangkhang
The Toronto Just Climate Resilience project seeks to develop a community-focused action plan addressing climate change effects through data-driven strategies. By enhancing access and utilization of climate resilience data, we aim to empower marginalized urban communities to make informed decisions, bridging the gap between top-down plans and grassroots actions for sustainable and just outcomes.
Team members:
Katelyn MacDonald
Helena Yu
Q Chen
As part of our commitment to accessibility and health equity, our group (the Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities (SCHC), the Scarborough Academic Family Health Team (SAFHT), and the Youth Alliance for Intersectional Justice (YAIJ) ) will develop a knowledge translation framework to increase healthcare practitioners’ understandings of health equity – specifically, anti-ableist and anti-racist practices to meet the intersectional needs of the communities they serve.
Team members:
Abiodun Olalekan
Carolyn Tinglin
Nicholas Joachimides
The project focuses on the eviction crisis and financialized landlord practices affecting Rexdale tenants, exacerbated by policies like vacancy decontrol and the Finch West LRT opening. By examining systemic aspects and building connections between tenants, caseworkers, researchers, and activists, we aim to address barriers to safe, affordable housing and contribute to systemic change in the city. We hope to build our capacity to bring together the issues we are seeing on the ground in individual casework with the incredibly important collective work that is already happening to bring about systemic change in the city.
Team members:
Yodit Edemariam
Jakeet Singh
Tameka Francis
The goal of our project is to empower equity deserving groups through increased community investment training and support of our Employee Resource Group members. We would like to find ways to amplify their voices and make light on what their group/community objectives are. This can help facilitate ways to provide career development opportunities and to encourage more succinct and directed community investment.
Team members:
Orode Uwawah
Jaimie Pacini
Manuel Silva
To address chronic vulnerability and chronic gun violence in TCHC communities through focused and sustainable interventions to create safe and vibrant communities, where tenants are proud to live and thrive.
Team members:
Audette James
Margaret McCutcheon
Aresma Berhane
Our project focuses on addressing the systemic barriers impacting migrant youth in Canada, particularly in education, housing, and the labor market. It seeks to highlight and mitigate the challenges faced by these youth due to immigration policies, social exclusion, and marginalization, aiming to foster a more inclusive and supportive environment for them in various societal aspects, including access to education, mental health services, and employment opportunities.
Team Members:
Ajmal Ramyar
Kaitlin Gunnell
Omer Malikyar