Conversations for Social Change
Conversations for Social Change
The Conversations for Social Change speaker series invites the Centennial community to engage in critical dialogue around pressing social issues. The purpose of the series is to raise awareness, empower and offer resources/expertise to the community. This program includes the wider Scarborough/Toronto community and industry to strengthen connections between students, staff, community and experts to address social concerns.
The speaker events typically run during the last week of every other month. Events are approximately 2 hours with opportunities for the speaker to present and then engage in a discussion and networking session with students. We also encourage alternative formats that will involve the audience in different ways (e.g. using art based activities).
We encourage faculty to apply for CSC funding for their classes and programs. We encourage speaker sessions with multiple classes given the interdisciplinary nature of global citizenship and equity education. If you are interested in participating or would like to know more about the program, please contact Tatiana Wugalter at twugalter@centennialcollege.ca.
Past Events
The Centre held four highly successful Conversations for Social Change events this past year including Displaced Persons Awareness Week, We RISE by Lifting Others to mark International Women’s Day, Black Lives Matter to mark Black History Month and Faith in Education to address the updated OHRC document on religious accommodations.
Quotes
“[Black Lives Matter is ] one of the very few events I attended at Centennial that I truly enjoyed and learned from.” – Student
Participant “[Black Lives Matter] was very powerful & eye-opening, also very useful and helpful for everyone” – Student Participant
Quotes
“I am happy to be in this Conversation for Social Change. I must say the speakers were motivational… it was very inspirational for me as a young individual pursuing a career.” – Student participant
“Thank you for helping me process my own thoughts and desires to make a difference in my surroundings for my children who are girls.” –Student Participant
At Ashtonbee Campus, the College Community was invited to share their Stories of Displacement through an art installation featuring the stories of displaced people from around the world, students and employees are invited to add their reflections and comments to the art.
On Thursday, January 21 at Progress Campus hosted an event: Soup4Syria through the Conversations for Social Change Series. Guest panelists from community organizations spoke on the topic of "What is Canada’s role and responsibility in addressing issues of displacement?"
Soup was made be available for free or by optional donation to refugee relief. The main purpose of Soup 4 Syria was to give students a taste of Syrian culture while they listened to the speakers, and participating students learned of real-life experiences from displaced people from various regions. In total just under 500 students and employees engaged in learning about relevant issues about displaced persons globally.
Quote
Chef James Smith from Centennial College’s School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts stated, "The soups were all made by our students in our Culinary program, and [were] served by students in our Hospitality program, so we're supporting our community, supporting our college, and supporting people in need, but also giving them experiential learning opportunities. It's a moral thing we like to put out to our students, saying we support this, and so should you, but this is also a learning opportunity, a chance to reinforce their skills on what they do, which is hospitality."
Quote
"Best workshop I've attended" –Staff participant
"More workshops of this nature should occur" – Faculty participant
Centennial College is proud to celebrate Black History Month throughout February to honour and reflect on the diverse histories of Black Canadians and people of the African diaspora. Each campus will feature events and information to engage the College community in critical reflection as well as in celebration that highlights histories, contributions and achievements of Black people.
Date: Wednesday, February 28
Time: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Location: Progress Campus, Fireside Gallery
Date: Thursday, March 14, 2019
Time: 11:00 AM
Location: Event Centre, Progress Campus
Join us in an engaging discussion on the importance of women’s leadership in social entrepreneurship. This event is open to all Centennial College students and staff. This event is part of our larger Conversations for Social Change Speaker Series, which engages the Centennial College community in critical dialogue around pressing social issues to create positive social change.
Moderator
Andrea Bryan, Business Coach and Facilitator, ACCEL
Panelist
Monica Da Ponte, Founder and Principal Consultant, Shift & Build: Monica is both an intrapreneur and entrepreneur, with 20 years of experience and proven success in creating social and economic value. She is the principal consultant at Shift & Builds and the Founder of Strive.
Carolynne Crawley: Carolynne is a Mi'kmaw woman with mixed ancestry from the East Coast. She is dedicated to social and environmental justice and supporting Indigenous led community work related to food sovereignty and food security. Carolynne is passionate about sharing ways to decolonize current interactions with the land to build healthy and reciprocal relationships based upon Indigenous teachings.
Date: Wednesday, March 20, 2019
Time: 11:00 AM
Location: Event Centre, Progress Campus
This Conversations for Social Change will focus on challenging toxic masculinity in social marketing. Featuring panellists from organizations which engage men in addressing toxic masculinity and gender-based violence, the event will catalyze conversations on the various ways marketing can be used to advance gender equity, dismantle toxic masculinity and foster social good. This event is open to all Centennial College students and staff. Lunch will be provided.
Panelist
David Garzon, Community Engagement Manager, White Ribbon
Husayn Symonds, Program Coordinator, Next Gen Men
Brian Jackson, Outreach and Operations Manager, Moose Hide Campaign
Aaron Lakoff, Host, Changing on the Fly podcast
Date: Monday, February 11, 2019
Moderated by Natashia Deer (Acting Chair, Nursing Programs, Health Sciences) and featuring panelists Everdene Francis (Program Manager, Across Boundaries), Kimberley Moore (Enhanced Youth Outreach Worker, TAIBU Community Health Centre) and Marcia Glasgow (Community Development Coordinator, Malton Neighborhood Services) this event examined racism as a determinant of health and wellbeing while facilitating meaningful discussion on concrete ways to address systemic health inequities. Specifically, it focused on the barriers to equitable healthcare experienced by Black Canadians and members of the African diaspora in the Greater Toronto Area.
Date: Wednesday, October 3, 2018
This event explored the global forces that shape our communities through the perspectives of individuals affected by global change. The conversation was moderated by Shayma Saadat, Founder of Spice Spoon, and featured panelists Naku Wayne, Founder of Fete by Her and Made by Her, Michael Sacco, Founder and Owner of Chocosol and Tzazná Miranda Leal, a community organizer with Justice for Migrant Workers. By engaging in critical conversations on the globalization of agriculture, goods and services as well as the feminization of labour, Everyday Decisions, Global Impacts encouraged participants to reflect on the many ways their individual actions impact communities across the globe.