What is the initiative?
I grew up experiencing poverty and have been contributing back to the community through various frontline roles, including as an outreach worker and emergency shelter staff. I have been holding the Pop-Up Care Village in Calgary for the last four years – a dedicated, dignity focused, arts and culture event that serves people experiencing social exclusion, and I co-founded a social enterprise dedicated to hiring people experiencing systemic barriers to employment. Furthermore, through my schooling in nursing, my focus has been on serving the vulnerable population and their health needs. Through my lived experience and frontline knowledge, I am closely connected to this community.
What is your connection to your chosen community?
I am looking forward to meeting like-minded peers, having access to tailored, structured learnings during FCC. I am also very much looking forward to having a year for me to focus on this initiative, bringing my deep passion for the art and storytelling space and connecting them to the community I’ve been so closely involved in. I think it will be an amazing experience and I can’t wait!
What are you looking forward to this year?
I applied to the Pathy Foundation Fellowship because I wanted to receive structured mentorship, theoretical education, and I want to challenge myself while giving myself the time and resources to grow professionally. I am truly drawn to the Pathy Fellowship because of the amazing things I’ve heard from past fellows – including the hyper-curated content and mentors that the Pathy fellowship pairs me up with throughout the fellowship year.