Pathy Fellow Building Mentorship Initiative to Support Afghan Refugee Youth
University of Toronto graduate, Omer Malikyar is building a Toronto-based mentorship initiative that supports Afghan refugee youth in navigating post-secondary education, career pathways, and mental health challenges. “When I learned more about the Pathy Foundation Fellowship, past Fellow initiatives, and Alumnx trajectories, it felt like the perfect platform for me to start my own initiative,…
Pathy Fellow Engaging Indo-Carribean and South Asian Youth to Prevent Intimate Partner Violence
Recent University of Toronto graduate, Rhea Raghunauth is engaging Indo-Caribbean and South Asian youth through her initiative, by their side, to prevent intimate partner violence through education and community dialogue in Brampton, Ontario. “I could feel that intimate partner violence was something deeply affecting my community. After attending one-on-one advising offered by the Pathy Foundation…
Pathy Fellow Dedicated to Supporting South Sudanese Youth to Thrive Academically and Beyond
University of Ottawa graduate, Jennifer Wani is dedicated to supporting South Sudanese youth in the Canadian Prairies with tools, networks, and opportunities to thrive academically and beyond. “I had a natural curiosity when finishing my degree as to what’s next. Being the first person in my family to graduate from university, I reflected on the…
Pathy Fellow Addressing Growing Concerns Around Water Security and Youth Engagement in San Simón
Queen’s University Graduate, Taleya Argueta is igniting youth engagement and water security efforts in San Simón, El Salvador. “In my undergraduate program of Global Development Studies, there was a large focus on feminist ecologies, political ecology, colonialism, and how colonialism shapes environmental transformations. I connected to everything I was engaging with in my classes because of my personal relationship to El Salvador. All of these processes directly impacted my…
Pathy Fellow Cultivating Inner Reconciliation in Sexual Health Education for Muslim Youth
Mai Ababneh, a graduate of Cognitive Science at McGill University, is cultivating embodied self-literacy and empowerment via sex-ed with Muslim youth in Montreal. “Through my conversations with friends, I noticed many cultural taboos and misinformation. I could see that people in my community were having questions about sexual health, relationships, marriage, and intimacy,” Mai shares….
Pathy Fellow Cultivating Social and Environmental Change Through Youth-Led Farming
McGill University graduate, Sam Liptay is cultivating social and environmental change through farming in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue. Sam’s initiative, Élèves des Champs, is a youth-run market garden rooted in regenerative practices, organic guidelines, and sustainable food production. “It’s a two acre entirely youth-run vegetable farm in the Montreal area,” Sam shares. “It’s a place for youth to work and engage with ecological agriculture.” The farm has been running for more than 15 years; it began as the McDonald Student Run…
Pathy Fellowship Welcome Alumnx Maggie Rodrigues to the 2026 Selection Committee
The Pathy Foundation Fellowship is pleased to announce that Maggie Rodrigues (Cohort 5, 2019-2020) will hold this year’s Alumnx position on the program’s Selection Committee. This position is held annually by a past Pathy Fellow representing an important commitment to prioritizing youth perspectives, wisdom, and leadership in the annual Selection process. Maggie will join six…
Pathy Fellow Breaking Down the Barriers Between Indigenous Communities and Post-Secondary Education
Cheyenne Toms is a St. Francis Xavier University graduate, working to break down barriers between Indigenous communities and post-secondary education through positive early exposure to campus environments. “This is especially important given the history and lasting impacts of residential schools, which could continue to affect trust and access to education,” she shares. Cheyenne’s initiative,…
Celebrating Legacy and Leadership: The Inaugural Pathy Foundation Fellowship Legacy Award
Beyond the Fellowship year, Pathy Alumnx continue to lead impact-driven work that contributes to lasting social and systemic change in the sectors they serve and the communities they care deeply about. To honour this enduring commitment, the Pathy Foundation Fellowship’s Legacy Award was established in 2025 to recognize exceptional past Fellows whose post-Fellowship contributions exemplify…
Chama Laassassy Presented Inaugural Lifetime Changemaker Award
In a year defined by heart-led community engagement and transformative impact, the Pathy Foundation Fellowship is proud to announce Chama Laassassy as the recipient of the inaugural Lifetime Changemaker Award. The Lifetime Changemaker Award was established to commemorate the enduring legacy of Harry Critchley, whose life was marked by relentless compassion and advocacy. Remembered as a beloved and…
Pathy Fellow Addressing Racial Disparities in Haircare for Black Youth
Harnessing her passion for social justice and commitment to community building, Carleton University graduate, Chidera Onyegbule, applied to the Pathy Foundation Fellowship with an idea to address racial disparities in haircare for Black youth in Ottawa. “As a young Black woman living in Ottawa, I share the lived experiences of racial disparities and discrimination related…
Introducing the 2025-26 Pathy Fellows
We are pleased to announce the incoming young leaders for the 2025-26 Pathy Foundation Fellowship. This 12-month Fellowship provides community-focused experiential learning opportunities for graduating students from across Canada. Applicants submit an initiative proposal to work alongside a community with which they have a meaningful and pre-existing connection. The Pathy Family Foundation supports each Fellow…
Pathy Fellow Prevents School Abandonment and Promotes Youth Success
McGill University graduate, Chama Laassassy applied to the Pathy Foundation Fellowship to prevent school abandonment and promote youth success in the rural outskirts of Nador, Morocco. While spending summers with family in Nador, Chama built relationships across the community, and developed an awareness of the issue of school abandonment among youth in the area. “I…
Pathy Fellow Promoting Socialization and Education among Senior Punjabi Women
Carleton University graduate, Ravia Dhaliwal, applied to the Pathy Foundation Fellowship to work in Amiskwaciy Wâskahikan (Edmonton, Alberta) to promote socialization, education, and culturally sensitive addiction support with senior Punjabi women. “Connection and socialization have increased my own quality of life,” Ravia explains. “Connecting with seniors who are structurally isolated made me reflect on how…
Pathy Fellow Enriching Tourism Livelihoods Through Cooperative Digital Capacities
A desire to reconnect with his community and gain values-aligned professional experience led Queen’s University graduate, Damai Siallagan, to apply to the Pathy Foundation Fellowship. Returning to his ancestral home in Lake Toba, Indonesia, Damai’s Pathy Fellowship initiative, “Pasadahon Parsolu: Enriching Tourism Livelihoods through Cooperative Digital Capacities,” aims to address technological inequities by developing accessible…