Cohort 10 of the Pathy Foundation Fellowship welcomed seven Fellows who showcased exceptionally thoughtful leadership, holding space for and supporting one another as they navigated differing community contexts and initiative complexities. This cohort demonstrated a steadfast commitment to their communities and each other, showing up with endless amounts of heart as a friend, a facilitator, a supporter, and anything else that would position them to best serve the people, places, and causes closest to their hearts.
The Pathy Foundation Fellowship is pleased to announce that Cohort 10 has nominated Rhea Raghunauth as this year’s recipient of the 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 fierce community advocate, a loving family man, and a loyal friend, Harry
catalyzed transformative initiatives throughout his life – from co-founding the East Coast Prison Justice Society to pioneering restorative justice programs, and more. This award aims to celebrate and perpetuate the spirit of transformative leadership that Harry so passionately embodied.
Rhea’s Pathy Fellowship idea emerged from growing up in Brampton and witnessing how intimate partner violence (IPV) was understood, and often misunderstood, within her local Indo-Caribbean community. As a child, she witnessed instances of IPV among neighbours, coming to understand it as something that manifested only through physical and visible violence. These beliefs shaped how she understood relationship dynamics and the experiences of those around her through her formative years.
As an adult, Rhea became aware of a critical gap: while there are supports available for those experiencing abuse, there are far fewer initiatives that focus on prevention, particularly in culturally relevant ways. She recognized that many young people are not taught to identify the full scope of IPV, often associating it only with physical violence while overlooking emotional, psychological, financial, and sexual abuse. At the same time, she recognized that among her Indo-Caribbean community, cultural norms, stigma, and media influences can shape narrow and sometimes unhealthy understandings of relationships.
These observations led Rhea to develop by their side, an initiative focused on education to equip youth from diverse cultural backgrounds with the knowledge and tools to recognize early warning signs, challenge harmful gender norms, and foster healthier relationship dynamics within their communities.
The Lifetime Changemaker Award was created to honour Harry’s legacy of leadership which is both bold and deeply grounded – leadership that listens before it speaks, that builds trust over time, and that centers the voices of those most affected by injustice. In recognizing Rhea Raghunauth, we celebrate a changemaker whose work reflects those same enduring values.
The nominations Rhea received from her peers for this award highlight not only the impact of her work through the Fellowship year, but her profound intentionality, care, humility, and integrity. Her work is characterized by a willingness to sit with complexity, a commitment to moving thoughtfully, and an unwavering belief in the power of youth to build better futures.
Rhea’s peers describe her first and foremost as a friend to all and celebrate her commitment to building lasting relationships as central to her leadership. As one nominator shared, “She values people deeply and approaches resolution in a way that makes sure everyone feels seen.”
Rhea is also celebrated by her peers for the bravery she exhibited in departing from a traditional path by bridging STEM and community advocacy and “choosing to honour her passion for building healthy communities.”
Over the Fellowship year, Rhea led nine workshops, one community circle, multiple social media awareness initiatives, and facilitated community presentations. The initiative engaged over 30 youth and brought together young women to discuss relationships, violence, identity, and wellbeing. Additionally, new partnerships were developed and the groundwork was established to begin programming with young men in the next school year.
The Lifetime Changemaker Award honours leadership that is transformative not only in outcome, but in approach. For Rhea, that approach is grounded in a deep belief in community knowledge.
“At the heart of by their side was the belief that communities hold the knowledge and strengths to address the challenges they face,” Rhea shares. This philosophy came to life through the initiative, which centres lived experience as a legitimate form of knowledge and expertise and invites young people into a space where they could share, reflect, and learn from one another.
In recognizing Rhea Raghunauth with this award, we celebrate not only what has been built, but the lasting impact of a changemaker committed to nurturing stronger, more informed, and more compassionate communities.
