As more and more of us confront the fact that the world is not equitable for all, it is crucial for us to understand what our role is in supporting one another and together, figure out the systems and society that work for everybody. One step that we’re taking at the Centre for Social Innovation is piloting a new event series that focuses on creating safe spaces for us to ask questions, challenge assumptions, learn about what makes each individual unique and complex, and what makes us one. The kinds of questions we hope to ask include, but are not limited to: How do I check my privilege? How can we engage in a conversation around identity, oppression, and colonialism? How do I support someone else’s cause? How do we learn from each other? How can I be an ally? If you want to be an ally, please join us for our first two events in this series. We have asked leaders from the CSI community to speak about their lived experiences, their professional practice building bridges among communities and to share their thoughts on how someone could be their ally. This will be followed by a facilitated Q&A and smaller group discussions.

How to be an Ally: Anti-Oppression 101

Anti-Oppression: Creative Tools for Liberation

This workshop is accessible to a wide range of learners and it explores the role of community spaces in creating equity. The workshop explores internalized, interpersonal and institutionalized oppressions, unequal power dynamics, social media and art as documentation, celebration and tools for deinstitutionalized knowledge generation and transmission.

Speaker: Rania El Mugammar

Rania El Mugammar is a Sudanese Canadian Artist, Arts Educator, Equity and Anti-oppression Educator & Consultant, performer, speaker and published writer. Her work interrogates notions of home, belonging, womxnhood, blackness, migration/exile as they intersect with the identities and places she identities with. Rania is an advocate for womxn's rights, racial justice/black liberation and youth. Social justice anchors Rania's work as she is deeply committed to anti-oppressive practices and inclusion. She is the current co-chair of the Outburst Advisory Committee at the Barbara Schlifer Clinic, former curator of D’bi Young’s Watah School “Art(is)t Shaman” Series and a member of the Kandake Performance Collective. Rania is deeply passionate about gender/race justice and organizing locally and globally.

She is the editor of SpeakSudan’s youth arts magazine and a contributor to a variety of blogs and publications.

Register for the Event here

............................................................

About the cost and accessibility

The cost was a hard piece for us because we want this to be accessible to everybody, but we also wanted to honour the time of our facilitators and attach fair value to their work and ours. The cost of tickets is still reflecting a discount from both parties, but we’re comfortable with this if it means more people can attend. If you find the cost prohibitive, we are offering 5 bursaries for each session on a first come, first serve basis. You do not need to a provide an explanation and we trust that these bursaries will go to people who really require them. For bursaries or other accomodations required to attend the workshop (i.e., tokens, child minding, etc), please email Shilbee (shilbee@socialinnovation.ca). We’re constantly learning and exploring different ways to live up to our value of creating healthy cultures and we’re always open to feedback! ............................................................

Will there be more “How to be an Ally” events?

We are hosting "How to be an Ally: Indigenous Awareness" and you can learn more about it here. These two events consist of our pilot and based on the interest, we will look into rolling it out again and diversifying our themes (i.e. How to be an Ally: Islam, Accessibility, Gender, etc.) so please reach out to shilbee@socialinnovation.ca if you’re interested in being a future speaker or want to propose a topic. ............................................................