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Update: Here’s Interaksyon’s coverage of our press conference. This morning, I joined the Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation to help announce a new initiative for the private sector and NGO sectors to collaborate together to share relief data, map initiatives and outline capabilities for Typhoon Yolanda, and to lay the groundwork for a national disaster preparedness plan. The […]
I’m grateful to be one of ten fellows selected to attend the 5th International Conference of Crisis Mappers (ICCM) in Nairobi, Kenya from November 18-22. The ICCM brings together the most engaged practitioners, scholars, software developers and policymakers at the cutting edge of crisis mapping and humanitarian technology. I’ve been volunteering as a crisis mapper since […]
A Heart to Art Chat was an unconference-style event I developed to co-create ideas for the Art Gallery of Ontario. 70 community leaders and participants from the arts, culture and events communities came together in the beautiful new 35,000 square foot Weston Family Learning Centre. Over a six month process, I led the strategic planning, digital […]
I consult as a researcher and community engagement director for Don Tapscott’s think tank, Global Solution Networks. Understanding the New Multi-Stakeholder Models for Global Cooperation, Problem Solving and Governance The institutions and mechanisms responsible for global cooperation at the international level are having increasing difficulty solving global problems—problems like poverty, climate change, access to […]
During my two years as Communications Director at Volunteer Toronto, I led and developed a training curriculum on social media, cross sector collaboration and volunteer engagement for non-profit organizations. I created an online process to enhance the matching of non-profit needs with corporate volunteer interests and established a program to provide low cost and free technology tools and discounted […]
There are a number of global social tech and community engagement awareness days throughout the year, so I thought I’d help shine a brighter light on the awesome social tech community. Based on the success of the Toronto screenings I organized, I thought it would be fun for social tech and social […]
More than half of Toronto residents live in “Food Deserts,” neighbourhoods that do not have access to good quality and affordable food. On World Food Day, October 16, 2012, Toronto’s community leaders are coming together at the newly opened Daniels Spectrum to celebrate a cross sector approach to achieving a sustainable local food system with good food […]
We held a paper airplane event to promote Maker Faire Toronto at Microsoft Yorkdale on September 14, 2013. We used these terrific fold-a-day paper airplane calendars and they were a hit with kids and families. May thanks to Microsoft Yorkdale for donating the space, and for volunteering at Maker Faire Toronto. If you’re a non-profit […]
Next maker project: plant murals. I love succulents and the idea of making plants into wall murals.
Maker Faire is an award winning, family friendly event celebrating technology, education, science, arts, crafts, engineering, food, sustainability, and more, in cities around the world. We’re expecting 5,000 people to attend Toronto’s Mini Maker Faire on the weekend of September 21 to 22 at Wychwood Barns. We’re reaching out to design schools and students, and anyone who […]
Founded in 2005 by Oliver Madison and Craig & Marc Kielburger, Me to We Style is a social enterprise that provides domestically produced clothing using eco-friendly fabrics such as certified organic cotton, viscose from bamboo and recycled polyester. Each year, Me to We Style donates half of their annual profits to their charity partner, Free the […]
In 2009, I worked with volunteers to develop Volunteer Connect, Toronto’s first Facebook application to connect volunteers to opportunities. Volunteer Connect was endorsed by Ontario’s Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration’s Youth Challenge Program.
I was a contributor to Don Tapscott’s follow up to international bestseller, Wikinomics. Macrowikinomics: New Solutions for a Connected Planet was published in the October 2010. I also developed the creative concept for the paperback edition and launched the website, Macrowikinomics.com. Macrowikinomics is available in 10 languages. Macrowikinomics was shortlisted for the 2010 Financial Times and Goldman Sachs […]
I spent 6 years leading national launches for pharmaceutical companies in Canada and enjoyed working across government, healthcare, business and creative sectors. I managed two historical launches for the Canadian pharmaceutical industry: AstraZeneca’s Crestor launch, the largest advertising account at $25 million, and Janssen Ortho’s Pariet launch, the fastest product launch over 2 months. Other notable […]
I launched the Pay it Forward campaign to help kids and families in priority neighbourhoods attend the 2013 Toronto Mini Maker Faire. Part science fair, part festival, and part something entirely new, Toronto Mini Maker Faire is a registered non-profit, all-ages gathering of tech enthusiasts, engineers, tinkerers, hobbyists, science clubs, hackers, artists, students, and commercial exhibitors. All of these “makers” […]
I created Hungry for Change, a free community food fair on the way we grow, buy and learn about the food we eat, in partnership with George Brown Chef School and their Community Partnerships Office. We screened movies on local and international food issues, served free samples of delicious local food and presented Toronto’s community kitchens, […]
In 2009, I founded Films That Move, a global social change film series that brings together people from across the sectors to connect and collaborate in their communities. I screened UK civic engagement documentary, Us Now to demonstrate the transformational impact of the internet across business, government and society. Over 300 people attended each screening, and included Toronto […]
I volunteer as part of the Crisis Mappers Humanitarian Technology Network. Crisis mapping is inherently interdisciplinary, situated at the nexus of many fields, drawing from debates in disciplines as diverse as: geography, epidemiology, sociology, environmental science, political science, forestry, ecology, psychology, linguistics, robotics, communication, cultural studies, statistics, mathematics, conflict studies, art and design, computer science and disaster and emergency management. […]
I created the ChariTee T-Shirt Design Contest in partnership with George Brown’s School of Design and social enterprise, Me to We Style to commemorate National Volunteer Week in Toronto in 2009. George Brown’s art foundations class produced t-shirt designs as part of their course curriculum, and we opened up the voting to the public to select the […]
I consult as Don Tapscott’s community engagement director for his Open Cities initiative where we work with municipalities to transform cities into smart, collaborative cities.
Us Now was the second film screening for the social change film series I created for Volunteer Toronto. Volunteer Toronto, through generous partnerships with nGenera Insight and Bloor Cinema hosted a free screening of Us Now, a UK film about how the internet inspires participation and collaboration in communities. After the screening, Don Tapscott, authour […]
I’m one of 10 Toronto ambassadors for David Suzuki Foundation’s At Work Program. We help organizations save cash, time and the planet by offering tips and tools to green the workplace. Down our free tool kit, join the smart commuter challenge and take David Suzuki to work. Learn more about how to green your workplace […]
In 2010, I consulted as the digital director and policy advisor for the Toronto Deputy Mayor’s mayoral campaign where I introduced a social innovation mandate, food and civic engagement policies and citizen reporting platform, SeeClickFix.
Georgian College invited me to lead a session at their 2010 fundraising conference. Titled, “Getting the Most out of Your Tech Budget,” I share my three page list of free and low cost international tools like free and open source software and $10,000 Google Adwords Grants. Here’s the session description: Now more than ever, fundraisers […]
Listen to the audio recording of the event on rabble.ca On May 5, 2009, I created an event to launch open data to the Toronto Non-Profit Community with Toronto Mayor David Miller. Toronto was one of the pioneering cities to first launch open data. I screened Us Now, a documentary on the power of the […]
