Manuela D'Cunha is a planning student at the University of Waterloo. She is a strong advocate for equity, having led a fundraising drive for food security in over 40 high schools spanning from Western Ontario to Prince Edward Island.
In her free time, Manuela writes poetry, reads zines, and is a melomaniac.
Colin Bredenberg is a computational neuroscientist, originally from Philadelphia. He earned his PhD at New York University and is completing a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Montreal at the intersection of neuroscience and AI.
He has a passion for teaching people about the beautiful and dangerous aspects of intelligent systems and wants to provide avenues for everyone to have a say in how they are developed, studied, and used.
Zonghua Ai (they/all) is a pop-science enthusiast, a forager, and a food scientist based in Kjipuktuk/Halifax. Zonghua is a proud RISE Cohort 10 alum. They hold an MSc in food science from Dalhousie University with a research interest on traditional plant food and medicine.
As a Chinese person and a science communicator, Zonghua believes the impact of land-based learning on food security. You can always find them talking about local plants and mushrooms.
Nikayda Harris is an alumna of the Cansbridge Fellowship and the 1834 Foundation’s Policy Fellowship. She is currently a fourth-year student in Carleton University's Bachelor of Public Affairs and Policy Management program, specializing in international relations and conflict management.
As a global social impact leader Nikayda has experiences that have taken her around the world from advocating for youth rights in South Africa to championing climate justice in Singapore. Her passion for community work and advocacy led to the co-founding of Carleton University’s Black Students in Public Affairs Association (BSPA) alongside Fariba Al-Hassan to support and mentor the next generation of Black change makers.
Nikayda's background in advocacy, digital technology policy, and data analytics has nurtured a profound interest in AI policy. She is committed to advancing AI ethics and fostering greater youth involvement in shaping AI's ethical implementation.
Her dedication extends beyond her academic pursuits, previously volunteering to organize the MILA AI and Human Rights Conference in Montreal. Nikayda currently contributes her expertise to Canada's Department of National Defence as a policy analyst, focusing on the ethical use of AI in military contexts and conflict zones.
Looking ahead, Nikayda is eager to leverage her experiences in digital technology policy, community building, and social impact to empower more young voices in the ethical deployment of AI.
Chris (he/him) became active in the climate movement at Western University, leading campaigns calling on the university to divest from the oil and gas industry and calling on the Royal Bank of Canada to align its financial flows with climate science and Indigenous rights.
Chris currently works at Tapestry Community Capital as a Social Finance Analyst where he supports cooperatives and nonprofits to raise debt for capital-intensive projects through community bonds. Chris is a Board Member and the Youth Engagement Coordinator at Fair Vote Canada, a national non-profit advocating for proportional representation in Canada.
In his spare time, He enjoys reading, riding his bike around Toronto, and volunteering as a bike mechanic.
In 2023, Ontario passed a health-reform bill to expand the private delivery of care. Canada’s wait time crisis sparks a big ethical debate with the long fight over public versus private health care. Similarly, with mental health care presenting similar systemic problems and with ongoing regulations in the works for therapists, now is the time to hear the voices of those impacted. Through group discussion over some food and art (all levels welcome), we will explore our relationship to health and access to wellness while brainstorming policy ideas to tackle wait times in Canada.
Cher (she/they) is a neurodivergent community builder passionate about mental health and social innovation. As a co-founder of Purple Lotus and two other mental health non-profits, Cher is dedicated to creating supportive spaces.
They teach piano and are in their final year of Cognitive Systems at UBC. As a workshop leader in tech and wellness, Cher values respectful dialogue that welcomes diverse perspectives and voices.
Join Clèche on August 20th for this round table topic event! Together, we will reflect on and challenge the gendered norms of leadership and how they impact individuals who self-identify as women currently in or aspiring to take on leadership roles. This facilitated dialogue is open to anyone interested in learning, discussing, and unpacking how the gender norms of leadership impact civic engagement.
Together we will take up space, learn, and unlearn!
Food will be offered and you will have the opportunity to discuss with friends in a safe space!
Clèche is a social justice advocate, and a proud alumnus of Apathy is Boring’s RISE program. She serves as a member of the Michaëlle Jean Foundation’s Youth Advisory Committee and CanWaCH’s Youth Working Group where she served as Co-chair.
In 2022, Clèche was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Black Women to Watch for her community work, which included creating a mentorship program for students. Clèche is pursuing her law degree at McGill University as a McCall MacBain Scholar.
As more light is shed on the treatment of Indigenous people in Canada, Kavieya will host a round table talk on the topic of reconciliation and what we can do to engage with Truth and Reconciliation.
She will share resources, reflect on our positions, and discuss how we can be better allies. Weather dependent, this discussion will be held on Wednesday, August 7th at 6:30 pm at Parc Lahaie.
There will be food offered and you will have the opportunity to discuss with friends. Kavieya would love to see you there!
Kavieya is currently a university student in Montreal/Tiohtià:ke and is very interested in democracy and learning about contributing to society positively, while also working in the interest of youth.