Meet the Facilitators

Sophia is the Founder & Executive Director of Threading Change, an ethical fashion organization working at the intersections of climate, gender, and racial justice in alignment with the necessary transition to a circular economy. Threading Change specializes in facilitating creative events, convening unlikely allies, and initiating valuable industry and citizen connections in order to co-create a local fashion industry that is equitable, youth-driven, and climate-resilient. Sophia also dedicates her time to working as a Corporate Campaigner at the award-winning environmental advocacy organization Canopy Planet, collaborating alongside the world's leading fashion, booking publishing, and consumer packaged goods brands to ensure that Ancient Endangered Forests are kept out of supply chains, with a robust focus on implementing Next Generation fiber solutions. Originally born in Northern China but raised in Calgary, Alberta, Sophia draws on her multitude of diverse work and volunteer experiences, alongside her upbringing as an immigrant child as the drivers for her holistic approach and perspective on the protection of our environment.

Ryan is a Mauritian Photographer and Water Resources Specialist based out of Wasaga Beach, Ontario. His work sits at the intersections of environmentalism and photojournalism. Ryan works as a Field Photographer and Water Resources Specialist for the NGO Water First, which collaborates with Indigenous communities in Canada to address local water challenges through education and training. He is a member of the Board of Directors and the Artist Collective of Uplift Black, a non-profit and a Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion in Simcoe County. He is also a community ambassador for the outdoor brand Salomon. In 2022, Ryan joined the Call to Action #83 Project. Inspired by Canada’s Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Call to Action #83 brings together 14 Indigenous and non-Indigenous Simcoe County artists to share stories, gain understanding and collaborate on a linked series of artworks related to the theme of Truth and Reconciliation.

Bonita Eloise Ford is the author of the book “Embers of Hope: Embracing Life in an Age of Ecological Destruction and Climate Chaos.” Bonita supports people in coping with and addressing ecological and climate breakdown. She teaches permaculture, Nonviolent Communication, Reiki (energy work), and gardening, and she has facilitated groups around the world for 20 years. Bonita's ancestral roots are from China, and the land she calls home is 1/5 of an acre in Perth, Ontario, on unceded Anishinabe-Algonquin Territory. She loves eating wild foods, talking to the plants, and dancing barefoot on the Earth. To learn more about her work, visit www.livinghEARTH.net and www.embersofhopebook.com.

damaris miller (they/them) is an organizer, storyteller and grower committed to Black, Queer & Trans liberation rooted in land and ancestral connection.

Rested Root is a worker-owned cooperative of Black Queer rebels who are Radically Exploring Social Transformation, rooted in rest, while supporting others in their freedom journeys. We hold space for liberatory discovery through retreats, workshops, community gatherings and art.

Julius Lindsay is the Director of Sustainable Communities at the David Suzuki Foundation. He leads the Foundation’s work to accelerate and raise the ambition of climate action in cities across the place now known as Canada. He is also a co-founder of the Black Environmentalist Alliance, an organization that seeks to champion Black people in the environmental profession, provide a safe space for peer-to-peer engagement to have real conversations and share experiences, and to advocate for environmental justice for Black Canadians now and in the future.

Julius is also a 2023 Future of Canada Project Future Fellow at McMaster University to support the Prismatic Project. The Prismatic Project seeks to centre Indigenous and Black perspectives through the lens of Indigenous futurist and Afrofuturist art, community engagement and futures games to shift the conversation about and composition of climate action in Canada.

Prior to these roles, Julius was the catalyst for and led the development of climate change plans, programs, and policies at two of the biggest cities, Mississauga and Richmond Hill, in Ontario, Canada’s Largest Province.

amani (Stardust/they) is a raptivist, storyteller and abolitionist combining artistic expression and project-based learning to facilitate healing dialogue and liberation workshops with individuals, groups and organizations. damaris miller (they/them) is an organizer, storyteller and grower committed to Black, Queer & Trans liberation rooted in land and ancestral connection.

Rested Root is a worker-owned cooperative of Black Queer rebels who are Radically Exploring Social Transformation, rooted in rest, while supporting others in their freedom journeys. We hold space for liberatory discovery through retreats, workshops, community gatherings and art.

Justine Abigail Yu is the Founder of Living Hyphen, a community and multimedia platform that explores what it means to live in between cultures as a hyphenated Canadian – that is, an individual who calls Canada home but who has roots elsewhere. She is an award-winning writing workshop facilitator whose work with Living Hyphen has been featured on international, national, and local media outlets including the Globe & Mail, CTV National News, and the CBC. She was also named a “Changemaker” by the Toronto Star in October 2021. Justine Abigail is a fierce advocate for equity and anti-oppression. Her mission is to stir the conscience and spur social change. Learn more at www.justineabigail.com and www.livinghyphen.ca.

Lauren is the the founder of the Green Career Centre, where she prepares underrepresented youth for green careers. Over more than four years, Lauren has reached thousands of youth through developing environmental programs and sharing career development resources. Impressively, Lauren has secured more than half a million dollars for BIPOC-led and impact-driven organizations which has financed the creation of scores of environmental events, dozens of green jobs, three community gardens, and a space for a soup kitchen. Lauren has been recognized by Corporate Knights, The Starfish Canada, Metroland Media and politicians like Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Stephen Guilbeault, and Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion of Canada, Carla Qualtrough for her work. As a passionate problem solver and community leader, Lauren is looking forward to continuing to use her activism and skills for the betterment of people and the planet.

Kat (she/her) is the Executive Director of the Foundation for Environmental Stewardship (FES). Kat’s main focus is building The Youth Harbour, a youth-for-youth climate support system focussed on supporting youth climate leaders with financial, technical, and networking support to amplify and scale their work, so far raising $1.51M dollars for the project. Kat is a Future of Good Young Impact 2022 Leader, Clean50 nominee, and Corporate Knights Top Sustainability Leader 30 under 30. Kat is passionate about activating in the local community as a Calgary Global Shaper organizing grassroots campaigns and clothing swaps, a grant committee volunteer with the Calgary Foundation, and an advisory member both University of Calgary and Toronto Metropolitan University’s sustainability programming. Kat is passionate about empowering youth to take impactful action on sustainable development, strengthening and amplifying the youth *force* in the Canadian climate movement.

Mo (they/them) is a facilitator, social change consultant, photographer and visual artist based in Kjipuktuk (Halifax). Born in Kespukwitk (Yarmouth), they hold a complex institutional and creative background in marine biology, ocean technology, and underwater photography. Their creative processes extend into documentary portraiture, storytelling, archival exploration and queer dreamscapes. You can follow their work @re.emergingnow

Jesse Benjamin is a mother of 4, a Personal Trainer, a Fancy Shawl dancer, a Mi’kmaq artisan, an Indigenous Wellness advocate and the Cultural Youth Support Worker at the Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq. She was also a participant on Season 1 of CBC’s reality TV show: Canada’s Ultimate Challenge. She loves animals, fitness, continually learning, and empowering others to reconnect to their authentic, healthy selves.

Sarah Prosper (she/they) is a Mi’kmaq Multidisciplinary movement Artist raised in Eskasoni First Nation (BSc Therapeutic Recreation, MA Leisure Student). An award winner of the 2022 Nova Scotia Indigenous Artist Recognition Award, Prosper performs and creates in community and on National stages in collaboration with renowned artists. Outstanding performance Merritt Award winner for their production SAMQWAN. Prosper’s practice encompasses a lens that deepens the threads of respect and reciprocity to dance, movement, Indigenous wellness, social sciences, social justice, mental health & the land.