Hello AICSES Board!
Thanks for considering my application. I am a child rights researcher and non-profit leader based in Toronto, Ontario. A little bit about me: I hold a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Victoria, and a Master of Arts from Toronto Metropolitan University in Communication and Cultural Studies. I have authored or co-authored 6 peer-reviewed articles, 6 academic book chapters, and over 20 research reports for non-profit organizations throughout my career. I have over 15 years’ experience developing policy, programming, and other initiatives focused on the application of human rights and improving outcomes for children, youth, and other vulnerable populations as a researcher, advocate, and educator. I founded and lead the Helix Foundation, which is a new organization focused on underserved children and youth. I also am faculty at Royal Roads University in the Humanities Faculty, where I teach on child welfare reform.
I have held numerous human rights-focused positions, including both professional and board roles. Most recently, I was the Board Chair for three years of the Canadian Coalition for the Rights of Children (CCRC), a 30-year-old network of Canadian civil society organizations and individuals working to promote respect for the rights of children and the UNCRC (and a board member for another 3 years before stepping in as Chair). In 2021-2022, I played a key role in Canada’s appearance before the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, the body that monitors the implementation of the UNCRC by State parties. An important part of this process is for civil society organizations in Canada to tell the Committee how Canada is doing regarding implementation, and where areas of improvement may be. In my role as Chair of the CCRC, I ensured civil society organizations were present and listened to in the lead up to the Review, and at the Review itself. This included organizing webinars for potential alternative report organizations; liaising with government; organizing all youth engagement and preparing the CCRC’s own alternative report.
I also was the Board Chair (and before that the Vice Chair) of a sexual assault centre in the Peel Region (2017-2022) and have been a board member and then Board Chair at the International Institute for Child Rights and Development (2019-2023). I love working with different stakeholders to strengthen community organizations, and to learn from staff, clients, volunteers, and community members about their experiences and their challenges.
I have expertise in international human rights, particularly children’s rights and women’s rights, and have been asked to be an expert witness at Senate hearings, Parliamentary committee hearings, and in legal cases. I would love to bring my professional and personal experiences to the Amnesty Canada board.
