Summer 2021

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Sam McQuillen earned his Bachelor’s degree in Economics and International Affairs from Lafayette College and is working to complete a Master’s degree in Development Studies from the University of Oxford. He was born and raised in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Through his past research and lived experiences, he has developed a passion for studying rural poverty, deindustrialization, and community-centric approaches to development. Outside of academia, he is an avid cook, juggler, and runner. He hopes to contribute to a new paradigm of studying, empowering, and mobilizing local community networks in order to improve human-wellbeing.

Sam worked with co-partners, the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative and Appalshop and conducted research on multidimensional poverty and developed a community-based social connectedness index in the Appalachian region.

Community Engagement Initiative: Sam conducted in-person fieldwork in Whitesburg, Kentucky, and created a baking-based outreach project for his Community Engagement Initiative. After making his famous key lime and peanut butter cream pies, he shared them with community members in order to facilitate bonding over food! Read the report: Concerts and Confections

Final Report: Identifying Isolation: Assessing a Proposed Social Isolation Survey Through Participatory Methods in Appalachia

Nestled within the hills of Appalachia, Whitesburg, Kentucky has a population of a little over 2000, and a longstanding history of dynamic arts and culture. However, like many locales within Appalachia, Whitesburg has above-average rates of poverty, due to a complex multitude of factors, including exploitation by the coal mining industry. Sam’s Fellowship centered around exploring the role of social isolation as a core element of multidimensional poverty, as measured by the indicators proposed by Zavaleta et al. Sam conducted in-person fieldwork with his partner Appalshop, an arts and culture collective in Whitesburg, to interview residents of Whitesburg on their experiences with multidimensional poverty and social isolation, focusing on ways through which to ensure that social isolation is meaningfully and appropriately measured. 

Keywords: Multidimensional poverty, Appalachia, community connections, rural poverty, arts and culture, social isolation, indicators, Zavaleta et al. 

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Olaoluwa Abagun holds a Bachelor of Laws degree and a Masters in Gender and Development (with distinction) from the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex under the prestigious Commonwealth Shared Scholarship. She was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria where she cultivated a strong passion for the rights of girls, gender equality, and youth-led advocacy/community mobilizing. She is the Founder of Girl Pride Circle Initiative – a registered girls’ rights advocacy NGO in Nigeria. Olaoluwa hopes to undertake participatory research that drives informed programming and policy-making for/with girls and young people. She is now conducting her doctoral research on teenage girls’ voices and social media at the Waterford Institute of Technology, Ireland.

Olaoluwa worked with Peace First to examine the impact that youth-led initiatives have on community.

Community Engagement Initiative: To commemorate International Youth Day, Olaoluwa organized a 1-hour Zoom call with fifty young leaders within the global Peace First community. The objective of the call was to create a space for the Peace First global community to share and reflect on the key findings from the research project around the collective community impact of youth-led initiatives, with particular emphasis on social connectedness and belonging. Read the report: International Youth Day Global Community Call

Final Report: Young Changemakers, Community Well-being & Connectedness: The Role of Youth-Led Initiatives in Advancing Social Connectedness: A Qualitative Study

Peace First continues to amplify the work of young changemakers around the world, providing them with critical support to address various forms of injustices across their communities. This qualitative study “Young Changemakers Community Well-Being and Connectedness,” explores the collective community impact made by these youth-led social change projects, with a particular focus on community well-being and social connectedness. The findings from the study are conceptualized through the lens and framing of Peace First’s core values (the 3 Cs) – Courage, Compassion, and Collaboration. This study reveals the inadequacy of numbers and traditional measurement and evaluation tools to capture the different dimensions of impact made by youth-led initiatives. Looking forward, future research and programmatic interventions should focus on co-creating and developing new tools and metrics for young changemakers to understand and describe their impact beyond numbers.

Keywords: Youth, young changemakers, youth engagement, global, volunteering, programming, connection, social engagement. 

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Tammy is an MSc. Public Health graduate at McGill. She grew up in Ottawa, Ontario. Tammy completed her bachelors degree at the University of Ottawa in Biomedical Sciences which ignited her passion for work in aging and health inequalities. Her current Master’s research focuses on reducing the inequalities faced by older adults at a population level and she hopes to make a difference through policy action and community-level change. Tammy is interested in the intersection between aging, health services, and health policy. She aspires to be at the forefront of gerontological health research by pursuing a PhD in this field.

Tammy worked with HelpAge Canada to identify innovative solutions in older people’s mobility within both urban and rural communities around the world, with a focus on countries with robust age-friendly initiatives such as the UK and Australia.

Community Engagement Initiative: Tammy sought to identify leading examples of international transportation solutions and to understand why these solutions were innovative, in order to ultimately shape and inspire Canada’s age-friendly transportation landscape. Three different innovative transportation leaders were interviewed and Tammy created an interactive map infographic showcasing each capstone innovation. Read the report: Age-Friendly Transportation: Interviews with Innovators

Final Report: Older Adults on the Move: Global Age-Friendly Transportation Innovations

With the number of older adults increasing, there is a growing need to ensure that those aged 60 and older remain connected to each other and their communities. For many, such connections can either be hindered by a lack of available transport options, or facilitated by accessible and innovative transport solutions. One approach to improving transportation for Canadian older adults is to look to other successful international examples of age-friendly transportation. This study sought to capture a comprehensive list of international innovative solutions for age-friendly transportation, and to qualitatively explore the reasons for why global transportation innovations have been successful. 

Keywords: Older adults, transport, transportation innovation, accessibility, aging population, innovation scan, multisectoral cooperation.

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Chester Finn has been a strong advocate for people with developmental disabilities for more than 20 years. He currently works as a Special Assistant to the Commissioner at the Office of Persons With Developmental Disabilities for the New York State. Chester grew up in western New York, attending school in Lockport and earning his associate degree from Gennessee Community College in Batavia. He is passionate about upholding the rights of people with disabilities everywhere. His goals are to leave things in a better place and be able to teach and mentor young people to be advocates for themselves and others.

Chester worked with the Harvard Law School Project on Disability and Massachusetts Self-Advocates Standing Strong’s (MASS) Supported Decision-Making (SDM) Task Force to understand self-advocates’ priorities for future State legislation on SDM.

Final Report: Supported Decision-Making: A Self-advocate’s Ten Commandments for Community Members

Working with the Harvard Law School Project on Disability (HPOD) and Massachusetts Self-Advocates Standing Strong’s (MASS) Supported Decision-Making (SDM) Task Force, Chester’s Fellowship was spent working to understand the priorities of self-advocates for future State legislation on SDM, and to create resources for those living with disabilities seeking to better understand supported decision making. In his final report, Chester outlines his “ten commandments” for community members to better engage with supported decision making, and provides an overview as to why it is so critical for those living with disabilities to be supported in making their own life decisions. 

Keywords: Disability rights, supported decision making, guardianship, self-advocacy, legal rights.

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Alice grew up in Kent, England and now lives in London. She studied Spanish and Portuguese for her undergraduate degree at University College London and is currently finishing an MSc in Inequalities and Social Science at the London School of Economics.

She is passionate about the intersecting inequalities that migrant and refugee communities face and the importance of intersectionality in social movement building. In the future she hopes to work in a civil society organization that supports vulnerable and marginalized groups.

Alice worked with SeeChange to study community-driven health responses to COVID-19 in Latin America.

Community Engagement Initiative:  Alice created the SeeChange PhotoVoice Project  where youth-participants were invited to share a photograph and caption as well as one from an older relative or community member, in response to the question: What have you learned over the past year of the pandemic? In this way, intergenerational dialogue and knowledge-sharing was fostered. After submissions had closed, participants were invited to discuss their images and their takeaways in an online group call. In total, sixteen submissions were made. Read the report: Photovoice Project

Final Report: Placing Communities First in Health Crisis Responses: Identifying & Implementing Best Practices for Community-based Health Responses

Latin America is the most unequal region in the world in terms of income inequalities, and struggles with deep and persistent health inequities. Some of these health inequities, however, can be addressed via community-based approaches to health, which are rooted in the knowledge, expertise, values, and needs of the community itself, and which involve community members in the research, development, and implementation processes. This report seeks to identify the ways in which communities can best be centered in responses to health crises like COVID-19, and outlines the importance of community- based responses to health more generally. A literature review of community-based health responses in Latin America, interviews with seven individuals with experience in community-based research and/or health interventions, six interviews conducted by SeeChange Initiative, and a community engagement initiative inform the findings of this report.

Keywords: Latin America, health inequalities, COVID-19, community health, community-based responses, healthcare access.

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Rossen Lee is a recent graduate from Ryerson University with a BASc. in Nutrition and Food as well as a certificate in Food Security Studies. Having spent her childhood as a settler in Hamilton, Ontario, Rossen is passionate about building communities, supporting marginalized populations, and researching urban food security. With her career, she hopes to build a more sustainable, affordable, and socially just Toronto for all. Guided by love and friendship, Rossen believes that human compassion and social resiliency can overcome anything.

Rossen worked with The Stop on the intersection of food security, social connectedness and equity.

Community Engagement Initiative:  Rossen created a 4-part audio podcast series titled, “Our Concrete Garden” which explored how public green and growing spaces can lead to improved community wellbeing and social connection, following the brutally isolating COVID-19 stay at home orders in Toronto. The objective was to educate, entertain, advocate for civic engagement, spark an interest with nature, and encourage others to participate in their own local community gardens or park events. This podcast was created with the average Torontonian in mind, or other urban dwellers who are interested in Toronto-based stories. Read the report: Our Concrete Garden Podcast

Final Report: Exploring the Influence of Publicly Accessible Green & Growing Spaces on Health: Implications for Toronto During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic and stay-at-home orders have had devastating effects on mental and physical health in Toronto, due in large part to the surge in pandemic-induced social isolation. Also during this time, there has been a noted increase in public interest in plants and nature. Extensive research has shown that interacting with plants, even through simple observation, produces positive health improvements both mentally and physically in a variety of sample populations. During the pandemic, and as we look towards a post-pandemic future, access to plants and nature has become a highly topical means through which to foster both community connections and mental well-being, particularly in urban settings. This report details the relationship between individuals engaged with The Stop Community Food Centre and community green spaces, with interviews providing insight into both the critical importance of green spaces, particularly during the pandemic, as well as recommendations for making green spaces more publicly accessible.

Keywords: Toronto, green spaces, community gardens, food security, plants, nature, city planning.

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Born and raised in Montréal, Maude received her Bachelor and Master degrees in International Studies at l’Université de Montréal. She then completed a diploma in Management of International Development and Humanitarian aid at l’Université Laval. Maude is now doing her PhD in sociology that focuses on activism and feminism in Togo. Since the start of her academic career, Maude has been very interested in West African societies, international development as well as gender and intergenerational relationships. After completing her PhD, Maude wants to pursue a career in research in the academic and community sectors in a way that is useful for communities and policy makers.

Maude worked with The Grandmother Project to investigate the role and influence of elders, particularly grandmothers, as agents of change, and on the impact of intergenerational programs in Senegal.

Community Engagement Initiative: Maude created a comic book to be shared and distributed among school children in the community of Vélingara. The Grandmother Project was already working with educational booklets that are used by teachers in Vélingara, to educate children and adolescents about the role of grandmothers in Senegalese societies. This short comic book is intended to be a fun and educational tool that can be used by teachers with whom GMP already works. Its main purpose is to illustrate that grandmothers have accumulated many life experiences and are therefore an important source of advice for young people. Read the Report: The Grandmothers’ Experience: Why Should We Seek Advice From Grandmothers?

Final Report – The Grandmother Project’s intervention in Vélingara_ What are the positive outcomes for grandmothers that foster social connectedness

In a context where development organizations often place more emphasis on the well-being of young girls than older women, this report aims to highlight the positive impacts that the Grandmother Project’s intervention in Vélingara has had on grandmothers. By focusing on an intergenerational approach that values the traditional cultural role of grandmothers, GMP has shown that it is possible to modify positively the communities’ perception towards grandmothers, to increase solidarity between grandmothers, to enhance their relationships within the family and the wider community, to expand their civic participation, to enhance the community’s appreciation of the role of grandmothers in transmitting positive cultural values to younger generations, and mostly, to extend their social connectedness. After highlighting grandmother-focused findings from previous GMP-sponsored research, this report demonstrates that GMP’s approach has been successful in reducing the social isolation of grandmother and increasing their social connectedness.

Keywords: Grandmothers, Senegal, social connection, intergenerational, community elders, cultural connection.

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Tafadzwa holds a Master of Social Science in Development Studies, an Honours degree in Development Studies and a Bachelor of Social Science in Industry Sociology and Labour Studies from the University of Pretoria. She was born in Zimbabwe where she spent her early childhood. Tafadzwa subsequently relocated to South Africa in her teenage years to pursue her tertiary education. Tafadzwa is passionate about research and the development of children and youth. She aspires to pursue a PHD in Sociology, become a research professional and combat hindrances around youth and child development.

Tafadzwa worked with Motheo Institute Trust to research the relationship between early childhood development and social connectedness.

Community Engagement Initiative: Tafadzwa’s initiative consisted of semi-structured interviews with four parents and four practitioners, to reveal current barriers and best practices for parental involvement and social connectedness. The parents and practitioners were from Benoni, Johannesburg and its surrounding townships Mogoba Village, Daveyton, Etwatwa, and Chief A. Luthuli. The interviews were conducted telephonically due to the COVID-19 restrictions in place South Africa at the time of the study. Read the report: Parental Involvement in Early Childhood Development

Final Report: Parental Involvement in Early Childhood Development: Strengthening Parental Involvement and Social Connectedness in South Africa

This research report unpacks the link between social connectedness and early
childhood development (ECD) and how parental involvement in ECD can be strengthened. The Motheo Training Institute Trust operates in South Africa as a multi-training centre offering quality ECD services through training ECD practitioners in a formal accredited ECD programme and other developmental studies throughout Southern Africa. This study utilised desktop research and primary research through the use of semi-structured interviews to reveal current barriers and best practices for parental involvement and social connectedness. The results revealed that the current barriers to parental engagement are lack of knowledge by the parents on the importance of ECD, challenges in nutritional participation, the lack of resources and partnership from the parents to the ECD centres.

Keywords: Children, South Africa, early childhood education, parents, families, education access, parental engagement. 

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Tuviere is a graduate student at McGill University’s department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health and holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Environment and more specifically in the Ecological Determinants of Health. She was born in Calabar, Nigeria and spent the other half of her childhood in Edmonton, Alberta. She is passionate about the intersection of environment and human health especially as it pertains to the Black community and specifically how social and political institutions contribute to increased exposure to dangerous environment agents and the negative effect on overall health in this community. Tuviere aspires to work at the intersection of research and policy as we transition to a more equitable and just society.

Tuviere worked with Data-Driven Lab to explore urban sustainability and the intersection of social inclusion and climate action.

Community Engagement Initiative: In a collaborative survey with SC Fellow Ellen Spannagel, Tuviere and Ellen’s CEI was a survey on the experiences of people in heat waves in Montréal. The target audience was residents of the Island of Montréal. The medium of a survey for the CEI was selected given its ability to be easily shared and was disseminated with repeated and ongoing outreach over a period of one month between mid-July and mid-August, 2021. The survey was disseminated in both French and English. Overall, the survey received 38 responses, including 31 responses in English, and 7 responses in French. Read the Report: Montreal Heat Wave Survey.

Final Report: Urban Heat Island: Mitigating the Worst of Increasing Temperatures in Montréal

This research sought to explore the relationship between income levels in different neighborhoods in the Canadian city of Montréal through the use of heat sensors placed around the city. As a whole, this research found that lower income neighbourhoods in Montréal experience increased heat during the summer months, and especially during heat waves. Further, through this study’s validation analysis, it was found that temperature from satellite estimates are generally in agreement with ground-level estimates of temperature. This study provides further proof that satellites can be an easy and reliable way to measure temperature.  

Keywords: Heat, heatwaves, Montréal, income disparities, satellite tracking, human health, climate change.

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Devika graduated from York University’s School of Health Policy and Management with a Masters in Health specializing in Health Policy and Equity, and holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Health Studies from the University of Toronto. She grew up in Toronto and is passionate about the social determinants of health and public policy. She has goals of exploring social injustices and being a part of interventions and change for a more equitable healthy society.

Devika worked with the City of Toronto to conduct research and create a set of community-based and policy recommendations that will help address community trauma and reduce community violence in Toronto.

Community Engagement Initiative: In partnership with the Toronto Youth
Cabinet, Devika hosted a roundtable community discussion on gun violence. The Toronto Youth Cabinet is a non-partisan organization that advocates on behalf of Toronto’s youth. Young people ages 16-29 across different Toronto neighbourhoods were invited to discuss SafeTO – Toronto’s Community Safety & Well-Being Plan, with 25 young people ultimately attending the digital roundtable conducted via Zoom. This worked to effectively engage with youth in Toronto, and to ensure young people’s voices were heard on this critical issue. Read the report: Youth Perspectives on a Public Health Approach to Gun Violence.

Final Report: A Public Health Approach to Gun Violence in Toronto

This report explores the four stages of a public health approach to gun violence and how they can be applied in Toronto. These stages (monitoring, risk and protective factors,  intervention, and implementation) offer a path forward for a more inclusive, safe, and thriving city. The information in this report will contribute towards finalizing the implementation plan of SafeTO, which will be presented to the Executive Committee and Council in December 2021. 

Keywords: Toronto, gun violence, violence prevention, community safety, inclusive cities. 

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The lone child living in the international dormitory at Eden Theological Seminary in Missouri, Simone was raised by her aunties and uncles from all over the world. She is now a psychiatrist and global mental health practitioner-in-training who seeks to reignite whole person healing through togetherness in pursuit of the Beloved Community. Currently, she is an MD/MSc student on full scholarship at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine/King’s College London and The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She graduated from The University of Iowa in 2014 with honors in Neurobiology and International Studies and a minor in Philosophy.

Simone worked with the Friendship Bench to conduct a qualitative research project on Circle Kubana Tose (CKT)s which are peer led groups that provide the Friendship Bench clients with ongoing support.

Final Report: Holding Hands Together: Preliminary Qualitative Findings of Mental Health Support Groups in Zimbabwe

In Zimbabwe, the Friendship Bench trains community health workers to deliver psychological talk therapy on benches stationed inside primary health centers. Circle Kubatana Tose (CKT), meaning “holding hands together” in Shona, is a peer support group that brings Friendship Bench clients together in the hopes of extending and enhancing the therapeutic benefits delivered on the Bench. As the first inquiry into the implementation and impact of CKT, and with an eye to the recovery model of mental illness, we detail
preliminary qualitative findings of the barriers and enablers to participation in CKT.

Keywords: Zimbabwe, mental health, recovery, peer support, therapeutic benefits, mental illness, mental wellbeing.

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Ellen is currently a BCL/JD student at McGill’s Faculty of Law and holds a Bachelor of Journalism and Humanities from Carleton University. She is passionate about climate justice that is disability-inclusive and centers gender, sexual, and romantic minorities and how this interacts with legal frameworks. She is also passionate about storytelling and the ways in which knowledge is built, translated, and shared across regions and communities. Ellen grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and enjoys spending her free time outdoors.

Ellen worked with Human Rights Watch to conduct research on climate change and its connectedness with vulnerable populations, such as people with disabilities, and older people.

Community Engagement Initiative: In a collaborative survey with SC Fellow Tuviere Onookome-Okome, Tuviere and Ellen’s CEI was a survey on the experiences of people in heat waves in Montréal. The target audience was residents of the Island of Montréal. The medium of a survey for the CEI was selected given its ability to be easily shared and was disseminated with repeated and ongoing outreach over a period of one month between mid-July and mid-August, 2021. The survey was disseminated in both French and English. Overall, the survey received 38 responses, including 31 responses in English, and 7 responses in French. Read the report: Montreal Heat Wave Survey.

Final Report: The Experiences of People with Disabilities & Older Persons During Climate-induced Heat Waves: Evidence, Gaps, & Future Directions

In the form of a literature review, this report examines the impacts of climate-included heat waves on persons with disabilities and older persons while also outlining the relationship of these impacts on social connectedness, including elements such as social support and social isolation. These impacts are examined alongside climate adaptation plans and heat wave strategies. Several recommendations are proposed to mitigate the impacts of climate induced heat waves on persons with disabilities and older persons, and to strengthen existing responses to heat waves.

Keywords: Climate change, heatwaves, disability rights, older adults, heat response, social connectedness.

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Adrianna Vanos grew up in Guelph, Ontario before moving to Halifax, Nova Scotia to attend the University of King’s College and Dalhousie as an undergraduate student. As a Loran Scholar and combined honours student, she studied social anthropology and contemporary studies. She loves to learn and is passionate about accessible education, writing, and youth theatre. Adrianna has a goal to attend a Master of Human Rights programme and apply her education to the NGO sector. Moreover, one day she hopes to start a not-for-profit youth- based theatre company to promote financial accessibility in the arts.

Adrianna worked with Special Olympics International and conducted research on how athletes with an intellectual disability and their families (partners, siblings, other family members) have been able to maintain their health and wellbeing together during COVID-19 when in-person programming was paused.

Community Engagement Initiative: Adrianna co-organized a summer initiative for interested athletes and their families. They were asked to learn and play a new lawn game together during July. Athletes and family members practiced their games between July 1st -July 25th. To help foster motivation, they were also asked to film their first and last turn playing their lawn game. To recreate the pride and self-esteem that accompanies in-person events, Adrianna used these clips to create the Athletes at Home Live Showcase. The showcase premiered on July 31st and was an opportunity for athletes to show off their new skills to their families and friends. In total, seven participants completed the challenge in full and were featured. Read the report: The Athletes at Home Challenge.

Final Report: Social Connectedness, Self-Determination & Health at Home: An Examination of Special Olympics Athletes and Their Families’ Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic

As a vital health resource to individuals with an Intellectual disability, the loss of in-person Special Olympics programming due to the COVID-19 pandemic was felt throughout the Special Olympics community. In response to this loss, Special Olympics International (SOI) launched a series of online resources for athletes and their families. This study conducted open-ended interviews with five athletes and five parents to assess online resources and gain insight into the way that household dynamics can positively and negatively influence an athlete’s health journey. This report draws conclusions on the needs of athletes and their families in the home, and during the return to in-person play. Moreover, it lays out recommendations for how SOI can support athletes off the field. Adrianna also created an infographic to accompany this report. You can view it here: Self-Determination, Social Connectedness & Health at Home

Keywords: Special Olympics, COVID-19, athletes, intellectual disabilities, disability rights, pandemic adaptations.