I am passionate about issues that affect equity and opportunity for youth, especially in sports, arts, and education. My ideal democracy is one where the people most impacted by decisions have a real seat at the table, shaping the policies that affect their lives. It’s a democracy where youth, racialized communities, and marginalized groups have equal influence and access to power not just during election cycles, but throughout every stage of decision-making. I believe stories change policy, and I want to help shift how communities like mine are seen from places of struggle to places of strength and leadership. 

ISATU’S EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING FOCUSED ON COMMUNITY ORGANIZING AND COLLABORATION WITH LOCAL MP EFFORTS

• Reached out to Toronto youth cabinet and applied for several grants and programs, including her local MP office, attending affordable transit event for a new LRT line and MP Anthony Perruzza
• Assisted with a toy drive through MP Anthony Perruzza’s office, developing her own outline for an Eid & Ramadan toy drive, along with an outreach plan for collaboration
• Accepted a spot in the Youth For Resilient Communities program

I felt compelled to apply to BUILD as a socially conscious person who spends a lot of time theorizing and debating issues yet falls behind on actually trying to implement changes. I feel as though a very large amount of people I speak with don’t relate to the government or feel as though it’s representing their ideals or interests. Many don’t even feel compelled to do anything about it. I’m still hopeful that we could bridge that gap between the people and the government meant to serve them.

NIA’S EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING FOCUSED ON TRANSIT & COMMUNITY ADVOCACY

• Learned new research and organizing skills through collecting municipal election resources and rallying friends for voter turnout, plus volunteering with a toy drive 
• Attended meetings around transit and community advocacy with local organizations like Beyond Fares, Justice Climatique, SHIFT, DESTA, and Climate Justice MTL, where she joined as a member and learned to flyer
• Will continue her work by accepting an ongoing internship with African Canadian Development and Prevention Network for social services for English speaking Black Montrealers

​​I am passionate about gender equality and creating equitable opportunities for women and girls. While I bring strong motivation and lived experience, I am still looking for ways to confidently navigate new systems and contexts in civic and political spaces. My ideal democracy is one where all people feel a sense of belonging and have meaningful opportunities to influence the decisions that affect their lives. It is not about consensus or majority rule, but about making room for all voices, especially those that are often unheard. 

SHAHLA’S EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING FOCUSED ON GENDER EQUITY THROUGH MENTAL HEALTH & EDUCATION

• Reached out to many organizations focusing on women’s rights, creating a project plan for a campaign on digital literacy and healthy masculinity, attending a UBC networking event
• Developed a survey structure to collect data for her project, connecting with NextGen Men
• Connected with White Ribbon CA in hopes of collaborating, and will apply to FORA’s Global Impact Fund

As a South Asian 20-something, I feel unrepresented in the political landscape and I've been curious to see how I can get involved to create that space. As the future becomes more uncertain, I feel it's more important now than ever for youth (including me) to have a voice in it and I want to learn the tools to make it happen. An ideal democracy for me would be having the option to choose candidates with platforms that make meaningful change in my life and the future.

ZAHRA’S EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING FOCUSED ON SUSTAINABLE HOUSING & TENANT ORGANIZING

• Researched climate and housing organizations and local policy makers, learning her municipal landscape and crafting a calendar of events to attend
• Attended educational forums by Toronto climate, tenant, and civic education organizations like Uptown Climate Future, Toronto Climate Action Network, Shake Up The Establishment, and a library workshop on environmental writing
• Trained on how to table, doorknock, and assist with deputation writing & will continue working with Empowered Tenants on tenant surveys

I am interested in the BUILD program because it presents a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience in civic engagement and connect with like-minded peers. I think overall, there is widespread citizen distrust in government institutions, including negative associations with those who work in public service or engage in politics. As a result, many are disillusioned about democracy, as young people especially think, "Why bother, I can’t make a change anyway". My ideal democracy would be one where civic engagement is the norm, especially amongst youth. 

SOL’S EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING FOCUSED ON YOUTH ENGAGEMENT & CLIMATE ACTION

• Helped host events through connections to existing community organizations, including a climate trivia night, cardboard hackathon, and crafts advocating for climate initiative awareness 
• Researched local decision makers, attended a City Council meeting and Green Party event, and joined Mike Morrice’s campaign as a volunteer
• They will continue their work by participating in the Youth For Resilient Communities program, organizing a Socratica retreat, speaking at Waterloo University with a climate professor, and applying for a Parliamentary internship

Honestly, I’ve always felt like politics is this huge, confusing maze that’s meant to intimidate people, especially young people which comes at the cost of youth being disengaged from issues that affect them! I want to turn my energy and ideas into action that actually moves the needle, whether that’s at a regional level, or national, or beyond. I want to be able to take back actionable strategies I learn in this program and help encourage folks in my life to advocate for themselves and their rights!

SHREYA’S EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING FOCUSED ON POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT & POLICY-MAKING FOR YOUTH

• Applied for grants to fund youth engagement programming plans, and completed an event plan for youth engagement to send to MPs
• Wrote and presented a speech to the Senate for child poverty, met with leaders in the political space, and created social media content on political engagement, building a potential volunteer base
• Applied to various youth council, advocate, and delegate programs, and will continue her work by accepting spots in the Starfish CA 25 Under 25 program, six month Waterlution environmentalist program, and the Global Landscapes Forum as a Social Media Ambassador

After reaching the early stage of adulthood, I've begun to take my first steps in understanding politics and its impact on our communities. The problem that I face now is, "How do I use my knowledge to nudge our world to a better future?" I have protested, attended political events, spread information to friends and family—but if I don't know the structure of our civic systems, how do I ensure that my efforts actually make change, and not simply a symbolic gesture?

LUKE’S EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING FOCUSED ON LOCAL ENVIRONMENTALISM & GOVERNANCE

• Attended and planned events as UBC Greens Club leader, hosting Emily Leowen and meeting Elizabeth May
• Spoke for city council on youth voting rights, and presented at a sustainability group networking event, joining Climate Justice UBC to help reform an open letter around fossil fuel money research
• Plans to canvas for a campaign for city council, and assist in Avi Lewis’s NDP campaign

I believe that schools can and should be places to learn about and practice democracy. I would love to tell my students about the change I helped make in my community and then use my experience and skills to empower them to make change too. As well, seeing recent changes taking place south of the border has shown me that the details and systems of democracy need to be well known by many, not just those who hold political positions.

THOMAS’S EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING FOCUSED ON TRANS RIGHTS AND EDUCATION ADVOCACY

• Researched and reached out to various organizations for education and local bike advocacy, including a provincial teacher’s union division 
• Attended a local labor council workshop for policy education and Organizing Training for mobilization
• Accepted a teaching position and joined union and youth political action committee efforts

I want to engage more in politics and social justice issues but I lack a solid grasp of how the landscape of government in Canada works and interacts with other organizations. I want to use my career to tell stories that matter and move society forward in a progressive, equitable and fair way. I'm also a big environmentalist and want to show people that how we treat the earth effects us/everything, and I want to show people how everything is political. 

TALIA’S EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING FOCUSED ON RESEARCH & COLLABORATION WITH ENVIRONMENTALIST ORGANIZATIONS

• Researched and connected with various climate groups, creating a shareable database of localized or national organizations, like the Youth Climate Corps or Toronto Climate Action Network
• Focused on marrying art and advocacy by meeting with colleagues in her field, and attending climate focused networking events like the National Building Decarbonization Forum and Sustainable Reproduction Forum
• Applied and was accepted to an ongoing climate focused program by Waterlution

WHY RISE?

To take ACTION! :)