While much of the work at the Global Citizenship Center focuses on the inner dimensions of learning, leading and contributing to social change, our work is absolutely envisioned as being necessarily enacted with others. Our framing for this talk builds upon Michelle Obama’s metaphor of the kitchen table (in The Light We Carry) which refers to the relationships we cultivate with people who bring out our best and support us. Having a diverse and trusted table is essential to sustaining social change work.
Invited zoom talk:
Why we need a GLOBAL KITCHEN TABLE
Creating Connections to Support Social Change Work: A Dialogue Between
Joanna Kerr, President & CEO of MakeWay, and Tatiana Fraser, Co-Lead of Systems Sanctuary
Friday, November 17th
10:00-11:00 am EST
Joanna Kerr is President and CEO of MakeWay, a Canadian foundation and charity that builds partnerships to help nature and communities thrive together, with a particular focus on Indigenous-led solutions, climate and culture change, ecological resurgence as well as transforming philanthropy. As a global leader in the sector, Joanna also led for Greenpeace Canada working for Indigenous rights, nature and climate justice around the world. She served as the first female Chief Executive of ActionAid International serving 50 affiliates/ world-wide offices working with the most marginalized communities to tackle inequality. She also led AWID building it into one of the most significant global feminist conveners and influencers. She currently serves as the International board chair of World Animal Protection, after chairing board of the Equality Fund – Canada’s global fund for women - for many years. Recognized as a courageous system-changing leader full of compassion, Joanna has worked throughout her career to break down the silos between climate action and nature, economic justice, feminist leadership, human rights and Indigenous-led transformation.
Tatiana Fraser has spent her career starting up and growing ecosystems and networks for systemic change. She co-founded the Girls Action Foundation, which became a network supporting the empowerment and leadership of girls and young women, scaling it nationally across Canada before stepping away and letting it fly. She was selected as an Ashoka Fellow for her work and recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network. A thought leader, she coined the phrase ‘Scaling Deep’ in juxtaposition to the Silicon Valley-esq frameworks ‘Scaling-up’ and ‘Scaling-out’. This came from her own experience working with feminist groups who were creating significant impact at root level; personal, relational and cultural change. Her work around feminist systems change brings together intersectional feminist practices with the frameworks of systems change and offer a fresh perspective on how systemic change happens by centering lived experience and shifting power.