Our Facilitators

Alexander Waddling

Alexander Waddling is a grassroots organizer engaging young men and boys on gender equality issues. In 2012 he established Ride For A Dream, an organization that has facilitated various forms of fundraising, educational, and awareness-raising events that address gender inequality in Canada through an intersectional lens. The largest campaign they conducted was an educational speaking tour by bicycle from coast to coast, over 8,400 kilometres, while fundraising for local shelters for women escaping violence. He is also involved in municipal politics, having managed a mayoral campaign, engaged in cycling advocacy, and peer mentorship. More recently he co-organized a project called the 'Meatless Manifesto' to educate on factory farming and its ecological impact, animal rights, and the sexual politics of eating meat, with the intent of engaging men in particular.

Angélique Bernabé

Angelique is always enthusiastic about taking action and leading change. She focuses her PhD research on the analysis of women’s economic behaviour ranging from studying the education gap in India to shedding light on the interdependence of economic incentives and violence against women. She is not only a leader on campus but also a leader outside the university through her work for the Institute for Change Leaders, a not-for-profit organisation that partners with local NGOs to lead community organizing training and make people’s voices heard. Angelique understands the importance of belonging and she shares that by being a champion for inclusivity and community building.

Dawn Maracle

Dawn T Maracle, BAH, BEd., MEd.

Indigenous Research Consultant, Trainer, Instructor, Emcee, Facilitator

An award-winning diversity organizer, professional speaker and lifelong activist, Dawn T Maracle is a Mohawk woman from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory who sits with the Bear Clan. She has consulted with Indigenous communities, organizations, regions, nationally and internationally to facilitate, teach, write curriculum, policy, strategy and communications, to support individuals and groups with Indigenous and interfaith issues. With over two decades of experience working to promote Indigenous health, education, and governance, Dawn is a KAIROS Blanket Exercise Facilitator, Corporate and Master Trainer, and has experience in strategic planning, project management, and educational program development and evaluation. Dawn is the CEO of SKYroots Indigenous Training and Education Institute, as well as the Executive Director of HOPES: Healing Our Peoples through Education and Social (Justice) Indigenous Training Network (not-for-profit).

Dawn’s experience as a Mohawk woman working for decades within and for various Indigenous communities means she has extensive, deep relationships with those communities in Ontario and nationally, as well as internationally. She has worked from grassroots, volunteer positions on many Indigenous Boards of Directors, as well as in national leadership positions such as the Director of Professional Development at the National Centre for First Nations Governance, and the National Chair for the AFN-INAC Post Secondary Education Working Group, as well as on the UNESCO Arts and Education Roundtable.

To request a blanket exercise, email [email protected] Skennen. In peace.

Amah Harris

Amah Harris B.A., B.Ed, M.Ed

Producer, artistic director, playwright, actress, facilitator, educator, Amah Harris is known as an award winning cultural and social activist. Her work promotes positive imaging of Caribbean and African Peoples towards the Harmonious co-existence of Peoples. Hamilton Spectator: “Amah is a pioneer in the field of Black Theatre in Canada” – quote by Evelyn Myrie, then Co-Chair of The John Holland Awards, one of a list of awards won by Amah Harris. Documented in the book, 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women (2018), she is an innovator in education and theatre, who has been integrating elements of both disciplines to yield the most productive results from those with whom she works, ranging from professional performers to school students. Amah’s productions and experiential workshops have been experienced by literally hundreds of thousands across Canada, the U.S., Caribbean and as far south as South Africa.

Amanda Harvey-Sanchez

Amanda grew up hearing about climate change from her parents. She has been involved in environmental initiatives from a young age, but it wasn’t until joining her campus fossil fuel divestment campaign in 2014 that she learned to approach climate activism from a social justice perspective. Working on divestment, she has had the opportunity to engage with related social issues including Indigenous rights, anti-racism, and feminist activism. She came to Project Organize hoping to improve her skills and connect with the broader activist community; now, as a facilitator with the group, she coaches organizers in the skills they need to enact progressive change.

Duncan Pike

Duncan Pike is an activist, campaigner, and social movement trainer with a passion for supporting people who are organizing for a more just, fair, and equitable society. Duncan has trained hundreds of new activists and union members on organizing and campaign strategy and tactics. As a campaigner with Canadian Journalists for Free Expression, Duncan led the successful campaign to pass Canada’s first ‘press shield’ law to protect journalists’ sources. A survivor of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Duncan organizes with other adolescent and young adult cancer survivors to fight for increased resources for AYA cancer care.

Erin Filby

Erin Filby is an Early Childhood Educator who found her role and calling in Community Organizing through the Institute for Change Leaders.

For the last 3 years Erin has worked with the Association of Early Childhood Educators of Ontario (AECEO) as a Community Organizer.

In her role at the AECEO Erin is tasked with supporting Early Childhood Educators to build supportive communities for themselves where they can find and offer a sense of belonging, agency, and hope.

Erin believes that Educators possess the skills and strengths needed to co-create communities that centre radical care, and that supportive relationships are the best foundations for advocacy and action.

Amrit Parhar

Amrit Parhar is a passionate advocate for social justice and community empowerment. Amrit previously served in many roles at ICL since 2018, including as the Acting Executive Director when ICL’s Founder Olivia Chow ran for the Mayoralty election. Amrit continued in this role after Mayor Chow stepped into office. She later took on the role of Director of Programs where she played a pivotal role in shaping and delivering impactful training programs that have empowered thousands of change-makers across diverse communities. Her work focused on fostering leadership, equity, and collective action, with an unwavering commitment to accessibility and inclusivity.

With a strong background in adult education, program design, and community engagement, Amrit has dedicated their career to creating spaces where people can come together to organize, advocate, and lead. Her leadership has been instrumental in expanding ICL's reach and ensuring its mission to build a more just and equitable society.

Amrit’s dedication to fostering hope and leadership continues to inspire students, activists, and community leaders alike. Through her work at ICL, they remain a tireless advocate for the power of education and collective action to transform lives and communities. Amrit continues her work at City Hall, continuing to organize and make a difference in local politics.

Ben Donato-Woodger

Ben started organizing in 2006 after doing a project on climate change in school and feeling shocked by the magnitude of the problem. Ben enrolled in Marshall Ganz's class People, Power, and Change in his fourth year, while simultaneously obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in Social Anthropology. He then brought back his knowledge of organizing to train organizers in the queer, climate, and progressive movements in Toronto and Etobicoke. He is a bit of a dog person.

Graeme Lamb

Graeme is an organizer based in Toronto, where he's been an active leader within campaigns advancing queer workers' rights, sexual health, and solidarity with anticolonial struggles. As a member of the Institute for Change Leaders teaching team since 2017, Graeme's passionate about popular education that equips us to build power, and win.

Brian Chang

Brian Chang is a grassroots organizer and social justice activist, who centers lived experience at the heart of his work. He has been active in several progessive political campaigns in Canada, including as Finance Officer and Volunteer Coordinator for Jennifer Keesmaat's 2018 Toronto mayoral campaign, Director of Operations for Jagmeet Singh’s successful 2017 federal NDP leadership campaign, Chief Financial Officer for Felicia Samuel’s 2019 federal campaign for Scarborough North, and within Andrea Horwath's 2018 provincial election tour team. Brian himself has run for elected office as a candidate in Toronto Centre in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections, as well as the 2020 by-election in the riding.

A graduate of the University of Toronto (BA) and York University (MA), he is most at home in academic discourse or talking in baby-voice to cute puppies. Brian specializes in suburban organizing, as well as racialized and queer engagement. He has frequently been involved in processes surrounding environmental policy, and has been active in raising awareness of resources for HIV/AIDS & STI/STD prevention. He often finds himself performing with choral music groups and within musical theatre.

Lyndsay Macdonald

Lyndsay Macdonald is a passionate early childhood educator (ECE) and a full-time professor at Humber College. Mentored by some of Canada's most notable child care advocates, Lyndsay has a deep commitment to a vision of universal, affordable, childcare and professional pay for all early childhood educators. In her spare time, Lyndsay is obsessed with her dog Murray.

Lisa Johnston

Lisa is a passionate Registered Early Childhood Educator (RECE) and activist. She has been working in early childhood since 2000. She is the team lead for the Early Years Professionals RISE UP T.O. Community of Practice that is championing Early Childhood Educators to fight for Decent Work and Professional Pay in Toronto. She is currently completing her MA in Early Childhood Studies at Ryerson.

Melanie Matthews

Melanie is a registered social worker who holds an Honours Bachelor of Social Work and a Master of Social Work and brings a wealth of experience from her 13 years of working with non-profit organizations. She works as a psychotherapist with her small private practice and as a researcher interested in mental health and addictions. Melanie first became involved with ICL by taking a Building Skills for Change workshop in April 2019. With her passion for community engagement and commitment to striving for social justice, Melanie found a home working with ICL. She strives to meaningfully engage with ICL Alumni and facilitate continued relevant participation in ICL activities.

Monica Tonlé

Monica first got involved with ICL through their Black Youth Leadership program. Growing from student to facilitator to event organizer, Monica has always been involved in fighting for a better world. She does it in her neighbourhood as a member of the executive youth organizing board or in her cultural community as Vice-Chair of the Yemba NCR youth faction. If you don’t find her working, reading a book or painting, you're probably not looking at the right place.

Sabrina Bowman

Sabrina has spent the past decade working in the not for profit sector on the environment, politics, and international health. She trained with organizer Marshall Ganz at Harvard in his Leadership, Organizing and Change course, and has facilitated several sessions training organizers working on a variety of progressive issues. Sabrina co-organized the 2014 Canroots East conference in Toronto, bringing over 150 people together to learn about different approaches to organizing, and is co-organizing Canroots East 2016. She volunteers at a do it yourself bike shop and loves teaching people how to fix a flat tire.

Susan Kwong

Susan Kwong knows that communities are stronger when people come together. From collaborating with diverse stakeholders to facilitate lasting success, to working one-on-one with newcomers and marginalized individuals, she is dedicated to helping build Toronto’s communities. During her eight-year tenure with former City Councillor and Member of Parliament Olivia Chow, Susan helped organize the National Public Transit Strategy; the Children’s Health and Nutrition Initiative; and mandatory side guards on trucks campaign. Throughout Susan’s organizing career, she demonstrated an ability and passion to build partnerships, develop leaders, and take action for social change - whether with fellow organizers to work for social justice, voters to act on their values at the voting booth or standing in solidarity for worker rights and economic justice. With her legendary enthusiasm, Susan has been instrumental in building networks of dedicated volunteers to collaborate with many community development and outreach activities and political campaigns. Susan has a Masters in Social Work, a B.A. (Hons.) in Economics and Labour Studies and a B.A. (Hons.) in Social Work. Susan Kwong currently works at Social Planning Toronto. In her free time, Susan and her camera can be found capturing the beauty of the Canadian outdoors or 36,000 feet in the air, on her way to a new adventure.

Robb Johannes

Robb Johannes works in program and policy development with Fred Victor in Toronto; co-chairs the St. James Town Service Providers' Network (SJTSPN); sits on the Boards of Directors for the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH) and Working for Change, Executive Committee of Health Promotions Ontario (HPO), advisory councils for the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention (CASP), and Toronto Police’s Race-Based Data Strategy; and is an Adjunct Professor at both the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto and York University’s School of Social Work. He was Executive Director of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU), who spearheaded the opening of North America’s first supervised injection facility and worked on successful Supreme Court challenges affirming harm reduction practices, the safety of marginalized women in sex work, and the right of individuals without fixed addresses to vote in federal, provincial, and municipal elections. He coordinated Justice Studies at the Native Education Centre (NEC), Canada’s longest-running Indigenous post-secondary institution, and taught in the School of Criminology and Department of Women’s Studies at Simon Fraser University, where he earned his Master’s Degree. For eight years, he coordinated the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP), a restorative justice initiative in federal prisons. Sometimes referred to as "Toronto Bono" (as he for over ten years has been lead vocalist of the acclaimed rock band Paint and has a new musical project, “a question of when,” in development), Robb works with Bono's ONE campaign on women's rights and ending extreme poverty internationally.

Sandra Whiting

Sandra Whiting has been at the epicentre of activity and change in Toronto’s African Canadian community for over thirty years. She has worked with among others: The Black Business & Professional Association, the Jamaican Canadian Association, The YWCA, Factory Theatre, Obsidian Theatre, The Caribbean Cultural Committee; The Convention Centre; the Broadcast Standards Council and many more organizations as President, Board member and volunteer and is now the President for PACE Canada.

She was awarded the Harry Jerome Award for Community Leadership, has received the JCA Award, Pace Canada Pacesetter Award; Community Service awards from the JCA & JN & the Gleaner Company and was featured on the Black History Month Legacy poster as well as being named as one of the 100 ABC Women (Accomplished Black Canadian Women of 2016).
She also has her name on a Bench of prominent African Canadian at Harbourfront Centre for her work in the Cultural arts sector.

As a writer and storyteller, Sandra uses the arts as a vehicle for change.

Sandra now concentrates on being a speaker using personal stories as her means of delivering her message.

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