Executive Committee
2011–2012 Excomm
Excomm's mandate
Excomm's responsibilities
Past Excomm
Members! Endless Gratitude to the 2010-2011 Excomm members - thank you for your service! Please help us welcome the 2011-2012 Excomm!
The 2011–2012 SYC Executive Committee:
Ariel Charney - Toronto, ON
Ariel was the Chairperson of the Dawson Student Union where she spearheaded a campaign to
end the sale of bottled water at Dawson College. Together with the student body she lobbied the administration and successfully had them agree to ban the sale of bottled water. Among many inspiring Canadian youth, Ariel attended Power Shift Canada ’09 to demand equitable and scientifically based climate negotiations at COP15. She became part of a progressive, direct action group called Climate Justice Montreal, which led protests and informational camps to spread awareness of the tar sands, aboriginal rights and the Enbridge Trailbreaker Project. Working at the grassroots also prompted her to meet with community leaders in Northern India to create an annual cross-cultural trip for Dawson students. An avid researcher, Ariel has conducted stem cell research during internships at the Weizmann Institute and USC. With a passion for science and social justice, Ariel continues to be involved in the climate movement both in her community and on campus.
Joanna MacDonald – Victoria, BC (until end of August) and Guelph, ON (starting in September)
Originally from the small, Southwestern Ontario town of Stratford, Joanna is a third-year Environmental Science student majoring in Environmental Geography at the University of Guelph. Never one to miss out on an adventure she has always been involved in a wide array of activities. Currently she is a member of several environmental groups on campus including the Energy Conservation Working Group, Guelph Students for Environmental Change, and the Environmental Science Student Executive. One of her biggest projects at the moment is with Tap In!, a group on campus that is working to phase out bottled water. In her recent experience with the Canadian Youth Delegation to the United Nations Climate Change conference in Copenhagen Joanna found a passion for activism and has become an active member of the Canadian climate youth movement. Her other passions include yoga, swimming, and reading a good book!
Farhana Sidiquee – Montreal, QC
Farhana has a great interest for volunteer initiatives, to inspire youth with empowerment and community engagement, leadership and environmental issues and all that surrounds it. Throughout the last years, she has been an active environmentalist. Her concept is not always about 'Saving the Planet' but '(Re)Educating the Humans'. As past President of the Green Earth Environmental club at Dawson College, she created, promoted, encouraged and fostered any interest in environmental awareness and sustainability initiatives within, as well of outside the community. She also worked in conjunction with Sustainable Dawson, the college's environmental organization, to improve student awareness of environmental issues. She prepared workshops and small speeches in classes to promote a more sustainable living. Farhana is currently working on an awareness campaign for her residential area into efficient recycling.
Katherine Wagner - Montreal, QC
Katherine’s love of nature was born during her childhood, which was spent frolicking in the lake
with the frogs, and nurtured during her travels with her family to Canada’s many national parks. Upon her entrance to high school, she became president of the Earth Club, implementing various greening initiatives within Trafalgar School for Girls. In her graduating year, she represented Canada at the annual World School Forum in Italy where she spent two weeks debating and discussing the topic of Food and Safety. Katherine then spent the summer of 2010 at Université Laval participating in the Shad Valley International program, the focus of which is sustainable development in today’s business world. The month culminated with the presentation of the design for a biofilter that functions to remove trace pharmaceutical residues from water. Having graduated from the Arts and Sciences program at Marianopolis College with the highest grades of all Science students, Katherine will soon undertake a Joint Honours Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Accounting with a Minor in Environment at McGill University in Montreal. In her spare time, Katherine enjoys reading fantasy, dancing ballet, and concocting avocado ice cream.
David Biggar - Toronto, ON
Since September of 2010, David has been working with the Ontario Sustainable
Energy Association (OSEA) in Toronto. At OSEA, he is a part of the Community Power Services Group, a consulting team that provides essential services to help build capacity in communities – aboriginal and non-aboriginal – to develop their own renewable energy projects and engage in community energy planning. Previous to OSEA, David worked for Gilead Power, a private wind energy development company in central Ontario. Here, accomplishments included the development of the company’s sustainability plan and its public consultation and community engagement plan. David’s passion lies not just in a sustainable energy future, but further in the economic, social, and environmental opportunities that renewable energy presents for local citizens and communities to become empowered. David graduated in the spring of 2010 with a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McGill University with concentrations in Finance, Strategy –‘The Social Context of Business,’ and a minor in Philosophy. He was VP Strategy for Shaping Tomorrow’s Organizational Practices (STOP), an undergraduate business club focusing on sustainability & corporate social responsibility, in 2009-2010 and a participant in the inaugural IMPACT! The Co-operators Youth National Conference for Sustainability Leadership in the fall of 2009.
Megan Poss – Montreal, QC
Megan has recently graduated from McGill University with a Bachelor of Commerce, and as a student was actively involved in leading and coordinating numerous environmental initiatives. She was Co-Chair for the nationally attended Desautels Business Conference on Sustainability, and was President of the undergraduate group ‘Shaping Tomorrow’s Organizational Practices’. Additionally, she worked with McGill’s SSMU Environment Committee on various events, internal policy documents, and communication strategies. Her particular passion lies in addressing issues of sustainable development and the role that today’s youth leaders will have on tomorrow’s economic landscape. She sees great potential for SYC student members to go on to be the next business, NGO, and political leaders our planet desperately needs. Originally from Waterloo, Ontario, she is currently based out of Montréal working for an organization which provides a platform for youth to pursue social entrepreneurial actions. In her spare time she loves hiking, trail-running, cooking up vegan dishes, and seeking out urban green spaces.
Ellen Dashwood - Vancouver B.C.
Ellen grew up in Victoria and thanks to regular family camping trips and garden work-bees from
a young age, she learned to love the natural environment. She studied Nursing in Edmonton where she became inspired and motivated to adopt more sustainable lifestyle changes and to work with the Environmental Coordinating Office of the Students (ECOS). There she discovered the Sierra Youth Coalition and was amazed with the coalition’s work, community, and philosophy after attending the Annual Sustainable Campus’ Conference in London, Ontario. Through Nursing, she became interested in the connections between the environment and health, and is now working on a Masters in Public Health (Environmental Health) at Simon Fraser University. She enjoys cycling, cooking, community gardening, and camping in her spare time.
Susan Kim - Seoul, Korea
Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Susan is a recent Queen’s University graduate having
spent four years studying Environmental Biology. During her time at Queen’s, she was exposed to the world of environmental and social activism and it was love at first peaceful protest. Since then, she has gone on to involve herself with the youth sustainability movement in Canada as the 2010 National Sustainable Campuses Conference Coordinator with the SYC. Some of her other activities have included acting as the Events Coordinator for theQueen’s Commerce and Engineering Environmental Conference, co-organizing the Queen’s University vote mob, co-organizing the OttawaNational Day of Action for Electoral Reform rally, and working with a great seed group for Power Shift Canada 2012 following a recent escapade to Power Shift 2011 in Washington DC. In her spare time, she loves to play with Marco (her adopted pet hamster), playing the viola, and trying new teas.
Michelle Gagnon-Creeley - Ottawa, ON
her studies this September. She is a recent Dawson College graduate from the North-South Studies program, where she traveled and lived in the northern community of Cincos Pinos, Nicaragua for a month in order to observe and experience a life in poverty. She is enrolled at the University of Ottawa in Conflict Studies and Human Rights. Michelle is a passionate environmentalist. As a past President of her CEGEP environmental club, she and her fellow members hosted and organized Clothing Swaps, Vegan Bake Sales and awareness days. She was also a student ambassador of Sustainable Dawson and helped in their many awareness programs and has assisted with planting for the 20, 000 square-foot Peace Garden. She is also one of 165 students across Canada that was selected for the second installment of 'Impact! Youth Conference for Sustainability Leadership 2011' taking place at the University of Guelph this September. Michelle enjoys yoga, running and traveling.Megan Stewart - Ottawa ON
Megan just completed her last year at Woodroffe high school. While at Woodroffe she met a very special teacher who showed her how important it is to respect our planet. Since then she helped organize bottled water free day, and was a key member of the WHS environmental club. She also went on an eco/sustainability trip to Costa Rica with Mother Teresa and St.Paul high schools; they went with Rios Tropicales to learn about sustainability, and bring back their knowledge to Canada. Megan completed a co-op placement at SYC from February to June this year. She loves working with other youth towards sustainability and a better planet for generations to come. In her spare time she loves to be outside, listen to music, and experience as much as possible while she’s here! Megan is one of our 18 and under ExComm members.
What is the Excomm’s mandate?
The Executive Committee (affectionately known as the Excomm) is SYC’s official decision-making committee. Composed of ten enthusiastic youth from across the country (two are under 18, and the rest are under 30), the Excomm is responsible for shaping SYC’s direction, organizational governance and supporting the staff team.
What are the Excomm’s responsibilities?
Excommers have all sorts of exciting roles and responsibilities. As SYC leaders, they work on:
- strategic planning
- finances
- budgeting
- fundraising
- self-governance and evaluation.
Excomm members can also be responsible for:
- funder relations (if needed)
- representing SYC to Member of Parliaments in their region
- supporting the Sustainable Campuses Regional Action Committee of their region
Thanks to all of our past executive members!
2010-2011
Joanna Macdonald, Adam MacDonald, Megan Poss, Farhana Sidiquee, Ellen Quigley, Louise Viellard, Jessica Magonet, Melissa Love
2009 - 2010
Maryam Adragni, Britney Allen, Brendon Goodmurphy, Maggie Knight, Marc Labelle, Adam MacIsaac, Jessica Magonet, Ellen Quigley, Meagan Wilson
2008 – 2009
Britney Allen, Lara Berliner, Greg Boyle, Joanna Dafoe, Brendon Goodmurphy, Sam Green, Laura Keating, Adam MacIsaac, Josée Madéïa, Megan Wilson
2007 – 2008
Neegann Aaswaakshin, Joanna Dafoe, Elizabeth Fraser, Sam Green, Justin Grenier, Laura Keating, Adam MacIsaac, Josée Madéïa, Nik Parent, Jake Torrie, Angharad Wylie
2006 – 2007
Paul Alderton, Barbara Hayes, Liz McDowell, Tim Murphy, Elissa Smith, Jonas Weselake-George
2005-2006
Dev Aujla, Catherine Boyd, Ed Keeble, Rosanna Nicol, Zani Showler, Amelia Warren
Syndicate
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