"Commit to the move" expanding social innovation on campus

We like to start off every interview by asking, ‘what does social innovation mean to you?’

I became familiar with social innovation a few years ago when it first started becoming a ‘buzzword’ around Toronto Metropolitan, and honestly, I was a little bit wary of it then because I didn't know what to expect. However, the thing that really hit home for me was any association of social innovation with social justice, and how this was highlighted in Dr. Melanie Panitch’s work at Toronto Metropolitan. Building on that, for me, social innovation is about building either from the ground up or sustaining existing social relationships and social practices that will enhance the goal of social justice. 

Can you tell us a bit more about your personal background and history of working at Toronto Metropolitan?

I started at Toronto Metropolitan in 2006 as an Assistant Professor at the School of Social Work and eventually became a Full Professor. I was also employed as a photographer, so I always had another source of work and creativity that was nourishing my work at the university. Eventually, I decided to go back to university (yes, I know, I was already a professor at a university) - and I thought, ‘what better program than the Documentary Media program at Toronto Metropolitan?’ It was very exciting, cutting edge, and the only documentary media program in Canada. I learned so much, not just in the content, but also in terms of how to teach. From there, I formed long-lasting friendships and work partnerships, and now I will have the honour of being the Graduate Program Director for Documentary Media. That’s just a short snapshot of how I ended up here.

You have recently joined the Office of Social Innovation (OSI) as the Creative Development Lead. Are you able to tell us a bit more about the role and some plans and/or goals you have in starting this new position?

I’m really looking forward to working with Jessica Machado, Jocelyn Courneya, Melanie Panitch, and learning from the team at OSI. Overall, the goal of my work with the office is to see that OSI becomes a household name at Toronto Metropolitan, in terms of the work being seen and engaged with by the Toronto Metropolitan community. I want to expand the engagement of OSI within various faculties at Toronto Metropolitan; there's so much innovative work that's being done right now and we can learn from it and maybe open doors to future collaborations. I'd also love for us to develop that connection with grad students a bit more. They're doing such great work and it would be wonderful to create a space for them to come and think together about some of the issues that require socially innovative thinking. The last major objective would be to work with faculty members doing work in social innovation and see if there is a way to further support and showcase their work. I know OSI’s been doing such amazing work with students and that's so important because sometimes we don't always have space where students’ work can be given the value it deserves and I'd love to see us do the same thing with faculty members.

What sparked your interest in pursuing social innovation and social justice initiatives in your own work?

It was always part of the fabric of how I understood things - to have a social justice perspective.

A few years ago I was in Lebanon doing research and I had to clear some old boxes from my family's apartment, and in doing that I found an old essay I wrote when I was in grade school. And in that essay from grade school, I was already talking about how we can improve and enhance the political system so that we can eradicate poverty. At Toronto Metropolitan specifically, it was when I started hearing and seeing more of what Melanie was doing in her leadership in social innovation that it began to feel more like home to me.

Wow. That is a pretty incredible experience, to get to reflect on something like that from your past.

Exactly, it was pretty illuminating to look back and see that I was thinking about this in grade school. 

Building off of that past work, can you tell us about a current or future project you’ve been working on that you’re excited about? 

Well, funny enough, one of the projects I’ve been working on in more of an artist’s role also links to that essay I mentioned. One of the things I wrote about in that essay was how we can improve the environment. I grew up by the sea and when I’d be walking around the shore I would see all of this plastic and garbage. As a result, I've been working on something called ‘water studies,’ where I've been taking photographs of water. I would process the photos and see these themes starting to emerge, and what I began to see was our impact on the environment and the environment’s impact on us as well. It’s not a relationship that tries to judge or tries to admonish - it is a message of coexistence and it's still developing. Another project I just finished in my sabbatical year has to do with the link between art and social work in pedagogy. One of the things I did was a workshop for community members on how we integrate art into practice and it was fantastic.

What are some ways you’d like to see social innovation and social justice work further embedded into Toronto Metropolitan identity and curriculum?

To start, I think we need to give a nod to Social Justice Week and the work of Kiké Roach and Ken Moffatt, the Jack Layton Chair. They've raised the profile of social justice at Toronto Metropolitan in concrete ways and in sustained ways and I really love that. It would be great to find more ways to collaborate, whether it's with the chairs or with certain offices at Toronto Metropolitan that are also doing amazing, innovative and groundbreaking work. We need to be really vigilant in terms of keeping our commitments strong. We're not going to be reinventing the wheel or playing into a saviour complex. We need to value, respect and acknowledge the work that is being done and see if there are ways that we can continue our own responsibility and commitment towards that.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

The one piece of advice that I find myself saying quite a bit to myself is something I got from my karate training. In karate, especially when you're sparring, you can throw a punch or a kick and feel hesitant because you're scared that you might get hit. The one piece of advice I got from my sensei was to commit to the move. The way I understood this was if you're going to throw a punch, really throw a punch, go forward with intent in what it is you're doing. I say that anytime something difficult or challenging comes up, or anytime I feel hesitant or scared about something. As I'm starting these two new positions, I'm committing to the move. 

What advice would you give to a Toronto Metropolitan community member (student, faculty, staff) that would like to be further involved with social innovation and social justice work on campus?

I'm fortunate to work with students who are focused on social justice and really want to see a change, and the advice I sometimes give them is to find out what's going on and who else is doing this work and see if you can form a collaboration. See if there is a voice for you there, and if you find your voice is not being represented, then you know there is maybe still work to be done.  

As we are getting closer to the start of the fall 2020 semester, be it a very different start than years before, what is something that you are looking forward to?

What this has given us is the opportunity to rethink some of our teaching practices. I think it is so important to use this moment to not think that we're going to do things the same way we've always done them. It's allowing us space for creativity and thinking out of the box. Let's not fear it, let's embrace it; let's commit to it and see how we can make it a different kind of experience and engaging experience for students.