In this session we learn about strengthening social determinants of civic engagement in order to promote civic leadership for women and gender-diverse peoples.

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Speaker Bio:

AREZOO NAJIBZADEH: Arezoo is a social innovator, communicator, and a curator of powerful conversations and spaces. She is the founder and managing director of Platform, a non-profit organization that builds civic leadership capacity among Black, Indigenous, and racialized young women and gender-diverse youth. Under Arezoo’s leadership, Platform has invested in 1000+ young women and gender-diverse youth’s potential to redefine civic leadership and drive change in their communities. Arezoo works with leaders and civic institutions to identify and address barriers to youth civic engagement and success within grassroots and institutional politics. In 2017, she launched ‘It’s Time,’ a set of survivor-centric, trauma-informed resources for addressing sexual violence in political institutions which has provided training to more than 100 politicians, political staff, and volunteers on creating consent culture and support mechanisms within campaigns and in legislatures.

With an academic background in sociology and political science, Arezoo brings an inter-disciplinary intersectional lens to her work informed by 6 years of experience in politics and nonprofit organizations. As a powerful communicator with a unique intersectional lens, Arezoo regularly contributes to the Hill Times, Canada’s leading politics and government news service.

A trusted advisor on civic engagement and inclusion, Arezoo regularly lends her expertise to organizations seeking to develop meaningful and solution-focused understandings of intersectionality and anti-oppression to advance equity. As a recognized civil society leader and a sought-after speaker she most recently appeared on the World Forum for Democracy and Platform Women Convention. In her free time, Arezoo shares her expertise and insights with women-led and youth-led nonprofit organizations and campaigns as a development and communications consultant.