Many folks like to trash 2022 for the many struggles and difficulties that came with it, but looking back, I had tons of fun! I learned plenty and it makes me even more excited for what's coming next! Whether it was a first time experience for me, or continuing to do something I love, here are 9 Highlights From 2022:

I was so happy to work with 3 North End High Schools and Urban Circle to honour graduates from the past 3 years. This is only the first of what will become an even awesomer and more celebratory annual community event! Thanks to everyone who worked hard to bring it all together in such a short time!

This is a very important topic and touches very close to home for me as many of the young people I work with are this very demographic. Many will know from my public talks that I have had many personal encounters with suicide and that ongoing tragedy is why I work as hard as I do to create hope and change systems. Please read the full report & music video released today from the Manitoba Advocate for Children & Youth.

Check out the culmination of this nearly 2 year innovation research project! I personally want to thank HTFC Winnipeg (Zoe, Adam, Tim) for being our legal entity and all of the youth and families affected by child welfare who informed this road map. There are also nearly 100 organizations to thank, and volunteers from many prototyping groups we are indebted to!

Resiliency is a term used to describe individuals who are tough or have the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties. But the way it is often used in academics and media is so problematic that I share my belief that when we only focus on how strong people are, we ignore the many challenges they should never have had to overcome in the first place!

It’s National Volunteer Week! Justice, time, energy are just 3 of the reasons I volunteer my time in the community to help address mental health, child welfare and systems change! Check out the full article to see all the reasons why I volunteer.

It is a hard thing to do to create a call to action that resonates with what you are trying to accomplish and rouses the community to action. Happy organizing out there and remember: celebrate, celebrate and celebrate!