Congratulations to Don Shafer (GRSJ PhD Candidate) whose decades of work amplifying community voices and building platforms for dialogue is being recognized by Central City Foundation.
Central City Foundation’s “Change Can Happen: Profiles in Community Leadership” campaign highlights individuals who embody the values and practices of community-led change. Don’s long career in Canadian broadcasting, his current academic work, and his commitment to community activism will be celebrated with a profile online and in Vancouver’s most notable publications, the Globe & Mail, BC Business, Maclean’s Magazine, and Business in Vancouver later in the fall.
“Don’s commitment to community activism and volunteer work reflects the kind of hopeful, courageous and connected leadership that helps build a more just and equitable world”
“Don’s commitment to community activism and volunteer work reflects the kind of hopeful, courageous and connected leadership that helps build a more just and equitable world,” says Jennifer Johnstone, President and CEO of Central City Foundation. “His leadership has and will continue to help shape a future rooted in care, compassion and critical engagement which is exactly the kind of leadership we know makes Change Happen.”
Photo by Alastair Bird
“I’m deeply honoured to receive this recognition”, says Shafer. “ It’s incredibly gratifying to see that some of the programs and podcasts I’ve been working on like The Conversation Lab , Everything Podcasts and more recently the Hope Dialogue Series with Central City Foundation which airs on campus and community radio stations across Canada are having an impact.”
“What makes this recognition especially meaningful is how much of it has been shaped by what I’ve learned from Dr. Minelle Mahtani and her mentorship, my committee, our faculty, my cohort, and the privilege of pursuing my PhD with GRSJ.”
It’s both humbling and affirming to realize that this public-facing work is beginning to answer some of my dissertation questions in real time, demonstrating potential applications and contributions to knowledge. As I wrote in my dissertation: “Meaning emerges not in isolation but through lived experiences, dialogue, and reflection shared among participants.”
