In my leadership development plan I found myself writing a lot about resilience, health and wellness. This is something I’ve had a lot of challenges with over the last six years – wanting to do more, pushing myself to places of deep burnout and illness. I’ve been in a constant pattern of taking on intense work, never quite having total time to recover – and immediately launching into something new. And so, as I begin this next chapter of my career, I am hoping to be deeply intentional about my decisions in regards to wellness, and to be dedicated to the pursuit of personal resilience. Our reading from last week entitled, “Put down the self-help books. Resilience is not a DIY endeavor” by Michael Ungar has offered me some food for thought and resonated with other texts I’ve encountered. Ungar writes about resilience depending more on what we receive than what we have within...

Readings over the past few weeks from CALS 505 have encouraged me to think critically about the power of carrying values throughout our work, especially in navigating large institutions. As Brown notes in Dare to lead: Brave work. Tough conversations. Whole hearts, “If we do not have clarity of values, if we don’t have anywhere else to look or focus, if we don’t have that light up above to remind us why we’re there, the cynics and critics can bring us to our knees” (2018, p.185-186). Within large institutions especially, I have found that the specific culture of the team/department you are on can vastly impact an individual’s perception of values.  In reviewing last week’s materials, I was reminded of a previous situation where I experienced the consequences of a lack of values within an institution. At a previous job, I had worked to try and make our payment processes more...

The spring is birthday season. Most of my close friends have birthdays between March and June, meaning each week I am scrambling to get gifts together and attending birthday parties in crowded restaurants. This year I am particularly unprepared – where did time go? It’s a Thursday afternoon and I am running to buy a few last things. I am already late and forgot to get birthday candles – thankfully Toronto corner stores are notoriously well-stocked. I go to enter the store and I see a sign, “Must be wearing a mask”. I sigh and roll my eyes with frustration, there is no way we are going to be affected by COVID-19 here! It’s so far away…surely things will be under control soon? I grumble and cross the street into another store. Making my way through the narrow aisles, a quiet TV plays in the corner. I am half-listening – scanning the shelves for what I need. My...

“I said the other day that able-bodied people lack the imagination to think inclusively. So we have to challenge ourselves to be more creative with our sustainability solutions” (Wright, 2020) As I move throughout my education in climate action leadership, I am continuously reminded of the responsibility those within climate adaptation spaces have to approach solutions with an equity framework. In my own community there is impressive climate adaptation planning underway, which is reflected in Toronto’s First Resilience Strategy. The report calls for “preparing our most vulnerable residents” for the effects of climate change, adapting in ways that put the “most vulnerable members of our society first, because they are usually affected the most by both shocks and stresses”, confronting “our uncomfortable histories” and “promoting prosperity through new relationships with...

My first audience was the Aylmer Town Council and their Environmental Committee. For this second iteration, I wanted to address the citizens of Aylmer. In developing content for this new audience, I began by researching demographic information about Aylmer. A large portion of the population (61.51%) are ages 15-64, (aylmer.ca). Within this group, a majority of citizens work in the manufacturing industry, and the most common occupations are in trades and transport (aylmer). A majority of people working in Aylmer hold no educational certificate (2045 individuals), or a High School diploma (1790).  My target audience for this new iteration is within this group of citizens, and could range from dismissive to alarmed in regards to climate change. My original audience were presumably alarmed, as the Town Council and Environmental Committee already have public-facing information about...