Friends on the move

Transformative Justice Program Coordinator Karen Ridd was present at the National Restorative Justice Symposium in Ottawa (CFSC was one of the sponsors), as well as speaking to Ottawa Monthly Meeting together with CFSC’s Government Relations Representative Sandra Wiens. Karen will be presenting to Halifax Meeting (virtually) at the beginning of February.

Karen and Jeremy Vander Hoek, Assistant, CFSC Events and Indigenous Rights, also presented at Christie Gardens—a retirement home in Toronto—on the subjects of restorative justice, transformative justice, and Indigenous Peoples’ human rights.


Communications Coordinator Matt Legge presented via Zoom to West Hill United Church in Scarborough, Ontario on the topic of overcoming destructive conflicts.


Peace Program Coordinator Mel Burns will also be speaking via Zoom to West Hill United Church about bridging social divides. She will also give five conflict transformation and peacebuilding workshops in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, hosted by Saint Stephen’s University and St. Croix Church.


In November CFSC’s Indigenous Rights Program Coordinator Jennifer Preston presented virtually to a class at Concordia University in Montreal. Jenn’s presentation discussed the work of CFSC and others in the creation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act in Canada.

Jenn then went to Aotearoa/New Zealand in December to meet with Indigenous and non-Indigenous activists and academics from the Global Indigenous Rights Research Network. The group gathered to share their expertise regarding implementation of Indigenous Peoples’ human rights in various global contexts. This is part of the Decolonizing Settler States project that CFSC is a community partner on. Gatherings like this one allow experts to share knowledge, relay best practices, and strengthen solidarity.

Jenn Preston (left) in Aotearoa/New Zealand with activists and academics from the Global Indigenous Rights Research Network.

Jenn Preston (left) in Aotearoa/New Zealand with activists and academics from the Global Indigenous Rights Research Network.