Editor:
Brandon Sweet
University Communications
bulletin@uwaterloo.ca
Meet the entrepreneurs and innovators advancing happiness
This article was published in the latest issue of Waterloo Magazine.
From transforming peacebuilding with technology to developing AI-powered tools for mental well-being and championing inclusivity in STEM, meet the Waterloo innovators illuminating new paths to joy.
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Paul Heidebrecht (BASc ’94) is the inaugural director of the Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement at Conrad Grebel University College. The Centre is a collaborative hub for peacebuilding practitioners, researchers, artists and entrepreneurs advancing peace at local and global levels.
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Rastin Rassoli (BCS in progress) co-founded Colorful Zone, a Velocity company that’s developed an AI-powered app to support well-being and stress management for young adults. The Joyi app presents game-like features and bite-sized psychology lessons to cultivate skills for managing everyday stressors.
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Emma Collington (BSc ’19, MSc ’22, PhD in progress) and Samantha Fowler (BSc ’19) advocate for inclusivity in STEM. Together, they launched and lead the project STEM with Disabilities, amplifying the visibility of scientists, engineers and others with disabilities in technology and math.
EDI-R office hosts community events in July
A message from the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism Office.
The Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism office is excited to host two new community events in the month of July, including:
Community Corner for Staff and Faculty from Racialized Communities, Thursday, July 18, 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
The afternoon will offer an excellent opportunity to build connections and foster community while enjoying mocktails, engaging your creativity with mini canvas painting, and indulging on the provided snack boards! Register today.
Afternoon Art Social for Students, Thursday, July 25, 12 noon to 2:00 p.m.
This event has been designed to provide a relaxed atmosphere where students can meet new people and make connections while having fun with art. It’s the perfect opportunity to connect with other students, share ideas, and form lasting connections. All materials will be supplied for regular painting, or to create your own custom tote bag. All you need to bring is your creativity and enthusiasm!
Mapping actionable change
By Natasha Forth. This is an excerpt of an article originally published on the Master of Peace and Conflict Studies website.
On May 27, Fiona Li earned the second-place prize at the Map the System Canada competition in Calgary, Alberta. As the winner of the University of Waterloo’s Map the System campus finals, Fiona’s achievement on the national stage not only brought awareness to the over-representation of Indigenous women in Canadian prisons, but it also highlighted how programs like Peace and Conflict Studies are crucial in furthering education on how to research, understand, and present these critical issues.
Fiona, a Master of Peace and Conflict Studies student at Conrad Grebel University College and the University of Waterloo, first learned about the competition through Paul Heidebrecht, Director of the Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement. This was the sixth year that the Centre has organized UWaterloo's participation in Map the System, with students from all six faculties and years of study participating from undergrad to postdoc. “Paul came to one of our classes and told us about it,” Fiona recalled. She felt that this was a significant opportunity because “using a system thinking approach to map out a complex issue would be a great skill to practice.”
Shortly thereafter, the Centre hosted an event in partnership with GreenHouse at United College where community organizations presented challenges they hoped students could “map out.” When Fiona heard the presentation by Scott Morton Ninomiya, Mennonite Central Committee Ontario’s (MCCO) Indigenous Neighbours Program Coordinator, discussing the challenge of addressing the mass incarceration of Indigenous women in Canada, it immediately caught her attention. She then worked on the project in collaboration with MCCO, a long-term partner of the Centre for Peace Advancement. “I was already interested in promoting restorative justice practices in prisons and the ongoing reconciliation work in Canada. The project put these two topics together,” she said.
Reflecting on the process of her project, Fiona is grateful for the mentorship and support from both Scott at MCCO and Paul at the Centre. In the preparation for the campus finals, Fiona noted, “Partnering with MCCO has allowed me to ground the research in the first-hand experiences of Indigenous organizations and community partners who work closely on the challenge. Despite being a non-Indigenous newcomer, the interviews certainly strengthened my perspectives on the problems and the research.” Upon winning the campus finals, Fiona also benefited from Paul’s support to quickly refine the research for the national finals, including further connections that were instrumental to deepening her research with Indigenous knowledge, and a rehearsal at one of Centre for Peace Advancement’s weekly coffee breaks to get feedback from academics and organizations working there. “I definitely felt much more prepared for the national finals through MCCO and the Centre’s ongoing mentoring, and with Scott and Paul’s support throughout the entire process,” she added.
Read the full article on the Master of Peace and Conflict Studies website.