Dialogues for Diversity Series 2 -  October 25

The Dialogues for Diversity series presents: “But where are you REALLY from?” an exploration in to unconscious bias and microagressions.

Join us on October 25 from 5.30-8.00 pm in City Hall Council Chambers for an insightful conversation with a snack bar, facilitated by Professional Certified Coach, Nicole Owen, with Guest Speakers and Diversity and Inclusion Experts, Cynthia Okafor and Jeny Matthews- Thusoo, and featuring a special guest performance by Mel Vee.

The content of the free workshop would best serve ages 14+  

For more information visit the following links:

CNN.com - Where are you really from? article and VIDEO

Special Guests

Jeny Mathews-Thusoo has worked in social change and public policy for over 19 years with a vision that
the future of cities belongs to those who believe in the power of dreams. 

She advances this vision in her current role by focussing on how government and other institutions can better trust equity-seeking communities. She doesn’t do this work alone. Together with equity-seeking communities and multiple institutions, they built the Inclusive Futures pillar for the Resilient Calgary strategy using futures-thinking and systems change approaches. 

Jeny is also a sessional instructor in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary teaching social policy and social justice in hopes to inspire future socially responsible policy makers.

Her academic background includes a M.Sc. in Community Health Sciences, B.Ed. in Secondary Science and B.Sc. in Biology. In her spare time, when she is not watching Star Wars and The Flash
with her 2 dynamic daughters and her very patient spouse, Jeny facilitates conversations about racism, internalized racism and what it means to be an ally/accomplice in the field of social change.

Cynthia Okafor is a registered social worker with over 17 years of experience in the social services sector. 

She first began her career within the immigrant sector by coordinating services and programs for vulnerable women and young adults, and later went onto working as a research assistant and facilitator within the area of Diversity and Inclusion. 

In her current position, Cynthia works with non-profit organizations to enhance the social wellbeing of Calgarians by delivering prevention based services. 

She currently holds a Bachelors of Social (B.S.W.) degree from the University of Calgary, and a Master’s
of Social Work (M.S.W.) degree from Carleton University. Cynthia is quite involved with social justice and anti-racism work within the broader Calgary community and works tirelessly to create an environment that acknowledges, embraces and values differences.

Mel Vee (pronouns she/her/they/them) is a queer Black (out)spoken word artist, burlesque performer,
photographer and model who was born and raised in Mohkinstsis, colonially known as Calgary.

Mel Vee is dedicated to empowering marginalized people tell our own stories from our own perspectives. She is communications coordinator and co-founding member of Uproot YYC, Calgary’s premier grassroots collective for Artists of Colour.

Nicole Owen is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and Certified Daring Way™ Facilitator with over 15 years experience in coaching, mentorship and leadership development. 

She has developed the Performer’s Advantage Program designed to build resilience and inner excellence in Performers and Presenters. 

For the last 6 years Nicole has taught the transformative power of courage through vulnerability through Brené Brown’s Daring Greatly and Rising Strong curriculum.

Fall Feast - October 16

The City of Chestermere, in partnership with Rocky View Immigrant Services, the Chestermere Foodbank and the Latinas en Chestermere group invites you to join us for a Fall Feast on October 16th at Camp Chestermere from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.

Bring a dish to share and connect with new and old friends while celebrating our Diverse community.

There will be games, activities and a pumpkin carving competition. Bring your family and friends to share in the Fall Feast!

Dialogues for Diversity Workshop

Join us for the first Dialogues for Diversity workshop on August 9 at the Rec Centre. This workshop takes a deep dive into the exploration of colonization with guest speaker Ryan "Gitz Crazyboy" Derangé

Location- MPP room, Chestermere Rec center

More info- diversity@chestermere.ca

*Please note this is an event for ages 14+ and the subject matter may be triggering

Pride in Chestermere

June was Pride Month & and June 24-30 was Pride Week in Chestermere!
Our Pride Committee worked hard on some really cool community events including a film screening, discussion group and the Pride in the Park event! They also recruited a bunch of volunteers to paint the crosswalks at City Hall with a couple'a rainbows!

Faces of Chestermere

Most often we do not understand what diversity means, or the discriminations that people in our community might be experiencing. Faces of Chestermere aims to bring awareness to Chestermere’s diversity by photographing residents faces, and displaying those photographs with statistics throughout the City. 

Photo booths will displayed at special events like Canada Day and Water Festival. We invite residents to join together in publicly proclaiming their personal choices, characteristics, or beliefs and showcase that differences are not to be feared.

Conversation Café: Engaging women in municipal politics

Dec. 2 at 5: 30 p.m. in Council Chambers

Save the date!

The City's Diversity and Inclusion Team will be hosting a Conversation Cafe on Dec. 2 to help reduce barriers and engage women in our community to participate in municipal politics.

Stay tuned for details and some special guest announcements!