Press
Please note: this section is currently being worked on. I appreciate your patience as I update this list to reflect a comprehensive history of engagements.
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May 31, 2026 — Textile Museum of Canada & Restance, “Living Systems: Circular Design, Regenerative Materials & Tech Innovation” Panelist
January 31, 2026 — Friends of Global South Asia at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) “How do we sustain our cultural identities as a South Asian diaspora in Toronto?” Curatorial & Artist Tour (Host)
January 31, 2026 — DesignTO x Collective Futures “Assembly : A Holding Space for Culture” Co-Design & Mapping Workshop (Workshop Leader)
January 24, 2026 — DesignTO x Collective Futures “Assembly : A Holding Space for Culture” Opening Reception & Tour (Host)
Dec 12, 2025 — Future Communications 2025 Encoded Worlds, York & TMUon Future Diasporas: Culture, Art, Identity, Space & Toronto’s Unaffordable Urban Landscape (Key themes: City imaginaries, Diaspora and migration, Embodied research, Interdisciplinary methods, Multimedia storytelling, Spatial justice) (Presenter)
November 19, 2025 — Book Club Toronto Podcast. (Guest Author-Creator)
April 23, 2025 — UTSC Working Group: Creative Geographies of Islam and Muslims in Toronto. “Starting Out in the Arts & Culture World: Creative Strategies, Collective Resources & Career Pathways” (Workshop Leader)
April 3, 2025 — ArtBuild Ontario “SPRE 103: Exploring Cultural Land Trusts,” featuring panellists Alycia Shanika & Hannah Fleisher (CCST), Chiyi Tam (Toronto Chinatown Land Trust), Meg Shiffler (Artist Space Trust), and Erika Hennerbury (Senior Cultural Affairs Officer, City of Toronto) [Panelist]
March 2, 2025 — EMILIA-AMALIA, “Open Hearing: Dreaming in Dark Times” (Event Speaker)
January 15, 2025 — ArtsBuild Ontario’s Creative Spaces Mentoring Network (CSMN). Workshop on Creative Spaces with a focus on community cultural spaces and the organizations that keep them running, building generative and supportive systems, and actionable recommendations. (Workshop Leader)
November 2024 — Future Diasporas: Culture, Art, Identity & Space Launch, Community Conversation & Artist Talk (Speaker, Lead Artist-Designer)
March 12, 2024 — Emerging Artists & Designers Community Conversation: Needs, Experiences, & Futures in the Cultural Sector (Workshop Host, Organizer & Lead Facilitator)
August-December 2023 — Engage.Design.Build. with Tuf Lab at John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, & Design (DFALD) & the Toronto District School Board (TDSB): several visual arts, design, & mapping workshops integrated with school curricula to create community-based design projects (co-lead)
August 2023 — Future Diasporas: Culture, Art, Identity, Space & Toronto’s Unaffordable Urban Landscape (MScPl Current Issues Project, Presenter)
Apr 5, 2023 — Disability Justice 101 Workshop | Client: Apathy is Boring Apathy is Boring's RISE program youth cohort (Workshop Leader)
2022 — CP Planning Roadmap for Redevelopment Plans to Confront Systemic Racism Launch Event (Host)
2021 — CityHive, City Shapers Public Space Program (Breakout Knowledge Speaker)
May 14, 2020 — SFU Public Square, SFU Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, & CityHive, Distant, Not Disengaged | The Arts Matter! COVID-19 Reality, Response and Recovery. (Breakout Session Conversation Catalyst)
2020 — ArtLink x Asian Flaneur present: Future Diasporas: Migration, Art + Identity Panel (Host)
2020 — ArtLink presents: Navigating Arts + Culture in the Age of COVID-19 (Co-organizer, Host, Breakout Room Facilitator)
2020 — ArtLink presents: Grant Writing for Arts + Culture (Co-organizer)
March 2020 — Vancouver Plan Consultation: What Future Do You Want for Vancouver? (Facilitator)
June 12, 2019 — Artscape, Make Your Voice Heard on Housing! HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan (Workshop Organizer, Host, Report Writer)
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Assembly at DesignTO : A Holding Space for Culture (DesignTO listing& Eventbrite)
April 10, 2026 - its_a_local Substack Post & Spoken Word Podcast on Assembly: A Holding Space for Culture - ItsOk*
February 13, 2026 — Collective Futures x DesignTO x Folialy, Instagram post
January 22, 2026 — The Grind Mag, “Winter 2026 Event Listings”
January 19, 2026 — OCADU News, “OCAD U community talent on view during DesignTO”
January 15, 2026 — Collective Futures x DesignTO x Folialy, Instagram post
Community & Cultural Spaces Trust
April 23, 2025 — SoCan, “Music for Good: CCST secures first community space acquisition by a cultural land trust in Canada"
Other Projects
May 6, 2022 — UofT News & MyScience News, “Going places: Students work with Toronto Public Space Committee to address city’s lack of public washrooms”
2021 — University of Toronto School of Cities, “Meet Us in the Middle - Weston’s Housing Landscape”
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January 2026 — Assembly at DesignTO A Holding Space for Culture
November 2024 — “Future Diasporas: Culture, Art, Identity & Space”
March 2020 — UBC Campus + Community Planning & UBC Arts and Culture District: International Women’s Day Equal + EMOWERED “Womb Room” Reflection Space Installation (Lead Organizer)
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March 22, 2026 — Issues Magazine Store, Cover to Cover Mini Magazine Conference
March 10, 2026 — It’s Ok Studios, Enfold Ambient Night: A fundraiser dedicated to the harm reduction community
February 2026 — Future Diasporas by Alycia Shanika is featured in Jules Lee’s curatorial selection at Art Metropole
November 2025 — Future Diasporas Glad Day Queer Art Market
Holiday Edition Pop-UpJune 2025 — Collective Futures Taste of Little Italy Pop-up
and many more
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Fall 2024 — Spacing Magazine, State of the Arts in Toronto: Flexible Middle Ground & Displacement, Future Diasporas: Culture, Art, Identity & Space Excerpt, Feature on Hearth.
November 2024 — “Future Diasporas: Culture, Art, Identity & Space”
March 2024 — Cultural Policy Hub at OCAD U, “A Community Conversation with Emerging Artists: Needs, Experiences & Futures in the Cultural Sector”
April 2024 — Cultural Policy Hub at OCAD U, “Report: Cultural Spaces in Practice: Re-thinking Policy & Imagining Future Uses.” Advice from Kelly Whilem & Bridget MacIntosh.
March 2024 — Cultural Policy Hub at OCAD U, “Scene-setter | Cultural Spaces in Practice: Re-thinking Policy & Imagining Future Uses.”Advice from Kelly Whilem.
March 15, 2018 — UBC Sustainability News, “UBC Climate Town Hall”
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April 2026 — UNESCO, The Changemakers Compass: Navigating Passion without Burnout
2024-25 — Cultural Policy Hub, “Precarity & Sustainability: data project”. & “Data Narratives and Organizational Financial Precarity in Canada’s Arts, Culture and Heritage Sector Report.”
July 2024 — Cultural Policy Hub at OCADU, “Report: Policy Roundtable on Generative AI.”
September 2023 — University of Toronto School of Cities and Wavelength Music, “Reimagining Music Venues”
January 2023 — Monumental Projects and Future Skills Centre, “Mapping Racialized Experiences in the Real Estate Development Industry: Moving Towards a More Equitable and Inclusive Future”
October 2022 — Toronto Non-Profit Network, Spatial Justice Strategy
June 2019 — Artscape, Make Your Voice Heard on Housing! HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan
September 2017 — Gehl & City of Vancouver, “Places for People Downtown - Public space and public life study”
CV
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Apr 2026 - Present — Member, Documentary Organization of Canada
Sep 2023 - Feb 2026 — Director, Network Mobilization Lead & Advisory Committee Member, Community & Cultural Spaces Trust
Sep 2024-Jun 2025 — Board Member, Capsules Artist Resource
Sep 2024-Jan 2025 — Leadership Committee Member, ArtsBuild Ontario SPRE for Arts Spaces
Sep 2024-Jan 2025 — Social Purpose Real Estate (SPRE) Reference Group Member, Infrastructure Institute at the School of Cities
Sep-Oct 2023 — Infrastructure Institute, Social Purpose Real Estate Organizational Readiness Program (Community + Cultural Spaces Trust representative)
Mar-Aug 2023 — Leading Social Justice Collective Fellow, School of Cities & United Way
Sep 2020 - May 2021 — Planning Program Review Committee, University of Toronto Department of Geography & Planning
Oct - Nov 2019 — City Shapers Cohort Member, Social Isolation Theme, CityHive
Sep 2017 - Apr 2018 — Student Sustainability Council
Sep 2016 - Apr 2017 — Peer Leader, UBC Sustainability Ambassadors Peer Program
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Jan 2025 - Ongoing — Founder & Co-Lead, Collective Futures
Jan 2024 - Jan 2025 — Policy Advisor, Cultural Policy Hub
Mar 2023 - Jan 2024 — Founder & Co-Lead, Collective Futures
May 2022 - Feb 2023 — Urban Planner, CP Planning
Mar 2022 - July 2022 — Research Assistant, Monumental Projects (via Infrastructure Institute at the School of Cities at U of T)
Sep 2021 - Feb 2022 — Urban Design Researcher, Creative Communities Commons (CCC), School of Cities
Sep 2020 - Aug 2021 — Project Coordinator, 8 80 Cities
Sep 2020 - Aug 2021 — Special Graduate Student Advisor, Department of Geography & Planning, University of Toronto
May - Aug 2019 — Affordable Housing Intern, Artscape (Toronto)
Jan - Apr 2020 — Public Space Animator, UBC Campus + Community Planning
Sep 2017 - Jun 2018 — Sustainability Engagement Assistant, UBC Campus + Community Planning
Apr 2017 - Aug 2017 — Reservations Office, UBC Conferences and Accommodation
Jul 2014 - Aug 2017 — Marketing Coordinator and CEO’s Personal Assistant, AYO Smart Home & AYO Energy Solutions
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Apr - Jul 2015 — Brand Ambassador, Mosaic Sales Solutions
July 2013 - Aug 2014 — Sales Associate, Groupe Dynamite
July 2013 - Aug 2013 — Research Assistant Intern, Cleantech Community Gateway
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2026 — Stories of Places [name in progress] (Collective Futures)
2026 — Cultural Nodes: The Cultural Map (Collective Futures)
2025-26 — Assembly at DesignTO: A Holding Space for Culture (Collective Futures with BookClub Toronto, Daem ArtHouse, ThirdTakePod & More)
2025-2026 — A Governance Framework for Collective Futures (School of Cities & Multidiscriplinary Urban Capstone Students)
2024 — Provincial Cultural Infrastructure Sustainability Strategy Report & Jurisdictional Scan (Cultural Policy Hub, Policy Advisor)
July 2024 — Cultural Infrastructure Resource Guide (Cultural Policy Hub, Policy Advisor)
2023-2026 — Cultural Spaces Mapping (Collective Futures, with support from students Ava Duckworth Pilkington & Maazin Aljahma
2023 — Parkdale Community Planning Study (Parkdale People’s Economy)
2023 — Engage.Design.Build. with Tuf Lab at John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, & Design (DFALD) & the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) (Co-lead experiential learning program)
2023 — Holding Space for Racial Justice: A profile piece of racialized stewards and knowledge holders of community land trusts (CLTs) | Canadian Network of Community Land Trusts (CNCLT) & Interview representatives from
Toronto, ON: Little Jamaica CLT, Chinatown CLT, Vancouver, BC: Hogan's Alley CLT, Nova Scotia: Upper Hammonds Plains CLT, Down the Marsh CLT, Weymouth Falls CLT. (Researcher, Interviewer, Writer)2023 — Banquet Halls & Co-located Cultural Spaces Mapping with Sneha Mandhan (Data analysis, visualization, mapping)
2022 — Roadmap for Redevelopment Plans to Confront Systemic Racism (Roadmap) solution application to the CMHC's Housing Supply Challenge (HSC), CP Planning (Fund Application Editing Support)
2017 / 2018 — Robin Woods Community Development Brochure (Design Lead)
Please note: this section is not fully updated. Please check back soon.
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Direct Teaching / Mentorship:
Jan 2026-present: Maazin Aljahma (Social Entrepreneurship), Project Coordinator, Collective Futures
Sep 2025-May 2026: Multidisciplinary Urban Capstone Project (MUCP), School of Cities at the University of Toronto Governance Framework for Collective Futures
Kalyani Duva (Urban & Environmental Studies)
Mahroo Mansouri (Daniels Architecture)
Liyan Shahin (Daniels Architecture)
Kelly Situ (Rotman Commerce)
May-Aug 2025: Ava Duckworth, University of British Columbia (Urban Studies), Intern with Collective Futures
2024-2025 Outside Reader: Swati Dash, University of Toronto Master of Science in Planning, Temporary and Meanwhile Use of Space: Opportunities and Lessons for Urban Planning
Occassional Teaching / Mentorship:
Sep 2024-May 2025: Multidisciplinary Urban Capstone Project (MUCP), School of Cities at the University of Toronto for Community & Cultural Spaces Trust survey
2023-present: various students, emerging artists/designers, and aspiring urban planners in the OCADU, TMU, UofT and various school communities
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Graduated Nov 2022 — Master of Science in Planning, Concentration in Social Planning & Policy, Urban Design, University of Toronto
Key Courses: Planning for Change: Community Development in Practice; Anti-Colonial Planning; Urban Design Studio; Workshop in Planning Practice; Community Consultation & Urban Design; Planning Decision Methods I & II
Graduated May 2020 — Bachelor of Commerce, Specialization in Real Estate, Minor in Urban Studies; University of British Columbia
Key Courses: Real Estate Development, Government & Business, Innovation Design Studio, Urban Land Economics
Sep - Dec 2018 — Study Abroad at Universiteit Leiden | Leiden, Netherlands
Sustainable Development: Big Issues New Answers, Resilient Cities
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April 23 - May 3, 2026 — Selected Participant, PASS IT FORWARD Initiative, National Film Board of Canada at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival
April 20, 2026 — Invited Participant, Mayor’s Culture Summit, Toronto
Fall 2024 — Invited Participant, advice shared: Creative City Network of Canada in partnership with the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, “Tools for Change: Approaches to Truth & (Re)conciliation and IDEA for Municipal Arts and Cultural Workers”
Nov 24, 2023 — Invited Participant, advice shared: Monumental Projects and the City of Toronto, “The Need for Space” Culture Plan Community Conversation, recommendations compiled into “What We Heard” report
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2026 — DesignTO Awards: Honorable Mention for Assembly : A Holding Space for Culture
2025 — Top 10 Bestseller at Issues Magazine Shop for Future Diasporas
2024 — Featured Contributor in Spacing Magazine Issue 68: State of the Arts in Toronto
2023 — Leading Social Justice Collective Certificate of Competion, School of Cities and United Way
2022 — Edie Yolles Award in Urban Planning (2022) (In honour of Edie Yolles, Director of That’s My Baby, 1984)
2022 — Geography & Planning Research Fellowship
2021 — Peter Walker Planning Scholarship
2021 — Royal Bank Fellowship in Public & Economic Policy
2021 — MSc Planning Professional Master's Bursary
2020 — Planning Master Recruitment Award
2020 — UBC CCEL Chapman & Innovation Grant
2019 — NAIOP Real Estate Challenge Award
2019 — 1st Place, NAIOP Local Case Competition
2018 — UBC Go Global International Learning Award
2014 — Betty Spalton Scholarship