We are incredibly excited to announce this year’s 6 Degrees Junior Fellows. The number of applicants far exceeded our expectations, with more than 350 from dozens of countries competing for one of 13 spots (quadrupling our total from last year). The process of whittling down hundreds of outstanding applications was both difficult and inspiring. It is clear there is an untapped need for greater inclusion worldwide. We are excited to bring these excellent candidates to participate in this year’s 6 Degrees Citizen Space in Toronto from Sept. 25-27.

The 2017 cohort of Junior Fellows is comprised of eight women and five men, of whom seven are Canadian. The other six bring stories and experiences from around the world, including Belgium, Colombia, Greece, India, Ireland, Lebanon, Singapore, Spain, and Sweden. Junior Fellows will participate in all sessions at 6 Degrees Citizen Space, and will remain engaged afterwards as ambassadors for 6 Degrees. As part of their Junior Fellowship, they will receive a $2000 CAD grant to bring their proposed inclusion project to fruition.

MEET YOUR 2017 JUNIOR FELLOWS

Sara Alavian, 24
Hamilton, Canada
Project: Podcast that explores the intersection of urban policy and the social factors of health

Arpita Bisht, 27
New Delhi, India
Project: Community integration program in Vasant Kunj Institutional Area, New Delhi

Arianna Espinosa Oliver, 28
Bogotá, Colombia
Project: Tres Cocos: a digital platform for policy analysis and civil society participation

Inaara Hasmani, 19
Toronto, Canada
Project: InterFaith: a one-day, monthly excursion to explore Toronto’s vast diversity

Kawthar Karout, 19
Stockholm, Sweden
Project: Girls’ Café: supporting women’s rights in Sweden

Bernard Lim, 24
Singapore, Singapore
Project: Courageous Conversations: a campaign to promote religious harmony

Haman Mamdouhi
Toronto, Canada
Project: HealthBridge: eliminating the language barrier in Canadian health care

Conor McGlynn, 24
Brussels, Belgium
Project: The EuroBabble Podcast: promoting active European citizenship

Derakhshan Qurban-Ali, 24
Toronto, Canada
Project: WelcomeHomeTO: Connecting resources, people, and organizations who support newcomers

Coral Salvador Soy, 24
Athens, Greece
Project: Running a back-to-school program for refugees in Greece

Nayaelah Siddiqui, 22
Ottawa, Canada
Project: Empowerem: Creating safe spaces for young Muslim women

Rodney Stehr, 25
Coquitlam, Canada
Project: Providing intersectional programming for queer youth in suburban Metro Vancouver

We are grateful to our fellowship partners for their support of this year’s Junior Fellows, including Royal Bank of Canada, Air Canada, LiUNA, the Global Centre for Pluralism, the City of Vancouver and United Way Toronto & York Region.