Working for Change Conference

Join a half-day mini conference for students and recent graduates interested in careers in social justice and the non-profit sector.

This community-centered gathering brings together emerging changemakers, organizers and non-profit practitioners to explore how identity, values and lived experience shape pathways into social justice work. Rooted in principles of anti-racism, equity, collective care and intersectionality, the program combines reflection, career education and facilitated conversation to support participants in navigating meaningful and sustainable work in the sector.

2026 Working for Change Conference

Date & Time: Friday, March 6, 2026, from 10 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Location: Experiential Learning Commons, Room 301 (255 Beverley Street).

Open to all U of T students and recent graduates.

Registration & Welcome (10 – 10:30 a.m.)

Panel & Conversation (10:30 – 11:45 a.m.)

  • Harmeet Rehal ((Multiply disciplinary artist, designer, access worker, and educator)
  • DeiJaumar Clarke (Community strategist, grassroots organizer, and multidisciplinary professional)
  • Anyika Mark (Community Land Trust Coordinator for Little Jamaica CLT, Activist, & Playwright)

Find more information about panelists.

Break / Networking (11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.)

Career Purpose Statements (12:15 – 1:15 p.m.)

Identity + Action + Change = Purpose

In this interactive, arts-based session, reflect on your skills, experiences and aspirations for social change. Collaborate with others to write a personal career statement that emphasizes your unique point of view that you can use to find and create meaningful ways to work for change.

You will need:

  • A willingness to be creative in your thinking and career exploration.
  • An openness to connect and support others in the group.

Closing (1:15 – 1:30 p.m.)

Panelists

Harmeet smiling.

Harmeet Rehal

Multi-disciplinary artist, designer, access worker and educator

Harmeet Rehal is a multi-disciplinary artist, designer, access worker and educator with 10+ years of experience in planning and executing high quality community arts and EDIA programming. Within their emerging arts practice, their focus is textile arts, painting, illustration, and collage. They have a Master of Arts in Critical Disability Studies from York University, where their arts-based research further explored the themes of their arts practice: Disability justice, COVID and HIV/AIDS organizing, Panjabi survivorhood, and hacking normative design.

Check out some of Harmeet’s recent work through Desire Lines and Whippersnapper Gallery.

DeiJaumar sitting in front of artwork.

DeiJaumar Clarke

Community strategist, grassroots organizer, and multidisciplinary professional

Based in Tkaronto, DeiJaumar Clarke is a Pan-African grassroots organizer whose work is rooted in the Black Radical Tradition and Marxist analysis. As a key member of the Black Action Defense Committee (BADC), one of Canada’s most historic and radical civil rights organizations, DeiJaumar continues the legacy of an organization founded in 1988 to end police brutality and advocate for independent civilian oversight. His work with the BADC focuses on challenging systemic anti-Black racism within the criminal justice system, supporting families affected by police violence, and advancing the movement for prison abolition. He is also dedicated member of the Caribbean Solidarity Network, Little Xaymaca Commune and the Quilombo Collective. Through his facilitation of community political education (via A Dutty Boukman Book Club and the Noname Book Club), he bridges theory and action by focusing on class struggle and Black internationalism.

Learn about DeiJaumar Clarke’s work through Tamogo Canada and Toronto Caribbean.

Anyika resting her face in her palm and smiling.

Anyika Mark

Community Land Trust Coordinator for Little Jamaica CLT, Activist, & Playwright

Anyika Mark is a dynamic community organizer, playwright, and urban advocate dedicated to preserving the cultural soul of the city. As the Project Coordinator for the Little Jamaica Community Land Trust (LJCLT) and a long-time leader within Black Urbanism TO, she works at the intersection of urban planning and social justice, fighting to protect the long-term sustainability and vibrancy of Toronto’s Caribbean heritage from displacement. Her advocacy is informed by a deep personal connection to Toronto’s West End and a background in Political Science and Caribbean Studies from the University of Toronto.

You can learn more about Anyika’s work through Little Jamaica Community Land Trust, The Green Line and CityNews.

Program partners

Go to the Career Exploration & Education homepage
Go to Centre for Community Partnerships homepage

This event is proudly organized by the Career Exploration & Education, Centre for Community Partnerships and New College.

Register for the Working for Change Conference

Register on CLNx.