3 McGill students were part of the 2024 Pathy Fellowship Cohort!
Lil Borger
Building Relationships Between Students and Unhoused Individuals; Milton-Park, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Lil’s connection to Milton-Park spans the course of the past three years, throughout which they have been a resident, student, volunteer, and employee within the community. For the past year, they have been working with the organization Comm-Un to create cohabitation activities that support the unhoused community via harm reduction, art creation, and storytelling.
This year, Lil aims to improve the relationship between university students and the unhoused community in Milton-Park. These two groups live in the same neighborhood and cross paths multiple times a day, yet for the most part have limited positive connections or interactions. Lil’s initiative will work to develop these positive relationships by educating students through workshops and volunteering, and organizing community events that nurture developing relationships alongside food, music, art, and more.
Chama Laassassy
ⵉⵙⵡⵉ | ISWI : Purpose for at-risk youth; Nador, Morocco | الناظور, المغرب
Chama’s initiative aims to reignite purpose for at-risk youth. The approach taken by this initiative is three-fold: a play-based after-school dropout prevention program, a career-hub for out-of-school under-25 youth, and a podcast. Importantly, ⵉⵙⵡⵉ | ISWI will be led entirely by former dropouts.
Chama is Moroccan and has spent the past three summers in Nador. In the summer of 2021, she met a 10-year-old boy named Marwan. He was determined to drop out of school, as his siblings had before him. This encounter was the origin story of an improvised summer pilot program where Chama used play-based learning for youth at-risk of school abandonment. Through many discussions and brainstorming sessions with community members, this pilot grew into the idea for ⵉⵙⵡⵉ | ISWI.
Shona Moreau
Law for All: Empowering Refugees Through Legal Aid Access; Johannesburg, South Africa
Born in Johannesburg and having worked with refugee groups through legal clinics and community initiatives, Shona has gained firsthand insight into the numerous barriers refugees face in accessing rights and vital services. Professionals and clients alike have emphasized the need for community-oriented legal and administrative support, and Shona looks forward to building upon previous collaborations with community partners to better address these unmet needs.
Shona’s initiative aims to empower asylum seekers and refugees to navigate the legal system within the security of their communities. Through a mobile clinic and workshops, the initiative provides efficient legal support by handling the initial stages of legal cases, allowing clients to focus on complex matters. Additionally, the initiative includes collective legal resource sharing, equipping community members with knowledge and skills to handle simple cases locally and reduce travel expenses.
More details about all fellows and their projects can be found on this page: https://coady.stfx.ca/2022-23-pathy-foundation-fellows/