A refugee camp in Northern Africa. Image: Wikimedia Commons
The Rt. Hon. Adrienne Clarkson will deliver the keynote address during a symposium at York University on Monday, Oct. 17, focused on creative responses to the large-scale, forced displacement of people in many parts of the world.
The Re-imagining Refuge event is part of a Universities Canada speaker’s series called Mindshare: Inspired thinking for real action. Organized by York University and York’s Centre for Refugee Studies (CRS) in collaboration with Universities Canada, the symposium will bring together professors, researchers, and students who are studying the issue of international refuge as a global challenge, along with government officials, community leaders and members of organizations working with refugees.
Clarkson, who came to Canada from Hong Kong as a refugee in 1942, rose through the broadcasting industry and public sector to become Governor General of Canada from 1999 to 2005.
A panel of speakers with local, national, and international perspectives and expertise will re-imagine how Canadians and others can go beyond humanitarian aid for refugees to focus on offering these individuals opportunities for development. The symposium will also explore innovative ways to achieve a more secure, equitable and sustainable world that recognizes refugees’ rights and their capacity to contribute to society.
List of speakers (bios):
- Hon. Adrienne Clarkson
- Mary Jo Leddy, founder of Toronto’s Romero House
- Loly Rico, co-director, FCJ Refugee Centre and President, Canadian Council for Refugees
- Professor Jennifer Hyndman, director of York University’s CRS
- Mamdouh Shoukri, president & vice-chancellor, York University
- Professor Susan McGrath, former director of the CRS
The Re-imagining Refuge: Toward equitable and sustainable communities will run from 1 to 4:30pm at the Glendon campus of York University in Room A100 of the Centre of Excellence. The full program is available at http://president.yorku.ca/mindshare.