National charity Samara Canada held a roundtable for advocates, mobilizers, and campaigners from a swath of professional backgrounds and geographies. To strengthen their capacity and resilience as leaders, participants exchanged ideas about the strategies and resources they cultivated during their experiences in the “democracy sector.”
They also connected with key public leaders such as the Honourable Andy Fillmore, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Democratic Institutions, to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing Canada’s democracy in the next 150 years. This gathering was the first of its kind in convening grassroots practitioners from across the country who are working on distinct but interconnected issues, including equal representation, data transparency, voter engagement, and civic education.
Organizations in the room included: Samara Canada, Springtide, Open North, Open Democracy Project, Canadian-Muslim Vote, Upstream, Institut du Nouveau Monde, Apathy is Boring, CIVIX, Maytree Foundation, Vote Savvy, Equal Voice, Evidence 4 Democracy, Synapcity, and the Parliamentary Internship Programme. The initiative was successful in taking important conversations offline and forming a much-needed network within the democracy space. Leaders expressed feeling a sense of reinvigoration to tackle their individual projects, but also increased motivation to work cross-organizationally to meet shared objectives in the future.