Sfu's Vancity Office Of Community Engagement

Below the Radar explores unfolding the enfolded with Laura U. Marks, an SFU professor, and scholar who works on media art and philosophy with an intercultural focus. She is in conversation with co-hosts Am Johal and Paige Smith about her research into experimentalism and aesthetics in Arab cinema and the connections between Islamic art and philosophy and new media art. Laura talks about co-founding the Substantial Motion Research Network, tracing cultural and artistic genealogies, and de-westernizing artistic practices. They also discuss the concerns around the environmental consequences of streaming media that led Laura to create the Small File Media Festival. Read more about Laura’s work: http://www.sfu.ca/~lmarks/ Substantial Motion Research Network: https://substantialmotion.org/ Small File Media Festival: https://smallfile.ca/

Ta7talíya Nahanee joins Am Johal to discuss her work in creating social change through decolonial facilitation, rooted in Indigenous ways of knowing and chenchenstway, the law of lifting each other up. Ta7talíya shares her journey of founding Decolonizing Practices, developing Sínulhkay and Ladders, and how she engages people in conversations about redress, land equity, privilege, and resisting the comfort of complacency in neocolonial systems. She also speaks to Indigenous language resurgence, decolonizing identity, and the idea that decolonization is an ongoing and personal process of self-actualization. Decolonizing Practices: https://www.decolonizingpractices.org/ New Decolonize First Seminar: https://www.decolonizingpractices.org/online-seminar Find the Decolonize First workbook, Sínulhkay and Ladders game and more online: https://www.nahaneecreative.com/ M̓i tel'nexw Leadership Society: https://www.mitelnexwleadershipsociety.org/

Am Johal is joined by Eris Nyx, an artist and community organizer in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside who advocates for tenants' rights and an end to the war on drugs. She and Am discuss the impact of COVID-19 on drug users and residents of Single Room Occupancy (SRO) hotels, and how restricting visitors in SROs and reducing access to services during the pandemic has heightened safety concerns around a volatile supply of drugs. Eris shares how the Downtown Eastside community has been organizing to respond to the several and intersecting systems of oppression they are facing. Coalition of Peers Dismantling the Drug War: https://www.cpddw.ca/ Downtown Eastside SRO Collaborative Society: https://dtescollaborative.org/ Tenant Overdose Response Organizers: https://dtescollaborative.org/toro-project/ Vision for the 100 Block report: http://www.carnegieaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/DTES-Vision-for-the-100-Block-Final-1.pdf Black Lab Arts Society: https://www.facebook.com/BlackLabVancouver/ https://thebl

Elvy Del Bianco of Vancity Credit Union speaks to the power of cooperatives to help communities meet their own needs. He is in conversation with host Am Johal about the role coops can play in the production of social goods, and how they can support communities of entrepreneurs, small businesses, non-profits, and workers through solidarity and infrastructure. They also discuss the Vancity Emilia-Romagna Co-operative Study Tour and how this particular area of northern Italy has what Elvy calls, “the most significant cooperative economy on earth.” It’s also a region that sees some of the lowest poverty rates and highest levels of civic engagement in Italy. Am and Elvy discuss how similar cooperative policies and models could be implemented in BC and Vancouver to bolster communities, address precarious work, and deliver much needed services. About the Vancity Emilia-Romagna Co-operative Study Tour: https://www.vancity.com/lang/en/AboutVancity/VisionAndValues/CooperativeModel/CoopSupport/CoopStaffEducation/ Coo

Justine A. Chambers and Laurie Young see choreography in everything. Both are deeply interested in the daily movements that make up the choreographies of our lives, and in capacity to use dance as a political tool. As two dance artists, mothers, and women of colour, the two came together across continents to co-create “One hundred more,” a dance performance portraying the gestures of resistance. Through structured improvisation and moving together, the piece explores the politics of movement and the many ways of embodying the refusal to submit. In this episode, Justine and Laurie are in conversation with Am Johal about their shared work, the radical centering of care and wellness in their collaborations, as well as the social choreographies and relational choreographies that can be found in the everyday. About “One hundred more” by Justine A. Chambers and Laurie Young: https://justineachambers.com/2020/01/06/one-hundred-more/ Video documentation of “One hundred more”: https://www.tanzforumberlin.de/en/produ

Yulanda Lui and Rachel Lau share experiences from the making of the radio documentary series “Speak My Language,” which highlights the stories of Chinese-Canadian seniors facing barriers in accessing the BC healthcare system. A project of Yarrow Intergenerational Society for Justice, the radio pieces were created in collaboration with youth and seniors under the mentorship of project coordinator and lead artist Rachel Lau with the support of Yarrow co-founder Yulanda Lui. This episode is hosted by our Office’s previous communications coordinator, Rachel Wong, and touches upon ethical community-based storytelling and accessing healthcare for non-English speakers. Listen to the radio documentaries: https://www.yarrowsociety.ca/speakmylanguage

Faranak Farzan works at a fascinating intersection of engineering and neuroscience — innovating technological solutions to mental health issues like depression and addiction. Using the concept of brain plasticity, Faranak speaks to host Am Johal about how technological interventions can help the brain to rewire itself. She delves into the exciting opportunities neuroengineering presents for streamlining diagnosis and treatment, reducing the burden on patients who often go through years of trial-and-error before being matched with the right treatment. They also discuss Faranak’s research specific to youth mental health, the ethical implications of neurotechnology, and the importance of community perspectives in co-creating brain health solutions. e-Brain Lab: http://ebrainlab.ca/about-us/ Faranak’s President’s Faculty Lecture: A Neuroengineering Lens into Treatment of Youth Mental Health and Addiction (Feb 2020): https://youtu.be/G02OKf8r5ho

From Mister Rogers to radioactive frogs, Below the Radar dives into the nuclear imaginary with SFU Associate Professor of Sociology Lindsey Freeman as she recounts the atomic culture she was brought up in. In this episode, Lindsey is in conversation with Am Johal about her new book, “This Atom Bomb in Me,” a reckoning with our nuclear past that resonates with the present moment. Through Lindsey’s experiences of growing up in the Manhattan Project secret city, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, the book traces the radiating influence of the arms race on American politics and culture. Lindsey also speaks to her current projects, including a trip to Chernobyl, the impact of rain on Vancouver’s social mood, and a fascination with miniatures and the uncannily small. Lindsey Freeman’s website: http://www.lindseyfreeman.net/ This Atom Bomb in Me (Stanford University Press, 2019): https://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=29326

Leilani Farha has a long history of advocacy around poverty and housing, in Canada and beyond. She is in conversation with Am Johal following her tenure as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Housing, a post that saw her travelling the world to connect with people who were struggling with inadequate and precarious housing or homelessness, and to work with governments to uphold housing as a human right. In this interview, Leilani speaks to concerning patterns in housing globally, including homelessness, evictions, unaffordability, and the financialization of housing. They discuss opportunities in Canadian housing policy, Vancouver’s housing crisis, and the incredible importance of having a safe place to call home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Watch a video recording of this interview on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEbFe2Z3za0&t Make the Shift: https://www.make-the-shift.org/ PUSH, a film following Leilani Farha’s work as a UN Special Rapporteur: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/pus

Finding a lack of space for experimentation and play in Vancouver’s theatre scene, New(to)Town Collective formed to provide accessible, low-barrier physical theatre training to the community. Our host, Am Johal speaks to two of the collective’s founding artists and alumni of SFU’s School for the Contemporary Arts, June Fukumura and Anjela Magpantay. They discuss barriers facing emerging artists in the city, as well as how they embrace messiness and opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration in their by-donation Training Jams. The collective blends different artistic practices in their training and in the creation of new works, spanning from clowning to contemporary dance, to playwriting, to dramaturgy and more. Anjela and June also give Am a taste of what goes on in a Training Jam, guiding him through a sound and movement exercise. About New(to)Town Collective: http://www.newtotowncollective.com/about.html

With the rise of podcasting as a forum for academic conversations and as a teaching tool, Hannah McGregor of SFU’s Publishing department set out to investigate — and enact — podcasting as a form of scholarly communication, knowledge mobilization, and open pedagogy. Hannah is in conversation with host Am Johal about her research into the exciting potentials of scholarly podcasting, and the power of the podcast as a grassroots, decentralized medium. About Hannah McGregor: https://hannahmcgregor.com/ Open Peer Review for Secret Feminist Agenda: https://www.wlupress.wlu.ca/Scholarly-Podcasting-Open-Peer-Review/Secret-Feminist-Agenda Podcasting and Digital Intimacy – A blog post by Hannah McGregor: https://publishing.sfu.ca/2020/08/podcasting-and-digital-intimacy/ Hannah’s recommended pods: Sandy & Nora Talk Politics (https://sandyandnora.com/) FANTI (https://maximumfun.org/podcasts/fanti/) Rude Tales of Magic (https://www.rudetalesofmagic.com/)

Am Johal is joined by Maltese-American cartoonist Joe Sacco, renowned for his long-form graphic journalism and field work in conflict zones and places where people are facing displacement and dispossession. They discuss his new book, “Paying the Land,” dealing with the painful history of the relationship between Indigenous peoples and resource extraction in northern Canada, as well as overarching themes of dispossession, the violence of settler-colonialism, and the bonds between people and land that are prominent in his work. Joe also shares some of his upcoming projects and touches on the intensification of political tensions in Portland, OR, where he lives. Watch a video recording of this interview: https://youtu.be/QPIcjakI1PU Paying the Land: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781627799034 Reviews: https://thetyee.ca/Culture/2020/08/12/Joe-Sacco-North-What-Remains-Paying-Land/ https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/joe-sacco-nwt-dene-comic-graphic-novel-1.5640360 Revisit past talks by Joe Sacco, hosted by

Jackie Obungah is in conversation with Aida Mwanzia about the importance of centering Black youth and community perspectives in policymaking. Aida speaks about a policy brief she wrote advocating for a cap on international student tuition, as well as her experience working with Ethọ́s Lab to create accessible and inclusive tech spaces. Read Aida’s policy brief on international student tuition: https://levelvf.ca/project/building-an-ethical-relationship-between-the-province-of-british-columbia-and-international-students/ More about Ethọ́s Lab: https://solidstate.coop/ethoslab

How do we come together to make and enjoy art in a time of physical distancing? Interdisciplinary artist and community organizer Vanessa Richards joins host Am Johal in his backyard for a physically distanced conversation about convening community through music during the pandemic. They discuss the challenges and opportunities of practising community-engaged arts over these past months; Vanessa’s experiences of virtually leading Van Van Song Society and Dancing in the Dark; and how Vancouver is responding to and participating in this moment of heightened community action for racial justice. Resources: Van Van Song Society: https://www.vanvansongsociety.com/ Creative Together: http://creativetogether.ca/ * Resmaa Menakem: https://www.resmaa.com/

On this episode of Below the Radar, our guest host, Jackie Obungah, is joined by Ayaan Ismaciil and Natasha Mhuriro. They discuss the importance of starting a Black in BC Mutual Aid fund during the pandemic as a means of community support and sustenance. Ayaan and Natasha also talk about finding a balance between student life and community organizing. Both Ayaan and Natasha are members of the African Students Association at SFU and have been part of several student organizing initiatives on campus. In this conversation, they also explore the continued solidarity between Indigenous and Black communities in working towards liberation. You can learn more about the African Student Association here: https://www.facebook.com/SfuAfricanStudentsAssociation/ Black in BC Community Support Fund for COVID-19: https://ca.gofundme.com/f/covid19-black-community-support-vancouver

On this episode of our Below the Radar Conversations Series, our host Am Johal is joined by Ann Livingston, community organizer and drug user activist. Ann is the co-founder of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, and is currently the Executive Project Coordinator of the BC-Yukon Association of Drug War Survivors. Am and Ann discuss the two current public health emergencies: the COVID-19 pandemic and the fentanyl contamination deaths in BC. You can find out more about the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users here: https://vandureplace.wordpress.com/ And you can learn more about the BC-Yukon Association of Drug War Survivors here: http://bcyadws.ca/

On this episode of Below the Radar, our host Am Johal is joined by Amal Ghazal, Director of the Centre for Comparative Muslim Studies, and Associate Professor in the Department of History at SFU with a focus on the modern history of the Middle East and Africa. Born in Lebanon, she has studied at the American University of Beirut and moved to Canada in 1996 to complete her MA and PhD at the University of Alberta. Prior to joining SFU, she was a faculty member at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia. Amal has been the Director of the Centre for Comparative Muslim Studies since 2017, with an emphasis on community engagement within Muslim communities and beyond. You can find out more about the Centre for Comparative Muslim Studies here: http://www.sfu.ca/ccms.html

On this episode of Below the Radar, we speak with Kenneth Bailey, the co-founder of the Design Studio for Social Intervention. With our host Am Johal, he discusses how social justice issues have been exacerbated during the pandemic and protests in support of racial justice and defunding the police. You can learn more about Design Studio for Social Intervention: https://www.ds4si.org/ Design Studio for Social Intervention's book Ideas-Arrangements-Effects: https://www.ds4si.org/writings/iae Below the Radar Twitter: https://twitter.com/BTR_pod Below the Radar Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BelowTheRadarpod/ Bailey is the co-founder of the Design Studio for Social Intervention. His interests focus on the research and development of design tools for marginalized communities to address complex social issues. With over three decades of experience in community practice, Bailey brings a unique perspective on the ethics of design in relation to community engagement, the arts and cultural action. Projects he has

On this episode of Below the Radar, our host Am Johal is joined by Adel Iskandar, Middle East media scholar and Assistant Professor of Global Communication at Simon Fraser University’s School of Communication. He is the author and co-author of several works, including “Egypt In Flux: Essays on an Unfinished Revolution” (2013, AUCP/OUP), “Edward Said: A Legacy of Emancipation and Representation”, (2010, University of California Press) and “Al-Jazeera: The Story of the Network that is Rattling Governments and Redefining Modern Journalism" (2002, Basic Books). His research primarily involves media, identity and politics. Adel is also the co-editor of online publication “Jadaliyya,” and academic podcast “Status.” Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/64-adel-iskandar.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/64-adel-iskandar.html Bio: Adel Iskandar is an Assistant P

On this episode of Below the Radar, our host Am Johal sits down with Dan Adleman, an Assistant Professor of Writing and Rhetoric at the University of Toronto. He has also previously taught at the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia Institute of Technology, and Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design. Dan received his PhD from the University of British Columbia in 2016, in his dissertation he explores new-rhetorical approaches to American fiction grappling with the emergence of a new media environment at the turn of the millennium. Alongside Am Johal, he is the co-founder of Vancouver Institute for Social Research, a non-profit graduate-level critical theory free school run out of the Or Gallery since 2013.