Two MDP Students Participate in PSLP 2022-2023
Tue. May. 16, 2023
Bunmi Afolabi and Katherine Rempel, both in their 2nd year of the MDP program, were selected to participate in the James W. Burns Leadership Institute’s President's Student Leadership Program (PSLP) in 2022. The PSLP is a 12-month immersive learning opportunity that brings together 20 students from various disciplines and Manitoba post-secondary institutions to build their leadership potential and develop initiatives that create positive change in their communities.
For both Bunmi and Katherine, it was extra special to be part of Cohort 4 because we were able to have in-person events, unlike the previous years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The program kicked off in May 2022 with a week-long immersive learning experience involving workshops, site visits, community building, and meeting local leaders. The first three days of the PSLP core week took place at Lakeview Hecla Resort, learning from various community leaders such as Diane Roussin (Director, The Winnipeg Boldness Project), who shared about their leadership journey and the importance of building and maintaining collaborative relationships to achieve a shared goal. We also engaged in Improv sessions and storytelling workshops led by Cate Friesen (The Story Source), where we learned the possibility of using storytelling to strengthen our leadership skills by practicing active listening and effective communication. We also got to meet Brain Bowman (Former Mayor of Winnipeg) and Keren Taylor-Hughes (Agile Change Advisor and former CEO of Harvest Manitoba), from whom we learned that leadership is not a rigid role but rather an adaptive process that requires the willingness to keep learning and be open to collaborating with people of diverse knowledge and expertise.
We also visited the University College of the North in The Pas and received a tour of the campus. We learned from Dr. Lynette Plett, Associate Vice President of Michet Meskanawah (Many Pathways) Teaching and Learning, and Dr. Dan Smith, Vice-President Academic and Research, about the various innovative approach they are taking to create academic programs that reflect the needs of the community and create an enabling environment that provides support to ensure the success of students. We also engaged in some fun outdoor activities, such as walking across a frozen lake in snow shoes, walking a hunter’s trail, and having a fireside supper of moose stew and Bannock.
In April 2023, a graduation ceremony was held for Cohort #4 and attended by alums of the program, mentors, family, and friends. Seeing how much we had learnt, grown, and accomplished individually and collectively over the past 12 months was wonderful. Personally, It was also great to see the new relationships we had formed and strengthened over the course of the program.
PSLP GROUP PROJECT
Bunmi Afolabi
As part of the program, Bunmi worked in a team with (Kimmy Chau, Don Nguyen, and Deidre Dewar). Our group name, “Bridge 204,” was inspired by the area code of Manitoba and our shared belief that sharing stories of cultural significance through imagery and text reveals similarities between cultures, helps to bridge knowledge gaps and facilitates social connections within our community. For their project, we collaborated with Allison Drummond (School and Family Community Connector) and Melissa Brown (Manager of Community Programs) from the René Deleurme Centre to create a series of simple and easily understandable posters that raise awareness and educate the public about some of the diverse cultural and religious days observed by members of the community in the St. Vital area of Winnipeg. Bridge 204 created eight posters for the following observed or celebrated days: National Indigenous Peoples Day, Red Dress Day, Diwali, Ramadan, Black History Month, Kwanzaa, Truth and Reconciliation Day (Orange Shirt Day), and Lunar New Year. The posters serve to break down negative stereotypes and perceptions of a community or culture and build a bridge to appreciation, respect and understanding for each unique cultural or religious way of life.
Katherine Rempel
As part of her field placement with the Winnipeg Boldness Project, Katherine Rempel was selected to be in the President’s Student Leadership Program through the James W. Burns Leadership Institute. The institute focuses on local, national, and international cutting-edge research by providing opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students from a number of disciplines to develop leadership knowledge and skills to pursue careers in a broad range of fields. A part of the program is a group project to be carried out over the summer in partnership with an organization. The group she worked with called Wellbeing 4 Winnipeg (W4W) focused on mental health resources in the north-end community to tackle the barriers to entry for individuals accessing mental health resources and programs.
Katherine's team aimed to provide the community with a platform to voice any barriers they may face in accessing resources to help community organizations make their services more accessible and beneficial. By providing this opportunity for discussion to the community, they can guide on how to promote low-barrier resources. The team partnered with Mount Carmel Clinic and facilitated four community engagement sessions with participants from their various programs. The result of this project was a final report that highlighted community voices that the organization was able to use to improve existing programs for the North End community.
Throughout the program, Bunmi and Katherine had the opportunity to meet and learn from other passionate and committed peer leaders who are creating, collaborating, and working towards sustainable solutions to the challenges experienced in their community. The PSLP was an opportunity to further cultivate their leadership skills by learning from community leaders with a wealth of knowledge and experience, strengthening my capacity and expanding my personal and professional networks.
Going forward, they plan to apply the practice of deep listening to ensure that they are actively listening to the knowledge that comes from the community and prioritize building collaborative practices and relationships with others. They will also use the power of storytelling to create calls to action that will inspire and lead to sustainable change.
Special gratitude goes to Suzanne Gagnon (Director, James W. Burns Leadership Institute) and Melissa Gayle (Program Coordinator and Assistant to the Director) for putting together a great PSLP year for Cohort #4 and for their support and dynamic leadership throughout the course of the program.
