Moving Beyond Hierarchies: Re-imagining Governance Structures

About the Series

Advancing Justice in the Community Food Sector is a series of four workshops designed for folks — especially BIPOC — working in community-based programs and organizations that revolve around food. Working in these spaces, it's crucial to have the latest tools, knowledge, and skills to build pathways for professional career advancement.

Through this workshop series, participants will learn and engage with subject matter around: BIPOC solidarity across the non-profit sector, storytelling as a tool for impact, and more.

About this Workshop

Moving Beyond Hierarchies: Re-imagining Governance Structures

How do we break down rigid, top-down structures and build spaces rooted in community? Join Mariam Waliji and Sara Mai Chitty for an interactive session that explores anti-colonial, relational approaches to re-imagining governance. Whether you are planning events or building coalitions - across internal departments or between non-profit organizations - this workshop offers a holistic framework to shift away from traditional hierarchies.

Through real-world case studies and a hands-on Sphere of Influence activity, participants will map out their own capacity for impact. The session will conclude with a collaborative shareback, ensuring you leave with actionable takeaways to foster deeply rooted, collaborative relationships in your own work.

Our Speakers

Sara Mai Chitty is a Michi Sagig Anishinaabekwe (Alderville First Nation) educator, storyteller, and community weaver centering heart and community in her work. A Yellowhead Institute Fellow and post-secondary instructor, Sara Mai has co-created award-winning curricula on climate action and Indigenous educational sovereignty. Her current collaborations span community-led safety models, land-based education and curriculum writing.

Mariam Waliji (she/her) has a passion for connection – whether it be with people, place, or community. She is a facilitator and community systems thinker committed to strengthening places by centering people, equity, and long-term possibility. Her years studying evolutionary genetics and ecology sparked questions about how local food systems and restricted access to well-grown food impact society in multifaceted ways; this encouraged her to work towards addressing inequities and barriers to access more broadly in our current systems. As Vice-President, Equity, Impact, and Learning at Pillar Nonprofit Network, Mariam supports strategic and capacity-building initiatives that translate shared vision into practical strategies. Her work is grounded in a belief that real change is possible when equity and joy are placed at the centre. 

Priority Ticketing

As part of our ongoing commitment to equity and justice, we are prioritizing access to these workshops for Black and Indigenous people and people of colour (BIPOC).

Priority tickets for these workshops will be made available for BIPOC individuals and BIPOC-led organizations and grassroots community groups who do not have access to large operating budgets to cover the costs of staff training. A limited number of General Admission tickets will also be available, and we will open up a waitlist as needed.

Logistics

All workshops in the series will take place online via Zoom. After registering for the event, you will have access to the online event page, where you can find the Zoom link once available. We will also email the Zoom details to all registrants closer to the date of the workshop.

Accessibility

FoodShare strives to host inclusive, accessible events that allow everyone to fully engage. To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact jade at jade@foodshare.net.

• An option for closed captioning via Zoom will be available during the event
• A phone-in option will also be available

About FoodShare

FoodShare is a Toronto-based food justice organization, advocating for the right to food, and working to challenge the systemic barriers that keep people from accessing the food they need to thrive. Learn more at www.foodshare.net