Dr. Elaine J Laberge, Founder & Director
PhD (University of Victoria, Education), MA (University of Alberta, Sociology), BA (University of Alberta, Sociology), BA (Dalhousie University, Theatre/English)
“As a student from generational poverty, I know how hard it can be to try to get to university, and ‘succeed’ on a very unfamiliar landscape, with a culture I don’t understand. It took me 15 fractured and interrupted years to finish my first undergrad degree (theatre/English). Then I found sociology! There have been people along the way who believed in me—including those in this community—which makes all the difference. I am learning that I don’t have to live in the shadows and margins of the university landscape when I have the support of community members, from similar backgrounds, who deeply care about diversity and inclusion.”
Elaine has been tackling poverty and how poverty shapes lives, communities, and societies personally and through writing and research for many years. She spent nine months with undergraduate students at a western Canadian university to understand how growing up in poverty shapes their experiences in university. Elaine explores inequality and injustice through narrative and storytelling. Coming from the University of Alberta, she has had challenges shifting to a university and city where she has no community. Today, she is looking at how grassroots initiatives can contribute to creating community, support, and mentorship for students from and/or living in poverty. She is interested in how social activism will inspire UVic leaders to include social class into their equity, diversity, and inclusion strategies, policies, and teaching styles. Elaine uses creative ways to make visible marginalized students’ lived experiences.
Elaine is committed to student enrolment strategies and civic engagement that shapes fairness, equity, diversity, and inclusion. She leverages her scholarly work, lived experiences, and knowledge to support marginalized students—and university communities-at-large, to build inclusive Canadian higher educational landscapes. Her extensive background in communications encompasses the investigation and reporting of challenges facing private- and public-sector organizations. She is known for her creativity in identifying problems/opportunities and developing effective solutions. She is an empathetic listener and leader who is sensitive to the complexity of how lives are shaped by the intersection of multiple social characteristics. She focuses on addressing systemic inequality and inequity. Elaine is known as a community builder and connector of people. Elaine is respected for her abilities to identify needs, negotiate and facilitate conflict resolution, navigate complex structures and policies, and communicate with multiple stakeholders.
Contact Elaine: elaine@shoestringinitiative.com
http://www.echoesofpoverty.com
Charity Slobod, MA, Co-founder
Charity is the Professional Development and Student Experience Manager for Simon Fraser University. For more than ten years, she has worked in the field of community outreach and engagement with a particular focus on supporting graduate students in developing effective strategies for sharing their research with non-specialist audiences. Although that’s her professional scope, she cares deeply about collaborating with others to make profound societal change. Being involved in several community initiatives, her own experience with poverty keeps her drive never ceasing.
