Trampoline: Ideas Into Action!

What is the Refugee Livelihood Lab Trampoline: Ideas into Action! Program?

Trampoline: Ideas into Action! is a free 12-week program for people who have an idea for a collective, business, non-profit, campaign, or initiative that will address problems faced by refugee and migrant communities.

Your ideas matter. Join a group of people helping to bring your ideas to life by building networks, connecting you to resources, asking tough questions, and celebrating your vision.

As a part of RADIUS’ Refugee Livelihood Lab, this program uses a community learning process to generate solutions to barriers and opportunities for thriving migrant livelihoods.

We do this through:

supporting idea development, testing, and readiness to launch
amplifying the voices, stories, and wisdom of migrant change-makers
convening informed conversations that support us to identify and interrupting problematic patterns facing refugee and migrant communities and;
co-creating new narratives, practices and ways of being together that reflect a vision of justice, dignity, and economic empowerment for all.

Applications for Trampoline cohort are closed. To receive updates about the Trampoline program, sign up here for email updates.

Who Should Apply?

We are looking for people who have ideas for addressing problems faced by refugee and migrant communities. We invite you to apply if…

You want to:

Test your ideas for addressing a community problem, validate what works, and change what doesn’t work;
Change the story about who refugees and migrants are, supporting stories of dignity and agency;
Create solutions that support justice and social and economic inclusion of all people.

You have:

An initial idea that could address a difficulty faced by diverse migrant and refugee communities;
Lived experience of the issues faced by migrant and refugee communities;
Ability to commit to 3 hours/week for 12 weeks of group learning time, plus (approximately) 5 hours/week of independent work;
Openness to learning and getting practical.

You would like:

Structure and support to test your idea;
To widen your networks and get connected to people who can help move your idea forward;
Be inspired by other Black, Indigenous, migrant, and refugee people who have started their own businesses or initiatives that contribute to addressing barriers faced by their communities;
To be part of a community asking how to shift the root causes of these barriers.

Program overview

What do Participants Learn and Do?

Using a migrant justice lens, participants will be expected to conduct community conversations throughout the duration of the program to engage with target populations and potential users of an initiative or business. You will be given guidance on best practices for community engagement, financial access, market analysis, and more.

Program Benefits

In this 12-week program, you will have:

A clear and tested way to communicate your idea
Feedback from the communities you are serving
An action plan with steps to move forward
Prioritized and learned your key revenue opportunities
Increased confidence
A community of people and networks to support you
A deeper understanding of the principles of migrant justice

The TEAM

Meet the team behind the Trampoline Program

The Refugee Livelihood Lab Trampoline: Ideas Into Action! will be stewarded by the following team of individuals. This team will also invite a variety of guests from the local community:

Shikhank Sharma

Venture Activator

Shikhank has been actively involved in the social impact space academically and professionally for a number of years in areas of social innovation, impact investing, education, and sustainability.

His journey to grow and learn led him from his home in the vibrant city of Delhi in Northern India to North America over ten years ago. During this time, Shikhank has been grateful for the communities that he has been a part of, his own lived experiences, and the shared knowledge of those around him for helping him better his understanding of the world in all its brilliance and juxtapositions. Over the years, Shikhank has collaborated with various impact organizations – nonprofits, universities, and social enterprises – in roles and projects related to strategic planning, community engagement, capacity building, and research.

It brings Shikhank utmost joy when he is able to help individuals and groups facing a sticky issue related to an idea or a project have the “a-ha” moments where they are able to figure out a path forward.

Nada El Masry

Lab Manager

Nada El Masry (she/her) is a Libyan-born Palestinian who came to the unceded land of the Coast Salish peoples just over 10 years ago. Due to her life experiences and education, Nada has fostered a deep passion for social justice and has shaped her life goals around values rooted in that field. She has been working with and engaging newcomers for several years, and currently manages the Refugee Livelihood Lab, which aims to build social, economic, and political capital for racialized refugee and migrant communities.

Nada is pursuing a Master’s in Equity Studies in Education at SFU, and was recipient of a 2019 BC Anti-Racism Award . She has also been nominated by the Future of Good as a 2020 Top 21 Founders to Watch, and received a 2018 Leadership Award from Voices of Muslim Women. In her free time, Nada enjoys playing and watching soccer.

Yara Younis

Program Manager

Born and raised in Dubai (UAE), Yara is a Palestinian refugee who had felt detached from her ‘home’ in the Gaza Strip for the longest time. Now, having spent years contemplating and unlearning colonial narratives, she considers the meaning of statelessness, as well as how systems of power co-opt and shape refugee experiences. Prior to settling on unceded Coast Salish lands, Yara worked at the Delma Institute in Abu Dhabi as a MENA research analyst and as the deputy advisor and project coordinator for the UAE Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development. She completed her MA in International Studies at Simon Fraser University, where she was a Researcher for the Centre for Comparative Muslim Studies. In her spare time, Yara enjoys reading sci-fi, listening to heavy metal, and walking for long hours to nowhere in particular.

Contact

If you have any questions, please email Program Manager, Refugee Livelihood Lab, Yara Younis at yyounis@radiussfu.com.