Critical reflections
Panelists will reflect on their reflections on the journey toward allyship, and then respond to one another and take questions as time permits.
Dr. Sheri McConnell, RSW (she/her)
As an assistant professor at the Memorial University School of Social Work, Sheri facilitates teaching/learning, engages in research, and is team lead for the BSW, Nunavut (Nunavut Arctic College - Memorial University partnership). Sheri also offers supervision and counselling with Coastal Health NL.
As a registered social worker and a feminist, her practice is centred in respectful relationships, equity and social justice, decolonization and reconciliation, personal and community healing and well-being, and social action and social change.
Vincent Mousseau (they/them)
Vincent is a Black, queer and trans activist and registered social worker based in Kjipuktuk. They are a Vanier Scholar and PhD in Health student at Dalhousie University, where they study the barriers to health and social service access faced by Black gay, bi, trans, and queer men, other Black men who have sex with men. as well as masculine-of-center non-binary people in Canada. They have dedicated their academic and professional careers to understanding the issues that affect their communities through intersectional feminist and Africentric lenses.
Tristan Kowal
Tristan engages in research and advocacy for first voice led (emic) approaches to social systems change. Some common themes are housing, youth services, and accessibility. His “work” builds on his experiences with mental illnesses, addictions, and homelessness, through the lens of his identities as an autistic, disabled, and queer person.
Tristan has studied therapeutic recreation at Dalhousie, which has helped him to more effectively communicate with service providers both professionally and as a client. Tristan shared with us that he is grateful for the opportunities to advocate for meaningful inclusion of people the systems were built to exclude. He is aware of his privilege as a white settler student and trans man, and uses it to amplify marginalized voices into leadership positions.
The NSCSW social justice committee presented Tristan with a Social Justice Ally Award in 2022.
Michelle LeBrun, MSW, PP (she/her)
Michelle is a Mi’kmaw woman and jingle dress dancer from Piktu’k First Nation. She has a BBA from STFX, and a BSW & MSW from Dalhousie. And she was the first Mi’kmaw social worker to be registered with a private practice under the NSCSW.
Michelle specializes in Indigenous counselling and provide supports and consultation services throughout Nova Scotia on decolonizing practices from a Mi’kmaw perspective. Her doctoral research is centred on how Mi’kmaw culture, ceremony, language, and the Indigenous ways of knowing and being can inform social work practice, particularly in counselling and support services.
Veronica Merryfield (she/her)
Cape Breton Transgender Network, founder
Cape Breton Center for Sexual Health, chair of board
Every Woman's Center, chair of board
Conversion Therapy Survivors Connect, chair of board
Marion Bridge Primary Schools Advisory Committee chair
Cross organizational committee on sexual abuse and violence member
Cape Breton Pride Society, director of education
Nova Scotia Intersex Support Network, founder
Cape Breton Bereaved Families diversity board member
Department of Community Service, Status of Women Advisory Council member
Ax Montasser (he/him)
Ax (Ahmed) Montasser is a passionate people person dedicated to making life better for everyone he's met. He is currently a social work student and is part of the spiritual leadership and outreach for El-Tawhid Mosque's Calgary chapter. Ax previously worked a long career as a community peace officer for Alberta Health Services and was part of the leadership of Alberta Health's Covid Response Unit. He led a team dedicated to ensuring the safety of covid assessment centres and vaccine clinics while supporting existing healthcare facilities in need during a global pandemic.
Likda Morash (she/her)
Likda is a jack of all trades, and has just completed her Master of Social Work degree at Dalhousie. She is currently working with the Department of Community Services to transform services, programs, and internal engagement as a member of the Inclusion, Diversity, and Community Relations team. Likda has served as a subject matter expert in child and youth care across the Maritime provinces and works diligently to bring a historical and cultural lens to the work that she is doing, including her collaborative efforts in developing the Centering Black Canadian Health Course for the Faculty of Health at Dalhousie University.
Dr. Raven Sinclair
Dr. Raven Sinclair is Nehiyaw/Cree, Young Dog Assiniboine, Crow, and Red River Métis. She is a member of George Gordon First Nation of Treaty #4, Saskatchewan. She was a full professor in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Regina from 2005- 2022, and has 20 years of Indigenous research and research ethics experience in Indigenous child welfare, youth suicide, cultural identity, bullying, and community based research. Dr. Sinclair is an author, filmmaker, researcher, consultant and public speaker, and she facilitates workshops on communication, lateral violence intervention, and cultural competency.