Wendy Allen was born in Victoria, B.C. and went to school and university there. When she was twenty she began to explore the world beyond Vancouver Island. She lived, studied and worked in Chile (1964 and 1970-72) and China (1977 and 1979-81), two countries that underwent big political and social changes, but it was through a long involvement in a 3-phase CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency) institutional strengthening project (1989-2007) that convinced her that it is local activists with their long-term commitment to their community, their deep understanding of their context and their social and professional networks that bring about sustainable social change.  She has made videos about some of these activists as an affiliate of Concordia's Centre for Oral History and Digital Storytelling.  Inspired by these Indonesian women and men, now she's retired she'd like to contribute to social change here, working towards age-friendly communities with people of all ages. wendy4303allen@gmail.com 

Gabriela Aceves Sepúlveda is an interdisciplinary media artist and cultural historian with a research focus on Latin American feminist media and contemporary art and design history and practice. Working at the intersections of video and performance, she uses video and multimedia installations to explore the social, political, and cultural structures that shape our sense of self. Her research on the role of feminism(s) in the development of Mexico’s mediascapes after 1968 was awarded The 2015 John Bullen Prize from the Canadian Historical Association. Her current research examines the effects of digital technologies on the archival practices of female activists and artists across the Americas and traces the histories of transnational artists’ networks forged outside the dominant centres of the western art world during the second half of the twentieth century. She is an Assistant Professor at the School of Interactive Arts and Technology at Simon Fraser University. gacevess@sfu.ca

Mary Anne Ansley is a Peterborough resident living with a disability from birth called Spina Bifida. She has had many corrective surgeries over the years, but has lived with partial paralysis from the waist down for all of her life. For many years Mary Anne has worked in the retail business with her Sales and Merchandising Diploma from Sir Sandford Fleming College. Now that she lives on a CPP and ODSP disability, she has been actively involved in committee volunteer work for women living with disabilities—Women Building Inclusion, women in crises—Peterborough Domestic Abuse Network—Survivors Advisory Committee, and the Peterborough YWCA-Crossroads in a number of facets. Mary Anne’s positions have varied from public speaking engagements, leadership positions on planning committees, committee member, seminars, workshops, guest speaker on an international radio show, and community events. Mary Anne won a five year volunteer award for her work through the Peterborough YWCA from the Ontario Government. She is still actively involved with Women Building Inclusion and a Toronto organization called Reclaiming Your Voice. maryanneansley@hotmail.ca

Peri is a health sociologist, and Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. She has on-going affiliations with the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto; the Institute for Work and Health, Toronto. At Trent, Peri currently teaches sociology research methods, the sociology of medicine, and a new course on the sociology of pharmaceuticals—a 4th year seminar. She has a module in the new on-line Nursing course covering critical perspectives on aging, entitled “Pharmaceutical Aging and Old Age.” Peri’s research interests include the social determinants of health—particularly as related to labour and income, aging and the life course, the sociology of pharmaceuticals, the lay experience of illness and lay/professional interface around the negotiation of health, illness and health care. periballantyne@trentu.ca

Katie is an instructor with Carleton’s Department of Gender & Women's Studies. She is a feminist historian and interdisciplinary scholar whose research examines the intersections of masculinity, race, popular culture consumption, sex, and class. Specifically, she considers the ways in which white U.S. artists and activists from the 1940s through the 1970s appropriated imagined black masculinities into their work. Currently she is researching the ways in which various artistic groups adopt oppressed identities of race, gender, and sexuality in order to explore marginalization and the ways in which these oppressed identities respond. She is also working on two new projects: one about the commercialization of feminism; and another about Hip Hop, gender, and questions of authenticity. Katie is an advocate of feminist activism in educational communities inside and outside of the university and works closely with high schools in Mississauga and Toronto to introduce feminist learning. katharinebausch@trentu.ca

Kendra holds a Master’s degree in Media Studies from Concordia University (2013) and has been working with ACT since it was initiated in 2013. Currently, Kendra works as the Communication Coordinator for ACT. Before ACT, Kendra worked with the A-C-M  as a workshop coordinator for the MemorySpace workshops that took place during the summer of 2012 and then acted as a co-curator of the MemorySpace public exhibition in October 2012. Her research and creative interests include. urban creativity and intervention; creative place-making; inclusive design; digital storytelling; non-digital storytelling; community-engagement; food politics; the politics of public space; photography; writing; podcasts.

​

www.kendrabesanger.com

dorothy.boddy@gmail.com

I am in my final year at Trent doing a double major in English Literature and Gender & Women's Studies. I am a huge comic book nerd, and I like to think that I am a feminist, a social justice warrior, and an activist. I am looking forward to working on this program to learn new things and gain new experiences. amybuck@trentu.ca 

Anne Caines is of Irish, Portuguese and Japanese decent. Anne was born in Singapore and grew up in Japan and San Francisco. She received a diploma in Community Development at the University of Manchester, UK and has continued to be involved in community activism ever since. Since immigrating to Canada in 1979 she has been a member of the South Asian Women’s Community Centre. She is a founding member of RECAA: Respecting Elders: Communities Against Abuse and its current coordinator. recaa.montreal@gmail.com

I was born and raised in Oshawa, however, twenty years ago, I moved to Peterborough to be closer to family and I love it here. I am a mature 4th year Trent student majoring in Gender and Women’s Studies. I am the proud mother of a 22 year old biological daughter and a 17 year old son who I adopted 6 years ago. He has lived with me since he was 4 years old. I was a foster mother for 13 years until June, 2016. kellycarty@trentu.ca 

Nadine Changfoot is Associate Professor and Chair of Political Studies at Trent University. She has taught at York University and Duke University, and been Visiting Scholar in Women’s Studies and Political Science at Duke University and Political Science at University of California at Berkeley. Nadine has also worked as Policy Analyst for the Ontario and Federal governments and as Management Consultant in the private sector. Her research includes art and politics, community arts, arts-based research exploring disability and difference, disability and aging, and community based research exploring local sustainability. She is co-Principal Investigator of Project Re•Vision (CIHR funded) which has produced over 100 digital stories and the experimental theatre piece "Small Acts of Saying," bringing to light experiences of disability and difference. She is co-Investigator of CFICE (Community First: Impacts of Community-Campus Engagement - SSHRC funded) exploring the possibilities and benefits of community-campus partnerships addressing environmental sustainability in Peterborough-Haliburton.  nadinechangfoot@gmail.com

Sally Chivers is the Director of the Trent Centre for Aging & Society, and Professor of English Literature at Trent University. She is the author of From Old Woman to Older Women: Contemporary Culture and Women’s Narratives and The Silvering Screen: Old Age and Disability in Cinema, and co-editor of The Problem Body: Projecting Disability on Film. She is a member of the international interdisciplinary research team “Reimagining Long-Term Residential Care: An International Study of Promising Practices” that conducts rapid ethnographies within care homes in 6 countries to determine how long-term care could be improved. Her individual research focuses on care narratives in the context of austerity, with a focus on advice and advocacy. sallychivers@trentu.ca

About Vicki.

Sarah Cullingham is a community development planner with an MA (planning) degree from the University of British Columbia. In her professional work Sarah is interested in helping community groups articulate and achieve their social and physical development goals. She is currently serving as the Age-friendly Coordinator with the Peterborough Council on Aging and is responsible for coordinating the development of an Age-friendly Plan for the Peterborough region. scullingham@peterborough.ca

Jeannine loves rollerskating, buying fabric, and snuggling with kittens. When not sewing, skating or snuggling, she is definitely not doing paperwork & bookkeeping. jeanninecrowe@trentu.ca 

Miri is a Gender and Women’s Studies student at Trent University. She is third generation Canadian with Irish and Jewish ancestry from Poland. She volunteers with Trent Active Minds and is passionate about mental health advocacy, LGBTQ+ issues, and human-rights-related issues. emmadavidson@trentu.ca

Andrea was born in Peterborough and raised in Maynooth, Ontario. Andrea has been an active member of the community since 1993 and is a former graduate of the Recreational Leadership Program at Sir Sandford Fleming College. She is also a former Senior Female Athlete of the Year for Wheelchair Track and Field. In June 2014, she was the recipient of the 2015 Holnbeck Award which is given out each year by the City of Peterborough to an individual or individuals who have volunteered their time to improving the lives of people who have disabilities, it is a lifetime achievement award. Currently, Andrea is a member of the City of Peterborough's Accessibility Advisory Committee, is a member of the City's Accessible transit advisory Sub-committee and is the current Chair for the city’s Built Environment Sub-committee as well. She is the Vice Chair of the Council for Persons with Disabilities and a member of the Kawartha Participation Projects Foundation Board of Directors. Andrea volunteers in her community because it is her way of saying “thanks” to those who have helped her over the years become the person she is today. Hear Andrea on Aging Radically. dodsworth.andrea@gmail.com

Peggy Edwards is a health promotion consultant, policy analyst and writer based in Ottawa. She has worked with Health Canada, the Canadian Public Health Association and the World Health Organization, and is the co-author of three best-selling books on healthy aging and grandparenting. She specializes in issues related to aging, social justice, voluntarism and gender. Peggy is a social activist and leader in the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign, which supports African grandmothers who are raising their children and grandchildren in the context of the HIV/AIDS crisis. wanderingpeggy@me.com

amberflynn@trentu.ca

Rosemary Ganley is 78 and active in Peterborough in several areas. International development has shaped her life. After a philosophy and English degree in Toronto and several years teaching, she spent six years in Jamaica and Tanzania with her family of three sons, through CIDA. She writes a column for the Peterborough Examiner, has been through cancer, cycles to Trent AC for fitness, and teaches one course at Fleming College. She is now active in the federal campaign, working for generational change. Rosemary gives some time to feminist efforts in the Roman Catholic Church. Hear Rosemary on Aging Radically | rganley209@gmail.com

Marlene Goldman is a Professor in the Department of English at the University of Toronto. She is the author of Paths of Desire (University of Toronto, 1997), Rewriting Apocalypse (McGill-Queen’s, 2005), and (Dis)Possession (McGill-Queen’s, 2011). She recently completed a book entitled Forgotten: Age-Related Dementia and Alzheimer’s in Canadian Literature. Her recent activities entail leaving the ivory tower and becoming a catalyst for changing the public’s gothic approach to dementia. More precisely, with the aid of an Insight Grant from SSHRCC, she is currently exploring the possibility of using film as a means of transforming the public’s perception of people with dementia. mgoldman@chass.utoronto.ca

christina.haralanova@gmail.com

Jo immigrated to Canada from the US in 1975, with her husband and three children. Jo remembers living in India for 6 years where she set up a learning centre and a school for untouchables after a stint teaching art at the American International School.  It was an exciting time to be in India—the war in Vietnam had shaken the lives of many young people who arrived in droves, searching for new knowledge, a new way of life. Jo produced a document of those years, “Learning Through Play”, which is still relevant today and may become the basis for a local alternative school. Since retirement, Jo has been active in Council of Canadians, Transition Town, the Sacred Water Circle, Safe and Green Energy (S.A.G.E.), Our Space, a non-program Art program for Saturday Community Meals at St. John’s Anglican Church and she is a Raging Granny. Jo says that experiences have taught her so much about the joys of being engaged in her communities, and she has met amazing humans who inspire and encourage her. Hear Jo on Aging Radically. easterly@persona.ca

Judith has supported social justice and human rights causes since her college days as Social Science major at Simmons College in Boston. In the 1960s and 70s, she housed national campaigners for Cesar Chavez's movement for migrant farm workers' rights as well as provided accommodations for young adult trainees from US Job Corps program. Judith was involved with racial integration program providing busing of Boston school children. She moved to Montreal and participated in and later chaired the Social Action Committee of faith community (then the Aging Committee of Montreal Council of Women). As an executive of community committee on Elder Abuse developed, she co-ordinated programs to raise awareness of issue within the community for over 10 yrs. As the Project and Program Co-ordinator of grassroots cesarean childbirth organization, Judith developed programs and materials to inform, educate and support parents and caregivers of rights and strategies to provide patient rights in the healthcare milieu. judithenk@yahoo.ca

sajidai@hotmail.com

(no bio provided)

(no bio provided)

In Jean’s words: This is not easy to do “briefly” after 90+ years of “bio”! I could introduce myself as I do in the Ojibwe language when I’m with my Anishinaabe friends: My name is Jean Koning.  I was born in Windsor, Ontario. I now live in Peterborough, Ontario. I am a white woman. I have walked with Ojibwe people for many years. I am learning to speak Ojibwe. Beyond that, I have been a wife, mother of three, and I have 11 grands and five great-grands, with more on the way, I understand (happily!). My husband was an Anglican priest who served in Manitoulin Island, where we met “Indians” for the first time, in 1966; and where I began to stand in solidarity with the First Peoples; eventually serving with Project North; later Aboriginal Rights Coalition (now a branch of KAIROS).  I worked closely with Aboriginal Anglican Church people throughout southwestern Ontario, as well as Traditional First Peoples. As a member of the Kawartha Truth & Reconciliation Support Group, I have begun to understand just how prophetic those words have been, as I continue to learn, and benefit from, what they mean to me in my life journey. jean.koning@live.ca | www.koningskomments.blogspot.ca/ 

janalackman@hotmail.com

Constance Carrier-Lafontaine is a doctoral candidate in the Joint PhD Program in Communication Studies offered by Concordia University, L'Université de Montréal, and L'Université du Québec à Montréal. She has completed undergraduate degrees in Communication and Political Science and, more recently, a Master of Arts in Communication at the University of Ottawa. Constance’s work explores visual culture, human-animal encounters and contemporary practices of displaying animals. Her dissertation examines the ways animals are represented and viewed within discourses of precarity.

Sheila was a Raging Grannies “wannabe” long before her retirement from the YMCAs of Québec as Director of International Development. Working for many years with YMCAs overseas, particularly in Latin America and Haiti, developed within her a deep disquiet over the inequalities and injustices so present in our world. At the same time, she was humbled and inspired by people of all ages around the world who were dedicated to making the world a better place for all. After learning about the Raging Grannies movement that began in Victoria BC in 1987, Sheila was determined to join as soon as she retired—and she did just that. She finds that this form of outrageous activism has helped keep her sane, in what sometimes seems an insane world. In addition to the Raging Grannies, Sheila is an active community volunteer, from delivering Meals on Wheels, to serving as President of a local Social Development Community Council. She is also the proud mother of 3 daughters and doting grandmother to 6 grandchildren.

Born in Jamaica, Nambi is a poet whose work explores the intersections of race, emotions, and mental illness. Their work is lyrical, deeply felt, and always rooted in storytelling. Niambi is a poet who reminds you that the act of breathing is an expression of strength. They are a two-time member of the Peterborough Poetry Slam Team, and travelled with the team to perform at the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word in Victoria in 2014, and in Saskatoon in 2015, where they were distinguished as a poet on the rise. Read more from Niambi.

Keara Lightning is a member of Samson Cree Nation, who has had the privilege of growing up as an uninvited guest on Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee territories. As an activist, she has worked on fossil fuel divestment campaigns and in climate-justice organizations, as well as Indigenous student and community groups. She hopes to continue writing and learning Cree language.  Read more about Keara.

mariettalubelsky@gmail.com

Michelle Macklem is a radio producer and graduate student at Concordia University in Montreal. She has produced work for CBC and was shortlisted in 2015 for the HearSay International Audio Arts Festival. In March 2016, she is releasing ADAPTIVE, a podcast series and part of her SSHRC-funded master’s research, which explores the intersection between human ability and technology. Michelle is a lab instructor and teaching assistant for Concordia’s intermediate sound production stream and has given guest lectures on the future of sonic storytelling and sound design. She is also a sound researcher with the Mobile Media Lab, and is producing a podcast with theAgeing + Communication + Technology project in collaboration with programmers at CKUT 90.3 FM. Before coming to Montreal in 2014, Michelle produced programs at the award-winning community radio station CFUV 101.9 FM. In addition to her master’s research, Michelle is currently working on projects that use sound design to explore the affective relationship between sound and human connection through fiction and non-fiction works. http://michellemacklem.com/

David Madden is a soundmaker at Fonds de Recherche du Québec – Société et Culture (FRQSC) Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute for Comparative Studies in Literature, Art and Culture (ICSLAC), Carleton University. He conducts research/creation in the areas of sound, electronic/popular music, media and gender, ageing studies, and mobilities. He also collaborates with the Mobile Media Lab at Concordia University as an Associate Researcher and with TSN 690 (The Sports Network) as an on-air contributor for the program, Game Night Montreal. david.madden@concordia.ca

Laura Madokoro is an Assistant Professor in History and Classical Studies at McGill University. Her research explores various facets of the history of refugees and humanitarianism. She is especially interested in questions relating to settler colonialism, human rights and race. Her current SSHRC-funded research explores the history of sanctuary in Canada from Confederation to the present, with a view to building towards a larger translocal history of sanctuary among white settler societies. Madokoro is the author of Elusive Refuge: Chinese Migrants in the Cold War (Harvard University Press, 2016), which considers the history of migration and resettlement for Chinese refugees to the white settler societies of the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. laura.madokoro@mcgill.ca

Charmaine is an incredible force for change in the Nogojiwanong/Peterborough community. She is currently the chairperson of the Community and Race Relations Committee of Peterborough (CRRC). Among many other things, Charmaine has been integral to Black Lives Matter rallies and celebrations of Black History Month in Peterborough, and has been vocal in challenging the federal government’s response to the Syrian refugee crisis. Hear Charmaine on Aging Radically  | cmagumbe@hotmail.com

Most of Tamara’s activism has been writing "Letters to the Editor” about how Peterborough ignores poverty issues such as lack of low rental apartments, lack of food, and lack of resources.  Tamara also crochets hats and scarves for people in need, donating them to the Lighthouse Drop In Centre run by CMHA. An important point of Tamara’s activism was doing a 3 minute digital story describing her hardships with mental illness in the hope of educating, which was done through the YWCA.

I am a descendant of Irish immigrant settler farmers of the Ottawa Valley, and have lived in Nogo/ Ptbo for the last 33 years. I somehow managed to raise three socially active children, and now, at age 60, I am following in their footsteps in an attempt to be a "somewhat" activist. I am the editor/ publisher of JOURNEY Magazine Ptbo, and I volunteer with Red Pashmina Inc., Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan, and a Syrian refugee family. I operate This Old Flame which is a beeswax candle business, and I play bassoon in the Kawartha Community Orchestra. Hear Melodie on Aging Radically | mcculloughmed@hotmail.com

Bev McKibbon is co-owner of All Seasons Weddings Ltd.  She lives in Ottawa with her husband Casey and two wonderful golden doodles: Daisy and Murdoch.  Bev is also a mother and grandmother.  Bev is a very proud and humbled member of GRAN and has been co-Chair Ottawa Regional GRAN Group, co-Chair GRAN Leadership Team and member of GRAN Hill Team.  Activism has been a part of Bev’s life since she can remember however it really began in earnest in the early ‘70s with the Peace movement and Amnesty International. bevmckibbon@gmail.com

Dayna McLeod is a video and performance artist whose work has shown internationally. She has received funding for video projects from the Canada Council and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Quebec, has won numerous awards, and often uses remix practices to mashup mainstream culture. Dayna is currently at The Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Society and Culture at Concordia University pursuing an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Humanities. dayna@videotron.ca | http://daynarama.com

Dawn Berry Merriam is a partner in Merriam & Associates, a community planning business, whose partners have over 30 years’ experience in the social and environmental sectors. Dawn’s work in the Peterborough community has enabled her to work with all levels of government as well as a wide variety of non-profit organizations that provide health, social services, and housing supports. She started her career with the City of Peterborough as Social Planner with the City’s Planning Department. She later worked with the Haliburton, Kawartha and Pine Ridge District Health Council as the Associate Executive Director. She has also served as the Manager of Support Services with St. Joseph’s At Fleming, where her portfolio included admissions, social services, volunteers, pastoral care as well as recreation and therapy services for the resident care in the home. Most recently, Dawn was the Research & Policy Analyst with the Peterborough Social Planning Council, a position she held for over 9 years. Dawn is a member of Trent’s Centre for Aging and Society. dawnbm@merriam-associates.com

I am excited to be working with the community through my experiences with Trent. Working with the community has been an interest of mine for a while and gaining the experience through my schooling is something I look forward to!

Monique Mojica (Guna and Rappahannock Nations) is passionately dedicated to a theatrical practice as an act of healing, of reclaiming historical/cultural memory and of resistance. Spun directly from the family-web of New York’s Spider Woman Theater, her theatrical practice embraces not only her artistic lineage, by mining stories embedded in the body, but also the connection to stories coming through land and place. olowaili.m@gmail.com

Hear Alanna with the Peterborough Raging Grannies on Aging Radically

Cara Mumford is a Métis writer and filmmaker, She describes her films as visual poetry, utilizing a variety of combinations of film, video, still photography, animation, music, dance, and spoken word to create layers and textures within each piece. Her films have screened across Canada and in the United States. “Paper Dove” a music video filmed and directed by Cara for Toronto-based singer/songwriter Jeanette Lee, premiered at imagineNATIVE in October 2011. Mumford recently completed “When It Rains,” part of the Stolen Sisters Digital Initiative commissioned by the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival for their 2012 festival. Mumford’s newest film, Ecstasy (2018), is in progress. http://www.caramumford.com

Maureen Murphy has had a camera in her hand since age ten. Her photographs have appeared in local and community newspapers, magazines, on the cover of government reports, in the Stephen Lewis Magazine/Newsletter, Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign newsletters and on the In Community ads, website and posters as well as multiple websites. She has a strong belief that making a contribution to help others is an important part of life. Although Maureen enjoys taking photographs of a wide variety of subjects, her first love is people photography. mcmurphy226@gmail.com

Shivani is a fourth year Honours student, joint majoring in Gender and Women’s Studies and Sociology. She is a first generation Canadian and her parents were born in Gujarat, India. 

Sasha is a poet and community organizer who spends lots of time with kids. If you were to encounter Sasha in an unexpected moment, you might find them making delicious food, gardening, hanging out in a forest, or singing some sweet harmonies and picking a beauty tune on the guitar. Their poetry engages in themes of activism, identity, queerness, and social justice. They have represented Peterborough nationally in individual and team poetry slams, and have performed and offered workshops across the province. They also work with youth, do activist work, and spend their time creating change in their community and inspiring the people around them.

I am a fourth year student at Trent, pursuing a double major in Political Science and Indigenous Studies. I would first like to acknowledge what an honour it is to be able to work and live on the land of the Mississaugas. I am currently a member of the Board of OPRIG and the Queer Commissioner for the Trent Central Students’ Association (TCSA). I am fortunate to work for the Community Opportunity and Innovation Network (COIN) leading a program that facilitates people with disabilities starting their own landscaping businesses. 

Dyalla Popatia is from present day Vancouver, unceded Coast Salish territory, but currently living in Nogojiwanong/Peterborough as an undergraduate student at Trent University. She is currently in her final year, completing a major in International Development Studies and a minor in Indigenous Studies. 

Alicia is from the small town of Petrolia. She is currently in her fourth year at Trent, majoring in Sociology and Women’s Studies. She is interested in the criminalization of women. 

Ooma is a fourth year student majoring in Women’s Studies and Anthropology, whose activist history includes women’s reproductive rights and food justice. 

barbara.ratzenboeck@uni-graz.at

Hayley is a fourth year student at Trent University in the Teacher Education Stream. She is currently completing her Honours degree in Psychology with a minor in Gender and Women’s Studies. She hopes to one day be a Grade 3 teacher in Lindsay—her hometown! Some of her favourite courses include: Motivations and Emotion, Feminist Research, Feminist psychologies, and Gender and Popular Culture. Her gender studies research interests revolve around women’s sexual and reproductive rights. In her third year, along with two fellow students, she conducted a content analysis of the effects of developmental organizations on the status of women. During the summer months when she has some free time, Hayley enjoys travelling to tropical islands, watching the latest movies, and trying new sushi restaurants! 

thehummingbirdacademy@hotmail.com

Carole Roy is an associate professor in the Department of Adult Education at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia. She was involved in the peace movement in Victoria, BC, in the 1980s, where she met the women who later became the Victoria Raging Grannies, starting the iconic movement of creative older women activists who speak out with flair and pizazz on issues of concern. She has published The Raging Grannies:  Wild Hats, Cheeky Songs, and Witty Actions for a Better World (Black Rose Books, 2004), as well as articles on the Raging Grannies and other wise women activists. She has also worked with Magnus Isacsson on the documentaries Les Super Memes (French) and Granny Power (with Jocelyne Clarke). She is grateful to the Raging Grannies and other boldly daring women for a vision of vibrant and dynamic aging.

Hear from Gisele on Aging Radically.

Gillian was born in England where she attended one of the first post-war private schools. She later received her B.A. Hons, 1st class, from King’s College in London, an M.A. from Memorial University in Newfoundland and Ph.D. from London University all in English Literature. Gillian was married in 1957 and has 3 children, 8 grandchildren, and 1 great granddaughter. Gillian’s work life included teaching English at Memorial and Trent; being a Probation and Parole Officer; one term as Peterborough’s MPP; doing public affairs and news for CHEX; Executive Director of the Elizabeth Fry Society, Toronto, and Peterborough Youth Services; Chief of Staff for the Ontario Minister of Education in the N.D.P. provincial government; Director of a team providing H.R. services to the Ministers and the Parliamentary Assistants in that government; Parliamentarian for the Federation of Women Teachers of Ontario; member of the Ontario Parole Board and ended her work life as a consultant. Hear Gillian on Aging Radically  | isandem@nexicom.net

Dana Sawchuk is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at Wilfrid Laurier University (Waterloo).  Her background is in the sociology of social movements and the sociology of religion.  Her previous publications on aging and activism have focused on a series of interviews she conducted with members of the Raging Grannies in Canada and the United States. More recently she has investigated how older adults and the aging process are represented in popular religious and mainstream magazines.

A feminist media studies scholar with a commitment to critical thinking and research creation, Sawchuk’s research spans the fields of art, gender, and culture, examining the intersection of technology into people’s lives and how that changes as one ages. Her long career of research and writing have addressed the embodied experiences of technology and their discourses; mobile media; and the politics of geo-location and the transition to wireless infrastructures, with particular attention to age, ageing and its cultural impact. Sawchuk is a Professor in the Department of Communication Studies, the Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies for the Faculty of Arts and Science at Concordia University, and the Principal Researcher of Ageing + Communications + Technologies (ACT).

jcsherwin@videotron.ca

Janet is a retired Canadian diplomat who spent most of her thirty-year career working in immigration and refugee affairs in Africa and Asia. She also held several senior positions in Ottawa, including that of Assistant Deputy Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Canada. But it was her early experiences in the 1980s in Kenya that led to her abiding passion for sub-Saharan Africa and the challenges facing its people. By the time she returned to Africa in 2007 as the Canadian High Commissioner (Ambassador) to Tanzania, she knew what she would do when she retired in 2009. Now a proud grandmother of four, Janet is a self-confessed Stephen Lewis “groupie” She is active in the local Grandmothers to Grandmothers group in her adopted hometown of Peterborough, and a member of the Ontario Region Resource Group. Most recently Janet has become an active participant in GRAN and co leads the Violence Against Women Working Group.

Sadeqa was the coordinator of the South Asian Women’s community Centre, (a services support and advocacy organization in Montreal) for 30 years and retired in year 2012. She is now an active member and president of RECAA, Respecting Elders: Community Against Abuse. At RECAA, she works towards the respect of elders in the cultural communities of Montreal. You can find more information at the RECAA website: www.recaa.ca | sadeqa29@gmail.com

Mark Skinner is a health, rural and social geographer. His primary research interests are aging communities, health care and voluntarism, with particular attention to rural people and places. Featuring community-based research in Canada and internationally, his work contributes to the fields of rural aging, rural health, social gerontology, health and social care, and the voluntary sector. Mark's current projects examine the continuum of health care for older rural people, the evolving role of voluntarism in aging rural communities, and aging in Canada's resource hinterland. He is founding Director of the Trent Centre for Aging & Society and he supervises graduate students through Trent's interdisciplinary programs in Canadian Studies and Sustainability Studies, and teaches courses in qualitative methods, foundations of geographic thought, health geography, rural community sustainability and community-based research.

Linda is past Co-Chair and current member of the Sustainable Peterborough Coordinating Committee initially as a representative and past-General Manager of the Community Opportunity & Innovation Network (COIN). Through her work with COIN, and as a member of the Community Food Network and Nourish Peterborough, food sustainability has been a central focus. Internationally, Linda has worked on educational, research, development and environmental projects. For the past 40 years, she has lived, worked and volunteered on local anti-poverty, social justice, peace and environmental issues at the local, provincial, national and international level. She recognizes that the integration of economic, social and environmental issues is critical to the long-term health of our community. Linda believes the greater Peterborough area has the spirit and the skills to make the changes needed for a sustainable future. Hear Linda on Aging Radically  |  lslavin@nexicom.net 

Ruth Steinberg is an Ottawa based photographer specializing in portraiture and fine art photography. She holds a BFA from the University of Manitoba and graduated from the two year Portfolio Program at the School of the Photographic Arts Ottawa (SPAO). She was the Artist in Residence, Short-term Projects at Enriched Bread Artists in Ottawa, ON during the fall of 2014, where she initiated the series What the Body Remembers. www.ruthsteinbergphotographs.com

Randy Stoecker is a Professor in the Department of Community and Environmental Sociology at the University of Wisconsin, with a joint appointment in the University of Wisconsin-Extension Center for Community and Economic Development. He has a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Minnesota, and an M.S. in Counseling from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He conducts trainings and speaks frequently on community organizing and development, community-based participatory research/evaluation, higher education community engagement strategies, and community information technology.  He has led numerous participatory action research projects, community technology projects, and empowerment evaluation processes with community development corporations, community-based leadership education programs, community organizing groups, and other non-profits in North America and Australia. 

Liz Stone is the executive director of the Niijkiwendidaa Anishnaabekwewag Services Circle, a community-based agency providing counselling services, traditional healing programs, transitional housing support and youth services. Stone is an Anishnaabe woman and since her youth she has been learning to use her voice in a kind and loving way to make change for her community and beyond. Stone was part of the 1994 takeover of Revenue Canada, was part of the New York chapter of the American Indian Movement, and has been active in Indigenous resurgence movements across Turtle Island, including the Idle No More movement. lizs@niijki.com

yasminstrautins@trentu.ca

smokii is a proud member of the ktunaxa nation and a phd candidate in indigenous studies at trent university. smokii identifies as two-spirit, a social media addict, a cat person, a musician, an auntie, a lover, and a writer. while smokii might want to return to bc someday, Nogojiwanong is quickly becoming home. (photo by Tenille Campbell)

Sharon Swanson is a retired educator currently residing in Kelowna, BC. Sharon did her undergraduate degree at UBC and her graduate work later in life at Ottawa U. For over 50 years, she taught at all levels, from grade one to teachers’ college, spending the final 20 years as a training consultant for senior managers in the federal public service. During the last decade Sharon has been a strong supporter of the Grandmothers for Africa campaign and a devoted activist for the Grandmothers Advocacy Network (GRAN). She has held leadership roles in both organizations, currently deeply committed to the GRAN Archives project and developing new archiving knowledge and skills. Although an activist since the days of the Vietnam war and living in both the United States and Australia, she remains actively engaged with both local and global issues. Sharon wants her children and grandchildren to see firsthand that their voices and actions can make a difference in the world. sharon@mirinda.ca

waaseyaa'sin christine sy is Anishinaabe of mixed ancestry from Lac Seul First Nation and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. She presently lives and works in the territories of the WSANEC and Lekwungen people where she lectures in Gender Studies at the University of Victoria. She is a mother; actively engaged in supporting Anishinaabeg endurance through language, ceremony, land-based practices, and critical thought; and, is presently taken up with the muse that is being out of territory—a first in her life. Sy has won awards for poetry, short story (fiction), and academic writing. She is the blog-author of “Anishinaabewiziwin." Through a queer indigenous materialist feminist theory, her Ph.D. research examines historical and Anishinaabe knowledges about womyn's relationship with the sugar bush and interprets this for a contemporary and future practice of land (re)matriation. christinesy@uvic.ca Hear her poetry here. Check out her blog here.

Carole TenBrink is a Montreal performance poet, storyteller and teacher.  She takes performance back to its primal roots where ritual, breath, rhythm, and movement carry audiences to larger awareness. Raised in a repressive subculture in Michigan, nature saved her… the Great Lake, sand dunes, oak trees, grasshoppers. Carole’s life has been all about breakthrough. Now she gives back to her audiences the exuberant energy and gratitude for life that comes from overcoming dark experience. Writing poetry since childhood, she studied Literature and creative writing at McGill University, then began publishing poems and giving readings. Always moving to her own rhythm, she performed with the Ontario women’s drum group, Anahata, and studied Nia dancing. Then she discovered Spoken Word – overjoyed to get poetry off the page, she has never looked back. caroletenbrink@gmail.com

Steffany is from Ottawa and currently in her 4th year at Trent University doing a joint major in Environmental and Gender Studies. She has a strong interest in environmental justice and human & environmental health issues. 

Carmela has an Honours BA in Sociology and International Development Studies from Trent University. In 2004, she completed a Certificate of Management from the Schulich School of Business at York University. In 1997, Carmela started working at the New Canadians Centre in Peterborough (NCCP) as the Host Program Coordinator and became its director in 2000, a post that she held until August 2009. Carmela also worked for the Community Race and Relations Committee (CRRC) in Peterborough from 1997-2000. Carmela is an experienced settlement worker and has over eight years’ experience of senior management of a settlement agency providing integration programs to immigrant and refugee families in the Peterborough region. She is the consultant and owner of Carmela Valles Immigration Consulting. info@carmelavalles.com 

Elizabeth reflects that unlike many of the Raging Grannies, she is new to social activism. Work had been the center of her life for thirty years, so retirement meant a reshaping of her life.  Not only was it a time for a change but also she felt the need to give back to the society that had provided her with such a good life. Returning to university for a degree in Anthropology, the birth her grandchildren, and the growing realization that our planet is on a path of destruction helped shaped the direction of her transformation. Being a Raging Granny has given meaning to Elizabeth’s life, keeps her very busy, provides a community of likeminded women, challenges her intellect, and often tickles her funny bone. 

Paige is a Third year student at Trent University, currently completing her Bachelor of Arts Honours Degree in Psychology with a Minor in Gender and Women’s studies. She excels in many Psychology courses, however she finds most fulfillment in courses related to gender and women’s advocacy. During her free time Paige enjoys playing soccer, taking part in outdoor activities such as hiking, and she loves finding new baking recipes to try. One day she hopes to backpack through different countries around the world and share the knowledge of various women's issues she has acquired with others.

Breanna is a fourth year Trent student majoring in psychology and minoring in gender and women’s studies. Her research interest include mental health, publicly funded health care, and the gendered socialization of children. Breanna is currently working on an honours thesis project with psychology professor Rory Coughlan. The project investigates the extent to which student nurses feel prepared for their clinical placements as a result of their nursing courses. Outside of academia, Breanna enjoys singing, hockey, and most importantly spending as much time as she can with her friends and family.

Rose Marie Whalley grew up in a working class neighbourhood in the north of England. She is a retired teacher, a mother and a grandmother. As a young woman, she got involved in the social justice issues of the day: banning nuclear weapons and ending apartheid in South Africa.  She spent time in the US working to end the war in Vietnam and engaging in consciousness-raising groups on feminist issues. Living in Montreal for over 40 years, she has continued working on the feminist agenda against militarism, against poverty and job insecurity, for human rights and reproductive rights, childcare etc. In 2003, she became a founding member of a small radio collective, Older Women Live, which has a monthly show of the same name on CKUT 90.3 FM in Montreal. By continuing the feminist agenda to include ageing, the show aims to raise awareness of the negative effects of ageism whilst at the same time inspiring the next generations to continue the struggle for a just world. Listen to Older Women Live | 

Elder Shirley Ida Williams Pheasant is a member of the Bird Clan of the Ojibway and Odawa First Nations of Canada. At age 10, she attended St. Joseph’s Residential School in Spanish River, ON. Elder Shirley started teaching in the Native Studies Department at Trent in 1986, in order to develop and promote Native language courses. Now an Elder, she remains a professor emeritus in Indigenous Studies at Trent. She has published one book, Aandeg, meaning The Crow, as well as numerous articles and teaching materials on the Ojibway language and culture. Elder Shirley led the Revitalization of the Nishnaabemowin Language Research Project and the Lexicon Dictionary, a collection of Ojibway and Odawa words organized and presented by themes. In 2017, Elder Shirley received an honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology in recognition of her remarkable Anishinaabemowin teaching and pedagogy and her extraordinary community leader. She is a water walker and a member of the Sacred Water Circle, which brings together Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to work for the benefit of water. siwilliams@trentu.ca

winlars@videotron.ca

I am a Sociology Major in my fourth year of study. I love the outdoors and I have a passion for working with children. I would not consider myself an ‘active’ activist in the sense that I have not engaged in social protests or marches, however I do feel passionately about the activist work that goes on in the feminist community. I took a course this past summer called The Revolution Will Be Recorded, examining the ways in which popular culture in Canada assisted and caused social movements to challenge and reimagine gender and the way that it is enacted. This course struck my interest in the way that popular culture often encouraged and was involved in protest cultures. I am interested in the way that feminist social movements in the Peterborough community and transnational community have allowed individuals to gain a voice and to create social movements and social changes.