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At 22 years-old, Aaron is pursuing a specialist in Urban Studies at the University of Toronto. While in school, Aaron has worked for a City of Toronto councilor, and is the President of his local youth political riding association, as well as the Vice-President of his program’s student union.
Aaron’s passion lies in working with young people. He has worked at a camp for at-risk youth, developed and delivered anti-violence seminars to elementary students, traveled to Toronto schools as a representative of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, and spends time volunteering at an after-school program for the children of Vietnamese immigrants. Outside of the city, Aaron has worked as a councilor at a youth centre in Smiths Falls, Ontario and spent time living in Honduras, where he co-ordinated youth programs and taught English in the community.
Presently, Aaron is the policy intern in the office of the Minister of Municipal Affairs & Housing for the Province of Ontario, and is one of the Toronto City Summit Alliance’s inaugural DiverseCity Fellows. He hopes to help develop Toronto’s dynamic urban culture, and share with others the stories that continue to inspire him.
aaron@citybuilders.to
Craig Cal
A freshly vacuumed carpet is like a blank canvas to a 9 year old with urban planning on his brain and city building in his heart. With the help of a TV remote and his little fingers, the young kid drew streets, sidewalks and buildings for his G.I. Joe’s and their many vehicles, much to the chagrin of his mother.
Little did she know that the child would grow up and pursue his Masters of Science in Planning at the University of Toronto, write for Spacing Magazine, develop affordable housing with St. Clare’s Multifaith Housing, lead tours with Jane’s Walk and coach basketball and soccer to children at the Scarborough YMCA. Despite his busy schedule, the young man still finds time to be an avid “The Wire” fan, fervent Liverpool FC supporter and inaugural member of the Toronto City Summit Alliance’s “DiverseCity Fellows” leadership program.
Through it all, the hum of vacuuming still makes him smile…
craig@citybuilders.to
Che Kothari
At the young age of twenty-five, Kothari has become an established photographer and leader dedicated to fostering other young artists in Toronto. With a degree in Photography from Ryerson University’s School of Image Arts, Kothari specializes in portraiture, fashion and event photography, and has photographed artists including Common, K-OS, Faith Evans, A Tribe Called Quest, Talib Kweli and Ziggy Marley. Kothari is also an entrepreneur: he is the Co-Founder of Hightop Studio (a creative media company); Founder and Executive Director of Manifesto Community Projects, an organization dedicated to fostering collaboration in Toronto’s artist community.
In addition, Kothari is a founding and active board member of the Canadian Youth Arts Network; a founding member, Managing Director and Co-Creative Director of the leading Canadian urban arts website Earwaks.com, a founding member and the 2008 Executive Director of Ignite The Americas: Youth Arts Policy Forum, and leads various photography workshops for youth across the GTA. He is also an inaugural member of the Toronto City Summit Alliance/Maytree Foundation’s “DiverseCity Fellows” leadership program. Whether making a difference with his photography, cultural events, mentoring youth through creative workshops, Kothari leads with intelligence, passion and a commitment to creating change.
che@citybuilders.to
