April 16, 2026
12:00 - 1:00 PM ET
Description
In a time of increasing polarization and social fragmentation, belonging is no longer just an aspiration. it is essential for creating more equitable democratic futures. As we reach the midpoint of a courageous three-year journey to make belonging a policy priority in Canada, we invite you to pause, reflect, and look ahead.
Join us for a conversation centered on the recently released 2025 Strategy for Belonging Midpoint Report. This session is a strategic dive into how we move from transforming individual and collective skills to enabling systems-wide support in making belonging a Canada-wide policy priority.
What We Will Explore:
- The Journey So Far: A look back at 2025—a year focused on transforming skills and knowledge across Communities Building Belonging, a network of over 9,000 changemakers.
- 5 Key Learnings for Movement Building: From collaborating across difference to the vital connection between well-being and belonging, we will discuss the insights sustaining this Canada-wide movement.
- Strategic Recommendations: A preview of the priority pillars for 2026, including investing in community infrastructure and integrating belonging into policy intersections like climate resilience and housing.
- The 2026 Roadmap: How we are transitioning into "Enabling Systems-Wide Support"—the final stage of our 2024–2026 strategy, and what would it look like to build collaborative infrastructure for belonging through the Belonging Commons.
Whether you are a policy-maker, a community leader, or a signatory of the Belonging Pledge, this conversation is an opportunity to see how we can collective contribute towards making belonging a policy priority. We will share stories of place-based action and discuss how we can co-design a future where belonging is centred in how we choose to live with one another.
Speakers
Savroop Shergill. Senior Manager of Communities and Team Lead, Communities Building Belonging. Tamarack Institute
Savroop Shergill (she/they) is committed to decolonial praxis, abolitionism, and third-world and Black feminist principles. She is a registered Social Worker and community organizer. She has worked with survivors of gendered violence, houseless youth, immigrant communities, incarcerated folks, diverse faith communities and S2LGBTQ+ youth and elders. She is passionate about addressing and dismantling the various systemic barriers that marginalized youth and their communities face.
Sav lives and works on Treaty Thirteen Territory, signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit, and the Williams Treaties, signed with multiple different Mississaugas and Chippewa bands. This place has been the traditional home and meeting place of Indigenous peoples since time immemorial. Tkaronto, colonially known as Toronto, is on the traditional territories of the Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabeg, Huron-Wendat, the Chippewa, and the Mississaugas of the Credit. In the Mohawk language, “Tkaronto" means "the place in the water where the trees are standing." She is passionate about addressing and dismantling the various systemic barriers to support climate justice and belonging work across different communities on Turtle Island.
Jorge Garza. Director, Networks for Change. Tamarack Institute
Jorge (he/him/il) stewards a network of networks committed to ending poverty in all its forms. He collaborates with leaders from across sectors to implement community-led initiatives that address economic poverty, strengthen our relationships with the planet and each other, and advance promising career pathways for youth.
Jorge previously led Tamarack's Canada-wide movement that mobilized thousands of local champions to counter polarization by centring belonging as a policy priority. His career in the non-profit and philanthropic sectors, including roles at the Metcalf and McConnell Foundations, is guided by core values of generosity and authenticity. A realistic optimist, Jorge believes in everyone’s potential to build regenerative futures. He also advocates for cities of all sizes to be catalysts for social transformation. Jorge currently serves on the Board of Directors of Fondation Béati.
Erika Massoud. Community Animator, Networks For Change. Tamarack Institute
Before joining the Tamarack team, Erika (she/her/elle) worked with non-profit organizations and academic institutions in Canada and internationally, on issues of youth engagement, immigrant and refugee rights, gender equality and social inclusion. She holds a bachelor’s degree in International Development and Globalization and a Master’s degree in Migration and Intercultural Relations. Erika is passionate about mobilizing communities towards social justice.
