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The Spur Change national conference is a signature event to bring together Canadian small and medium organizations (SMOs), educators, and youth in the international cooperation sector. Organized annually, the conferences have been rooted in peer-knowledge sharing and have each focused on a different action area of Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP) with the United Nations’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a cross-cutting theme.
This year’s conference, Pathways to Gender Equality, aimed to advance gender equality and empowerment in alignment with the core FIAP Action area: Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. The event was designed specifically for SMOs and had four main objectives:
The conference engaged a total of 92 participants from coast to coast to coast. This year, the Spur Change team was also excited to provide a group of international participants, partnered with Canadian SMOs, the opportunity to attend the conference in-person so that they could share their expertise and experiences in gender equality.
The conference was held at the Aga Khan Foundation Canada in Ottawa. On behalf of the team, we would like to thank the Aga Khan Foundation Canada for their generous support and being our hosts for the three days of knowledge sharing and peer learning.
The conference opened with James Parsons (Executive Director, Canadian Partnership Division, Global Affairs Canada) who set the stage by acknowledging the unceded land of the Algonquin people upon which we had gathered, going beyond acknowledgment and inviting us all to deeply honour this space. Afterwards, the Honourable Senator Paulette Senior shared some key insights from her many years of experience promoting gender equality, touching on achievements in the field thus far and on the work ahead, in an interview with Sandra Muchekeza (Executive Director, Alberta Council for Global Cooperation). After a few more opening words from Khalil Shariff (CEO, Aga Khan Foundation Canada), who spoke to the longstanding tradition of the land where the rivers meet as a meeting point, the first sessions of the conference began.
Karen Craggs Milne’s session focused on her signature Conscious Equality Framework, drawing on her extensive experience across regions and sectors promoting gender equality. With particular emphasis and poignant personal anecdotes on the importance of including everyone, including men and boys, in this vital work, Karen’s tool and session were forward thinking on how to achieve inclusion for all. Following this, Lois Arokoyo (Vice President, UNAC Regina) led the session Breaking Barriers & Inviting Inclusivity, fostering dialogue and collective thinking on solutions to the barriers within the international cooperation sector. Representatives from Global Affairs Canada’s Grants and Contributions Transformation Initiative then took to the stage to provide an overview of the work being done to make funding more transparent and more accessible to a wider range of organizations–providing an opportunity for participants to give direct feedback. To round out the day, Darcy Ataman (CEO, Make Music Matter) spoke about the organization’s work using the power of music as a tool for empowerment and transformation. The evening concluded with food and conversation, listening to a Make Music Matter playlist featuring brave artists who have become emboldened advocates through music.
The second day began with an opening panel discussion with international leaders in gender equality sharing their personal stories, lessons learned, and paths that need to be taken to advance gender equality even further in the sector. Moderated by Christina MacIsaac (Director of Innovation, Fund for Innovation and Transformation), it was truly a highlight to get to hear Iris Canham (Roll a Hippo Foundation), Roheena Ali Shah (My Oral Village), Sada Segeja and Zulpher Bashir Mbwana (Community Forests International) share their wisdom and insight on engaging communities around the world. The discussion delved into the approaches they use to address barriers in critical fields such as child development and protection, economic empowerment, climate adaptation, and policy advocacy. They highlighted innovative strategies that empower communities, promote lasting change, and break down systemic challenges.
The day continued with a series of engaging workshops. Anne Pringle (Director of Programs & Impact, Lucky Iron Life) and Keely Rogers (Director of International Development, Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief) led the first workshop on ensuring inclusivity in gender equality work—how to engage marginalized groups in practice. In the next workshop, Stephanie Calver (SAGE Project Manager) shared how Right to Learn Afghanistan is leveraging online tools for education and led a collective reflection on how to bridge the gap of inequality when working with international partners, educators, students, and technology, through a gender equal lens. The last workshop was facilitated by Results Canada who took us through how to use advocacy as a tool for gender equality and ways for SMOs to advocate, share their impact, and be heard.
For the second evening, Spur Change cohosted Small Steps, Big Results with the Aga Khan Foundation Canada. The in-person and online event showcased the crucial role of SMOs in advancing gender equality to a wider public. We were honoured to have Anita Vandenbeld (Member of Parliament, Ottawa West–Nepean) open the event, recognizing SMOs’ impacts globally and locally, before Jennifer Elms (Gender Equality Advisor, Aga Khan Foundation Canada) moderated a discussion panel with SMO representatives: Hyang Cho (Executive Director, Good Neighbours Canada), Dianne Losing (Medical Mercy Canada), Karine Casault (Mer et Monde), Geetanjali Gill (Associate Professor and Program Chair, University of the Fraser Valley), and Dennis Stuebing (Executive Director, Wisdom2Action). Roheena Ali Shah, who was an implementing partner on a project with My Oral Village and spoke earlier in the day, also spoke at the event about the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme Pakistan in which she is currently engaged. The panelists shared their organizations’ impacts and we encourage you to take a look at their websites linked above to learn more! Jennifer Elms also shared thoughtful reflections on the evening in this article on the Aga Khan Foundation Canada website.
On the last day of the conference, the opening workshop facilitated by Darren Brown, focused on storytelling and learning for change. Inviting participants to reflect on what has enabled the work they do and the potholes they’ve run into, the session led towards gathering insights on the needs of SMOs into the future of promoting gender equality and beyond. Finally, Jesse Clarke (Founder, JN Clarke Consulting), ended the conference with a workshop looking at how to navigate government transition and what SMOs can do amidst shifting national priorities and agendas.
With that being said, throughout the three-day conference it was truly the engaged and eager participants who brought the event to life and contributed to its success. There was a wide range of participants, working in different areas of international cooperation and in different regions of the world, but we were very fortunate to be able to unite such a dynamic and inspiring group of passionate changemakers. A heartfelt thank you to each and every participant and speaker who was able to attend–we hope the discussions you had and the connections you made will continue to resonate and strengthen your important work as we all continue along the pathways to achieving gender equality.
Below, find a photo gallery from the conference as well as thoughts from participants on the event. You can also check out the participant page to learn more about the agenda and speakers.
I am so grateful to have been part of this life changing conference. Not only am I seeing myself grow as a social activist but I have new ways to approach issues in my communities, which will ultimately mean greater impact!
A great opportunity for exchange, with diverse perspectives and understanding of contexts leading to reflection on the best planning and evaluation of results.
I really enjoyed learning about the experiences of other SMOs and their contributions, and all the sessions have inspired me [...] these spaces are important for SMOs, they enrich us greatly.
First time participating in the conference - It was a wholesome experience to connect with other practitioners across Canada and internationally and learn their invaluable insights. I appreciate Spur Change for supporting SMOs that need this kind of forum to enrich our knowledge and empower us to give back to our communities.
The conference was an inspiring platform for exchanging ideas, building connections, and gaining new tools to foster meaningful change. Key takeaways include the importance of collaboration in driving equity, innovative strategies for addressing social issues, and the value of diverse perspectives in creating inclusive solutions for community empowerment.
I found the conversations had over lunch with my tablemates each day to be the most impactful parts of each day. The people at the conference were wonderful.
I met more new contacts than anticipated and have enjoyed following up post-conference. Many of the SMOs that I met were leading the way in different areas and it was inspiring to learn more and be able to make these connections. The time for knowledge exchange was 'just right'.
Learnings from the conference participants were many and varied in regard to the impacts they are striving for in the work they do and the approach they take to achieve their goals. The one thing I thought they all had in common and, therefore, my top takeaway is that no matter what the initiative it is critical that it be an integrated approach including all key stakeholders, especially those most impacted to be successful.
As available resources vary among organizations, we aim to promote an equitable strategy to support those that may not otherwise have the opportunity to attend. To encourage participation from small and medium organizations (SMOs), Spur Change covers the admission/ticket price for all selected participants. Since our budget limits the number of participants we can accommodate, a selection process helps us ensure a diverse range of SMOs can participate according to our criteria.
The conference is designed for representatives from small and medium organizations (SMOs) funded by the Development Impact Window and the Fund for Innovation and Transformation, as well as SMOs involved in international cooperation and committed to advancing gender equality and empowerment. Participants will be selected based on:
Other factors that will be considered:
To promote broader representation across the sector, we will prioritize one participant per organization.
Definition of small or medium organization (SMO) from Global Affairs Canada: the consolidated revenue in your organization’s financial statements is equal to or less than $10 million (this limitation does not apply to educational institutions) and your organization does not have annual overseas expenditures exceeding $2 million in development assistance (i.e. projects administered with the promotion of the economic development and welfare of developing countries as their main objective (regardless of the funding source). (Source)