ABOUT ME
Hi, I'm Cris Dias
Community Development Worker | Volunteer
Vaccine Ambassador | Inclusion Advocate
Animal Lover
WHERE I COME FROM
I am from the South of Brazil, a hometown named Porto Alegre. I want to start telling more about my professional background. I am graduated in Computing with a Ph.D. in Computer Education, but I have chosen a new beginning here in Canada. While living in Toronto, I decided to study Community Development Work to help people in need. I focused on many projects that could support my colleagues and peers.
I came to Toronto with my husband and my lovely pets, Claudinha (cat) and Sagu (dog). Sagu was almost 14 years old when he could not manage the cold weather in Canada and passed away. For long, mourning months, it was just the three of us, until last January when we decided to adopt another cat named Mittens; she is adorable!
WHERE I AM NOW
In Brazil, I used to work as an Educational Advisor, teaching and counselling around 300 students from the start to end of their Technical Computing studies. I produced educational materials and provided lectures online and offline for the program. I also helped collaborate on projects to organize the curriculum of this program. I worked as a researcher and developer during my studies for my Doctorate in Computer Education Doctorate developing a platform for accessible lesson plans for the University population. I love to manage and coordinate research projects from the beginning to the end. With limited funding for research, I also proved my ability to be flexible in changing circumstances during the research project. In particular, this project helped me connect with Universities in Europe and North America and expanded into further partnerships and international cooperative projects. This position was my most rewarding experience so far and taught me so much about the academic environment, how to support others, and how technology can keep students with disabilities connected.
Here in Canada, I have focused my abilities on becoming a Community Development Worker and promoting safety and connections within the community. With my placement at Centennial College, I improved my soft skills by communicating confidently with the college population. The Community Development Work Diploma program helped me develop transferable skills such as teamwork and leadership. My background as a researcher in Brazil helped me merge my learning and studies into hands-on practice through this program. As a Community Developer, I led projects with autonomy that addressed student issues such as food insecurities, environmental issues, social issues, etc. I worked with a fantastic staff and professors at Centennial College. I was grateful to be nominated for the Student and Alumni Advisory Committee (ISAAC) from CICan and guided by Canadas’ commitments to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In addition to my studies, through my Brazilian community, we have embraced diversity and used a public podcast to share our challenges and concerns about living abroad. We also had a strong representation at the 2019 Pride Parade with more than 100 participants. In 2020 I organized the Virtual Pride Brazil - Canada with 2.2K views on Live Facebook. And we could continue to engage the community in the next year, 2021.
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WHERE I AM GOING
I want to keep using the Emergent Strategy pattern created by Adrienne Maree Brown (2017). I want to find alternative ways of knowing and cultivating the power to draw from observing the natural world, gain experiences organizing the frontlines of climate and social justice projects, and activate our connections and bond with the world.
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“I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.”
― Angela Y. Davis
“The idea of freedom is inspiring. But what does it mean? If you are free in a political sense but have no food, what's that? The freedom to starve?”
― Angela Y. Davis
“You have to act as if it were possible to transform the world radically. And you have to do it all the time.”
― Angela Davis