The Team

Making It Happen

The Facilitators

Jorge and Camille have been working together since 2017. They collaborate on projects that bring people together to build the courage and care needed to face inequity head on, shift the conditions keeping problems in place, and equip us to protect the most vulnerable in our systems. These projects have included the InnerActivist, the Refugee Livelihood Lab (include links) and training people to engage conflict generatively via Lewis Deep Democracy.

Jorge and Camille have very different life experiences across gender, migration history, class, ethnicity, family upbringing, and more. As colleagues and friends, they have worked deeply on how power shows up well, and harmfully, in their relationships. This has given them a rare degree of safety and trust to facilitate these issues with others.

We have “sat in the fire” of groups in conflict, with the intention to support transformation, learning and growth for everyone, including ourselves. We are really open to hearing your hopes and concerns for this process. We love learning, and we love challenge. Please don’t hesitate to reach out!

Camille Dumond

Camille Dumond (she/her) works as a mediator, group facilitator and trauma therapist. She brings a relational approach rooted in respect for the dignity and value of all people. Camille is of Indo-Caribbean and French-Irish descent, living on unceded lands of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ / sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples. She co-founded Waterline, a worker’s cooperative which offers conflict engagement training and consulting. She also co-founded the Refugee Livelihood Lab with Nada Elmasry at SFU. The Refugee Livelihood Lab is a platform for racialized migrant leaders to build solidarity towards a wiser, more just future that includes the pains and joys of healing together.

Jorge Salazar

Jorge Salazar (he/him) uses his own immigration journey, life experiences, training and education to bridge communities and facilitate positive change within the government, non-profit and for-profit organizations alike and grassroots groups.

Jorge has been cultivating relationships among diverse communities in BC, Canada and the Global South for more than 20 years. He has worked with the Child and Youth Advocate Office of BC (currently the Representative for Children and Youth), Immigrant Services Society of BC, MOSAIC, the International Institute for Child Rights and Development – University of Victoria, City of Vancouver, the Ecumenical Task Force for Justice in the Americas and PeerNet BC among others.

Jorge is a community activist, trainer and leader in the non-profit sector. He currently works as the Director of the Inner Activist, a project of MakeWay Canada. Most of the projects he is involved with are about opening spaces for inclusive facilitation and systems change while focusing on community empowerment within an anti-oppression and decolonization framework. He promotes strong community connections among diverse communities, particularly between Indigenous, immigrants and refugees among others.

The Organizers

Mohammed Zaqout

Mohammed (he/him) was born and raised in a refugee camp in Gaza – Palestine. He holds a degree with honors in Business Administration and Accounting.

Since moving to the unceded land of the Coast Salish peoples’, Mohammed has been advocating for refugee claimants’ housing and right to work through his work as the Achieving Financial Mobility Project Coordinator at Kinbrace.

With his most recent refugee claimant lived-experience, he is seeking justice and systems change in his community and work. Mohammed is involved with Solid State Community Industries in addressing the economic immobilities of racialized migrant youth by achieving a solidarity economy and building cooperatives. Also he is a Community Advisor with the Vancouver Foundation and RADIUS-SFU offering programming and mentorship.

"As a refugee claimant myself arriving in Vancouver, finding meaningful employment and affordable housing were very hard and stressful. What was most shocking was that those refugee claimants with education, experience, language, and more that I know of had the same issue, applying for jobs and not hearing back without knowing why.

I believe that Transforming Employment Narratives is a step in the right direction towards understanding the gaps in the system and engaging all parties involved to help refugee claimants belong and employers hire."

Mohammed Zaqout, TEN, Project Coordinator

Derek Chu

Derek (he/him) was born in Hong Kong and immigrated to Canada with his family when he was 6-years-old. Growing up in Calgary and then Vancouver as a Hong Konger Canadian, he experienced numerous challenges, similar to most newcomers. His experiences growing up drives his passion to come alongside the marginalized and vulnerable, helping them to find and experience flourishing. This has taken the route of working in humanitarian aid and development work with Global Aid Network, volunteering overseas with orphans and refugees, and currently in his role at Kinbrace as the Director of Operations.

“I’m so excited for the TEN program, as it’s such an amazing opportunity to bring refugee claimants, employers and HR professionals, and settlement workers together in-person in a smallish group over several days to better understand one another and dream together a better way forward. Opportunities like these lead to mutual transformation and begin to set the foundation for systems change.”

Derek Chu, Kinbrace, Director of Operations

Advisory Committee

We are grateful for the Advisory Committee, made up of leaders and experts in systems change, settlement services, employment services, and JEDDI work. Their leadership and support have given this program a strong foundation to seeing refugee claimants and employers flourish together.