In our season finale, Steve sits down with Joanne Curry, Vice President, External Relations of Simon Fraser University. As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of SFU’s Surrey campus, Joanne takes us through the transition from TechBC to SFU, her role as SFU Surrey’s first Executive Director, the early days of the Surrey campus, and the journey that lies ahead for our campus and our community. Here are the show notes for this week's episode: https://www.sfu.ca/surrey/executive-directors-office/the-journey-here/season-1/joanne-curry.html Learn more about SFU’s Community Engagement Strategy: https://www.sfu.ca/vpexternal/vice-president-external-relations/strategy.html Our theme music is called "Happiness" by Scott Buckley. Learn more: scottbuckley.com.au.

In the penultimate episode of our first season, Steve chats with Matt Hern, the co-founder and co-director of Solid State Community Industries. Known for his work in radical urbanism, community development and alternative forms of education, Matt has founded a wide range of community projects, initiatives and institutions. In this episode, Matt reflects on his experiences growing up around the Indigenous reserves on Vancouver Island, his passion for working with and supporting lower-income and racialized families, and adapting to the life’s unexpected adventures. Here are the show notes for this week's episode: https://www.sfu.ca/surrey/executive-directors-office/the-journey-here/season-1/matt-hern.html Learn more about Solid State Community Industries and the worker co-operatives they support: https://solidstate.coop/ Our theme music is called "Happiness" by Scott Buckley. Learn more: scottbuckley.com.au.

Steve chats with Bailey Mumford, the Senior Director of Housing and Homelessness at Métis Nation British Columbia. Bailey grew up in Surrey and spent many years working in parks and recreation. This eventually led him to different parts of the country to work with marginalized peoples. He always found that regardless of who he was working with, all roads led back to combatting homelessness. Bailey shares his journey and breadth of experiences, the work he currently does with Métis Nation British Columbia, and the importance of treating everyone with dignity and respect. Here are the show notes for this week's episode: https://www.sfu.ca/surrey/executive-directors-office/the-journey-here/season-1/bailey-mumford.html Learn more about Métis Nation British Columbia and their work: https://www.mnbc.ca/ Our theme music is called "Happiness" by Scott Buckley. Learn more: scottbuckley.com.au.

Steve sits down with Rochelle Prasad, the co-founder of SPARK Foundation. Rochelle has extensive experience in community engagement, youth empowerment, and life education. In this episode, Rochelle shares how her passion for community service and leadership began from a very young age, the experiences that have shaped her work today, and her plans for the future. Here are the show notes for this week's episode: sfu.ca/surrey/executive-directors-office/the-journey-here/season-1/rochelle-prasad.html Learn more about SPARK Foundation and what they do for youth here: sparkfoundation.ca. Our theme music is called "Happiness" by Scott Buckley. Learn more: scottbuckley.com.au.

Steve sits down with Kathleen Burke, university lecturer at SFU's Beedie School of Business. Along with her teaching, Kathleen is the facilitator of Community Leaders Igniting Change, a 12-week program that helps local community members build upon their leadership skills and confidence as change-makers Kathleen recounts her journey of growing up in Indiana and playing basketball, what prompted her to move to British Columbia to continue her education, and what it means to her to work alongside community leaders. Here are the show notes for this week's episode: sfu.ca/surrey/executive-directors-office/the-journey-here/season-1/kathleen-burke To learn more about Community Leaders Igniting Change, you can visit sfu.ca/surrey/engage/community-programs/community-leaders-igniting-change Our theme music is called "Happiness" by Scott Buckley. Learn more: scottbuckley.com.au.

Steve sits down with Doug Tennant, the CEO of UNITI. A lot of Doug's work focuses on not-for-profits that support people with diverse abilities, and he credits that passion to his step-daughter, Krista. In this episode, we journey with Doug as he recounts his time teaching and what he learned from it, the importance of language, and advocating for inclusivity in the community and beyond. Here are the show notes for this week's episode here: sfu.ca/surrey/executive-directors-office/the-journey-here/season-1/doug-tennant To learn more about UNITI and the work that they do, you can check out their website here: uniti4all.com Our theme music is called "Happiness" by Scott Buckley. Learn more: scottbuckley.com.au.

Steve sits down with Kue K'nyawmupoe, a resilient woman who has a passion for community engagement and helping others. Kue's journey began in a Thailand refugee camp where she lived a simple life with her family for the early part of her life. At age of 15, Kue and her family moved to Canada, and through the support of her local church and settlement programs, Kue and her family integrated into their community. In this episode, Kue takes us through her journey from living in the refugee camp to what it was like to journey from Thailand to Canada, and some of the work that she does to engage her roots, culture, and community. Here are the show notes for this week's episode: sfu.ca/surrey/executive-directors-office/the-journey-here/season-1/kue-knyawmupoe.html Kue developed a project called Karen Youth in Action that helps connect Karen children and youth in British Columbia to orphans living in Karen State. You can learn more about that project here: https://www.facebook.com/KarenYouthInAction1 Our theme music is called "Happiness" by Scott Buckley. Learn more: scottbuckley.com.au.

Steve sits down with Dr. Joy Johnson, the current President and Vice Chancellor of Simon Fraser University. In this episode, Joy discusses her life growing up as a pastor's kid in Ontario and Vancouver, the lessons she's learnt throughout her nursing career at the start of the AIDS epidemic, and the adventures that have led her to her current role at SFU. Here are the show notes for this week's episode: sfu.ca/surrey/executive-directors-office/the-journey-here/season-1/joy-johnson Learn more about Joy and her priorities as SFU's president here: sfu.ca/pres. Our theme music is called "Happiness" by Scott Buckley. Learn more: scottbuckley.com.au.