“Being able to attend this forum has given me lot of hope about our policy work and reignited my enthusiasm for tackling the pressing issue of climate change.”
Earlier this fall, Prof. M.V. Ramana and two MPPGA graduate students, Bahaar Abbas and Lilly Floerke represented UBC’s School of Public Policy and Global Affairs at the Social Forum in Wolastokuk and associated meetings organized by CEDAR (Contesting Energy Discourses through Action Research).
Since 2023, Professor M.V. Ramana has been a core member of CEDAR, a five-year research initiative funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and based at St. Thomas University in Fredericton. CEDAR collaborates with academic and non-academic partners, including the Passamaquoddy Recognition Group, Wolastoq Grand Council, NB Media Co-op, and Sierra Club Canada Foundation and the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility.
“Social forums are spaces for popular movements and civil society groups to coordinate campaigns, share strategies, and learn from each other,” said Ramana, “CEDAR’s decision to partner with other groups and co-host the Social Forum in Wolastokuk alongside its biennial meetings allowed for even more meaningful connections and cross-sector dialogue.”
Held in Fredericton, New Brunswick and organized in part by NB Media Co-op, the Social Forum in Wolastokuk brought together activists, community organizations, and academics for two days of dialogue and collaboration on topics spanning colonialism, capitalism, environmental justice, and solidarity.
Grassroots Action
For International student Bahaar Abbas, the Social Forum was an opportunity to step outside the academic bubble and connect learnings from the MPPGA program with action taking place at the local level here in Canada. “Growing up in India, I had been involved with local communities and felt connected to grassroots discourse on policy and politics there. The Social Forum helped me develop a better sense of social movements here in Canada – how they germinate and who the people participating in these movements are.”
When asked which themes or issues resonated with her the most, Bahaar reflected: “At times, I find that Public Policy can be detached from important conversations about structural change and shifts that need to take place in order for policies to be effective. However, it was really cool to see the Social Forum address topics like colonialism, capitalism and solidarity through local policy issues like labour rights, energy democracy/affordable energy, and anti-Palestinian racism. It resonated with me particularly because it made the bigger picture discourses on undoing persisting, unequal systems seem tangible and achievable through local action.”
The Power of Intersectionality
Prior to the forum, MPPGA student Lilly Floerke recalled how she was challenged by a member of the CEDAR team to think about intersectionality throughout the event, not just as a theme, but as a living concept that could bring together the various sessions. “This remark shaped my engagement with the forum,” she said. “What stood out to me most was the way in which all kinds of topics came together and the similarities that existed between stories from different areas across the globe, as well as the connections people were able to make. Several discussions stuck with me, such as a story shared by a woman from Egypt who had recently immigrated to Fredericton and built a non-profit for Palestine, and personal stories from a recent university graduate working at the NB Media Co-op, who emphasized the importance of creating awareness about global issues for those who are forced to stay silent.”
For Lilly, the forum reinforced that policy is not confined to government halls. “Policy is shaped by the people it affects most,” she emphasized, noting how powerful it was to connect with others and witness poetry, storytelling, and arts-based activism. “Being able to attend this forum has given me lot of hope about our policy work,” she said, “and reignited my enthusiasm for tackling the pressing issue of climate change.”
