Anita Khanna has joined CASSA as the Community Engagement Coordinator for the Welcoming Communities Initiative project.  She completed her Master of Social Work at the University of Toronto with focus on community based mental health work. Anita has over 10 years of experience in community organizing, youth work, arts programming, environmental and social justice work rooted in feminist, anti-oppressive and anti-racist principles. Her research experience has focused on the social determinants of health as they relate to livelihoods and globalization in rural India, surviving on social assistance in Ontario and family homelessness in Toronto.  Raised in Cambridge, Ontario, Anita is familiar with the barriers people of colour and other marginalized groups face in communities outside the GTA. She looks forward to organizing efforts to enhance equity, access and inclusion in partnership with community members and groups across Ontario.

anita@cassa.on.ca

Farhat Hasan works as Finance and Office Coordinator at CASSA. She holds a Master's Degree in Business Administration and and has specialized in Admin and Bookkeeping through Business Office Skills program from Seneca College, Toronto. She has over 6 years of administrative experience and has worked in different industry sectors like financial services, human resources and project consultancies. Being an immigrant herself, Farhat identifies with the issues and hurdles faced by South Asians and looks forward to contributing her skills and knowledge towards the mission and values of CASSA.

farhat@cassa.on.ca

Hafsa has joined CASSA as the Youth Engagement Coordinator, following her role as Youth Engagement intern over the summer (2010), during which time she assisted in implementing CASSA’s the Youth Engagement portfolio. She is a recent graduate from McGill University, double majoring in International Development Studies and Political Science, with a focus on community and social development. She was a community activist and radio-journalist, who has initiated various awareness campaigns to educate young people about the media and racialized groups. She is passionate about issues related to social justice, media-literacy and reform, and plans on pursuing her post-graduate studies in media and communication studies. She is also an amateur photographer and a painter, who believes in the arts as a powerful medium for social change. Hafsa is the designer of all the Trailblazers United promotional materials.

hafsa@cassa.on.ca