The Friendship League is what happens when you mix international tourism with sport for peace and development methodology. We take sports enthusiasts for friendly exchanges with teams that are isolated from the international sporting community due to geography, logistics or politics. We then work with local communities to develop a plan through which our exchanges can contribute to their development needs. In the past, our support has included fundraising, equipment donations, providing elite coaching or training opportunities, raising awareness, facilitating introductions to external organizations, and supporting the inclusion of marginalized groups. With the help of our participants, the Friendship League has generated more than 80 million media impressions and countless discussions on the benefits of engagement.

People with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities face immense stigma and marginalization in even the most developed countries. I was therefore shocked to find that the international community was largely unwilling to engage North Korea on the issue, so I took it upon myself. Initially, my work focused on relationship-building with local organizations and discussing the current trends in the field internationally. Eventually, I gained permission to arrange for expert delegations to travel to North Korea to advocate and provide training programs on the inclusion of people with disabilities in sport. The project is now focused on facilitating introductions to international organizations that can provide long-term support.

In Canada, an individual with an intellectual disability has a life expectancy that is 20 years shorter than their peers in the general population. Special Olympics BC found that to be unacceptable, so they asked me to come up with a plan to achieve health equity. After lengthy research, planning and stakeholder engagement phases, the Champions for Inclusive Health Stakeholder Coalition (CIHSC) was born. Consisting of more than 50 individuals and organizations representing a diverse range of stakeholder groups, the CIHSC served as a forum for cross-sectoral collaboration, resource sharing and education. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the CIHSC has scaled back its stakeholder engagement and collaborative efforts to focus on advocacy.

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East Africa is far from the easiest place to start your first business, but I’ve never been one to back down from a challenge. Alongside a couple of fellow entrepreneurs, I spent much of my early twenties on the picturesque Kenyan coast where we had started two award-winning backpackers hostels. While I eventually decided to sell my shares and return to university, my time in Kenya helped me develop many of the entrepreneurial skills that allow me to thrive today.