Meet the Team
The members of the Rivers of Hope team bring a diverse range of expertise and skills. We all share a common passion for building classrooms and communities where everyone belongs.
Sidrah Ahmad Chan, B.Ed, M.A.
Director, Rivers of Hope
Sidrah Ahmad Chan brings over a decade of experience in community-based educational settings, where she has designed curriculum and led programming to help challenge prejudice and build inclusive environments.
Her past work includes coordinating a literacy program with the Beat the Street program at Frontier College, engaging in curriculum design and workshop facilitation with the Harmony Movement for the Ontario Ministry of Edcuation, coordinating programming and supporting youth at Pathways to Education, coordinating a province-wide educational campaign at the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI), and designing curriculum for a national course on gender-based violence for the immigrant and refugee sector in Canada.
Sidrah's Master's research on hate crimes against Muslim women in the Greater Toronto Area was the catalyst for the formation of Rivers of Hope. This research received media coverage and sparked a conversation about the unique vulnerabilities of immigrant, Muslim women to bigotry and violence. As a founding member of Rivers of Hope, Sidrah collaboratively designed curriculum for High School workshops alongside a core team of diverse community leaders, including Aima Warriach and Nae H. She currently coordinates all Rivers of Hope programming and will be your first contact person when you reach out!
As an emerging writer, Sidrah has published op-eds and personal essays for the Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, CBC Docs, This Magazine, Broadview Magazine, and TVO.org. She brings her passion for writing and self-expression to Rivers of Hope programming, and has mentored youth in sharing their experiences and insights in written formats. Sidrah is currently working on her PhD at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Edcuation at the University of Toronto, where she studies the educational potential of women's memoirs that engage with the topics of trauma and faith.
In her spare time, Sidrah enjoys hiking, baking, and participating in improv comedy at Second City.
May Mohamed
Summer Programs Coordinator, Rivers of Hope
Maymuna (May) Mohamed is a writer and arts-educator based out of Tkaronto. In her role as an arts-educator, she facilitates programs that use art to reclaim power and spark meaningful conversations. She has opened for The Roots and Shane Koyczan. She also featured in Habbibiz, an exhibit exploring placemaking in the city. In her work, May has practiced storytelling as a form of sharing her truth and holding space for others to share their own.
Libin Ahmed
Facilitator Team Leader, Rivers of Hope
Libin Ahmed is a graduate of Social Service Work at Humber college and is currently studying Child and Youth Care. Her interests include storytelling, podcasts, anime, and cooking. After facilitating workshops with Rivers of Hope for a year, she has taken on a new role as a Team Leader. You can reach her at libin@riversofhope.com
Classroom Workshop Facilitators
Rivers of Hope has a dynamic team of workshop facilitators, who are young adults between the ages of 18-25. Our facilitators are selected through a competitive process and receive training and ongoing mentorship. They are the heart of our programming!
Fadima is a social work student in Toronto. She grew up in Canada but lived in multiple countries while growing up, which gave her the opportunity to learn different languages and cultures. She is excited to be a part of Rivers of Hope and facilitate important conversations. Through these conversations, sheI hopes we can raise awareness around the struggles that certain groups face in our society. Her hobbies are sewing and swimming.
Fadima
Tanuj is currently a student at York University under the Concurrent Education program. He has volunteered at summer camps and as a tutor and has found great satisfaction working with youth. Tanuj enjoys practicing yoga and hiking in his free time. He is passionate about helping youth become leaders in fighting discrimination and hopes to create a world where everyone belongs!
Tanuj
Samantha is a third year psychology student with an interest in social psychology. She believes in the importance of educating others on the ways that they can provide assistance in discriminatory situations. She provided assistance to the National Forum on Anti-Asian Racism in 2021, which highlighted the ways in which post-secondary environments, students, and faculty are affected by racism. In her spare time, she enjoys bullet journalling, reading, and watching shows such as Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
Samantha
Nabihah
Nabihah is a second year Political Science student at McMaster University. She has a huge obsession with reading; it’s very fitting, since she works at both a library and a bookstore! As a returning facilitator from last year, she is excited to tackle tough topics through Rivers of Hope, and really make a difference!
Ada
Ada graduated with a BSW at Ryerson University. While working with the youth around her, she decided to merge the two things she loves: Social Work and art. She is looking forward to growing her skills and also growing herself at Rivers of Hope!
Noor
Noor is an undergraduate student studying neuroscience, and is very passionate about advocating against racism and hatred. She is very excited to be a workshop facilitator for Rivers of Hope this year.
Iman
Iman is currently a student at the University of Toronto studying English, History, and Book & Media studies. She was born and raised in a Pakistani household here in Canada, but spent the majority of her childhood across the globe in Kuwait whilst attending an international school. For that reason, she had quite a diverse and multicultural upbringing, giving her the opportunity to learn about the communities that she was surrounded by. Outside of school, she loves to spend time playing video games or reading a good book.