Our University of the Streets Café public conversations are much like any you’d have with friends or family around a dinner table, except with more people, more points of view, and slightly more structure. Conversations are hosted by a volunteer moderator who is there to welcome everyone and keep things on track. To get things started, there’s a guest, or sometimes two, who get the ball rolling by sharing their ideas, experiences and questions. After that, it's all up to the participants.

Does the act of giving to charitable causes contribute to meaningful social change? Is there such a thing as social justice Philanthropy? In what ways can non-profit organization move towards away from providing the proverbial fish while promoting critical social engagement? Are there best practices and pitfalls to avoid when doing so and what is the role of commercial business models in non-profit spaces? This public conversation looks at how non-profit organizations engage in social transformation. Should we quantify or qualify the change we’d like to see in the world?

This conversation is organized in collaboration with the Community Service Initiative at the Concordia University John Molson School of Business.

Guest:Dave McKenzie

Moderator: Fabiola Mizero Ngirabatware grew up between three continents. Her existence has been a threshold for a deep understanding of the weight of inequality, violence and exclusion. She carries a passion for community development, seizing opportunities to create a positive and enduring impact on the social, economic and cultural well-being of marginalized people from all walks of life. As a staff member of the Center for Community Organizations (COCo), she focuses on the Finance, Strategic Alliances and Funding Development.