The People of SWOVA

Our Staff

Lynda Laushway Executive Director

Executive Director, Lynda Laushway has a Masters Degree in Criminology and has worked in the Canadian Criminal Justice System in various capacities over the past thirty years. She has taught criminology at Memorial University in Newfoundland, been the Assistant Editor of a monthly publication on criminal justice for the Solicitor General of Canada, and for the past fourteen years has focused on prevention of violence against women and children. She is the mother of two grown sons.

Lynda is the recipient of the Attorney General’s, Regional Awareness and Promotion Award for a outstanding contribution towards crime prevention and community safety in British Columbia, as well as the 2005 winner of the YM-YWCA Women of Distinction Award for education, training and development for the Vancouver Island Region.

She is also one of the authors of the book Freedom From Fear, The How-to Guide on Violence Prevention, Inspired by Teens for Teens.

 

Megan Manning-Burton Assistant to Executive Director and Administrative Support

Megan comes to the organization with years of administration experience including arts organizations, advertising agencies and the civil service. She has a background in film, photography and graphic design and is also a published writer. She recently relocated to Salt Spring from England where she’d been living for 13 years, enjoying the weather!

 

Juli Macdonnell Bookkeeper

Juli Macdonnell has a BA in Women's Studies and Sociology, and has worked in the Women's Movement for the last two decades.  She currently lives with her partner and cat on Salt Spring Island.  Whenever possible, Juli takes the opportunity to write, work with clay, and look for signs of wildlife.

 

Christina Antonick Program Coordinator – R+R and Pass-it-On Project

Christina Antonick has worked with SWOVA for the past six years. She has been inspired by the voices of over 800 youth in her 3 years acting as the adult female facilitator of R+R in SD #64 and as the coordinator of R+R and Pass it On Girls and Women's Project in 2008-2009. Christina also co facilitated the 2008 R+R provincial training.

Christina has worked as a social justice educator for the past 14 years. She attended McGill University in Montreal where she studied Theatre, Communications and Women's Studies. Between 1995- 2000 Christina worked in Vancouver as a front line advocate/counsellor. She was the coordinator of a Pro Bono Legal Clinic for women dealing with custody and access issues as well as a classroom facilitator for youth violence prevention work in Vancouver schools. In 1999, Christina was involved in the creation of Safe Choices. She provided consultation and training for service providers and systems personnel who want to make their services more effective and accessible for women in same-sex relationships.

Christina’s inspirations include Audre Lorde, James Hillman, Michael Meade and Dr. Martin Brokenleg. She is a passionate advocate for education that is dedicated to the cultivation of heart, soul and community.

 

Sean Mulligan Adult Facilitator – R+R SD#64

Sean Mulligan was born and raised in Vancouver, but is now an islander through and through. Sean has a Diploma in Outdoor Recreation Management from Cap College and a Geography / Environmental Studies Double Major from University of Victoria. He is the owner of the Salt Spring Adventure Co. on Salt Spring Island, a small kayaking outfit, and is a lover of the outdoors. Sean has worked with Youth in a recreational setting for over 12 years and is dedicated to inspiring youth to be actively involved in environmental and social justice work. Sean is proud to be a part of SWOVA's progressive R&R Program. To quote Roosevelt "We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future."

 

SWOVA Board of Directors

Lorna Cammaert Board Chair

As Chair of the SWOVA Board, Dr. Cammaert brings a wealth of experience to her position as leader of a non-profit society dedicated to youth violence prevention and the development of healthy and respectful school environments in British Columbia.  Dr. Cammaert is now retired from the University of Calgary, where she served as a Professor of Psychology and Associate Vice-President of Student Affairs.  She has also been a Psychologist in private practice.  A published author and award-winner for her outstanding achievements in promoting the advancement of women in Canadian universities and colleges, Dr. Cammaert brings strong vision and insightful leadership in her role as SWOVA’s Board Chair over the course of the past decade.

 

Tania Aguila

Tania is originally from El Salvador and came to Canada with her family due to the repression in her country of origin.  She holds a degree in Anthropology and Latin America Studies from Simon Fraser University and has spent most of her life working on human rights, peace and justice. Tania came to Salt Spring Island after coordinating one of Canada’s largest Peace Conferences (World Peace Forum 2006) where over 5 thousand people from all over the world attended. With a strong background in programs and events coordinating as well as administration, she is now working with Terralingua, an international environmental organization with focus on Biocultural Diversity.   She is currently involved in the Salt Spring Island Community as the Co-chair for Fernwood Elementary School PAC, Co-chair of District Parents Advisory Council and DPAC rep for GISS.

 

Jean Elder

Jean Elder, Ph.D, has spent most of her working life in universities--Smith College, University of Saskatchewan and the University of British Columbia where she was a member of the history department and organized and maintained the development of a baccalaureate program in Medieval Studies. Her own baccalaureate is from the University of Toronto and she has an advanced degree from Bryn Mawr College, Philadelphia. Jean retired from the University of British Columbia and subsequently moved to Salt Spring Island where she was, among other things, a member of the board of SWOVA through the days of the major grant from the National Crime Commission. As treasurer, she tried to maintain, with mixed success, some sort of financial viability despite the vagaries of granting agencies.

 

Chris Gay

I had the privilege of being one of a team of four who worked on the 'Widening the Circle' project for SWOVA from 2007 to 2008. It was through that involvement that I learned about the remarkable work that has been generated by SWOVA. What I appreciate about the work that SWOVA does is its collaborative and facilitative approach to community development which aligns with my own professional journey. Over the past 30 years I have had a varied career in the early childhood intervention field, community development, learning and development within the BC government and private contract work in the areas of facilitation and life coaching. Along whatever path my professional journey has taken me, I see facilitation as being my primary modality in working with others. I look forward to working in a voluntary capacity with the SWOVA Board over this next year.

 

Richard Kerr

Richard is an economist specializing in the analysis of social programs and issues. He has advised the National Crime Prevention Centre on the cost-benefit analysis and evaluation of their programs. His reports for the federal Department of Justice and various bar associations have been cited in court decisions, including by the Supreme Court of Canada. He is co-author of the report "Paying for Violence: Some of the Costs of Violence Against Women in B.C." Richard has also been a volunteer probation officer and a member of Salt Spring Island's restorative justice and community policing programs. Before becoming a Salt Spring resident in 1993, he worked with community economic development groups in Canada, Africa and Asia.

 

Zelly Taylor

When I was a young kid, Newsreels were still shown at the movies. Even though it was after the Second World War, the newsreels sometimes included footage of film shot at liberated concentration camps. SWOVA's Respectful Relationships program is the best possibility I've encountered anywhere for ending the unthinkable. I realize it will always be a possibility, but the short range benefits from this program are impressive. Initially, I was told that the atmosphere in our secondary school has completely changed. It has become a very pleasant place to work. More recently I've learned that bullying has all but disappeared. So, I've joined SWOVA's board and hope that the organizational and logistical skills I've gleaned during thirty-some years in IT management can be of service.

 

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