Design Groups Toronto

An SD walk in the park

**An autumn service safari through the Vale of Avoca and Moore Park Ravine** A few weeks ago, we asked the SDD community what you’d be up for this October. The clear favourite was getting outside for a fall meetup. Then Toronto’s Ravine Days came up, and someone suggested: **“an SD walk in the park?”** Well… we’re doing it. We’ll meet at David A. Balfour Park and make our way through the Vale of Avoca and Moore Park Ravine, using a service safari to explore this public place together. The City of Toronto is currently exploring improvements to the Vale of Avoca, including how people **access, move through, and experience the ravine**, as well as challenges like erosion and flooding. We’ll use a service safari to explore it for ourselves. Phones in hand, we’ll walk, observe, and capture what we notice: What’s working? What’s not? Where do we hesitate? What makes the experience special? What are we curious about? Along the way, we’ll compare notes, spot patterns and turn our observations into questions and opportunities. We’ll also borrow lightly from Design Council’s *Skills for Planet* to consider the wider environment our experience sits within. **No slides. No presentations. Just curious people, a beautiful fall walk, some service design in the wild and hopefully some good fall colours.** Bonus: We’ll bring what we learn together into a short set of SDD field notes that we hope to share with the Vale of Avoca project team. **Bring:** comfortable shoes, weather-appropriate layers + a charged phone. **No service design experience required - curiosity is plenty.**

Toronto Real Estate, Interior Designer, Construction & Finance Networking

***Tickets Must be purchased in advance!*** https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/toronto-real-estate-interior-designer-construction-finance-networking-tickets-2002921455992 Get ready to connect with Toronto's finest real estate, design, construction, and finance professionals at a networking event like no other! Stellar Socials by Limitless: Elite Networking for Toronto Real Estate, Interior Designer, Construction & Finance Networking Join us for an exclusive evening designed to connect ambitious professionals in law, real estate, and construction. This event is your opportunity to build valuable relationships, discover new opportunities, and take your career or business to the next level. Whether you’re seeking partnerships, fresh career insights, or simply looking to expand your professional circle, this is the perfect space to **network, collaborate, and exchange ideas**. **DRESS CODE: BUSINESS CAUSAL** ### **About Stellar Socials by Limitless** Stellar Socials is the **premier networking experience** for professionals across North America. We bring together lawyers, real estate leaders, construction innovators, entrepreneurs, and investors in a **stylish, dynamic, and welcoming environment**. Our mission is simple: foster **authentic connections** that spark collaboration, innovation, and growth. ### **Who Attends?** Expect a diverse mix of driven professionals, including: * **Legal Experts** – Attorneys, paralegals, and consultants in real estate, construction, and business law * **Real Estate Professionals** – Agents, brokers, developers, investors, and builders * **Construction Leaders** – Architects, engineers, contractors, and project managers * **Entrepreneurs & Investors** – Business owners and firms seeking partnerships * **Graduates & Job Seekers** – Ambitious professionals looking to break into the industry * **Startups & Innovators** – Companies seeking investors, talent, and collaborations * **Media & Marketing Experts** – Creators and journalists covering industry trends 📍 **Age Group:** 21–55 \| **Venue:** 21+ (Bar setting) ### **What to Expect** ✨ High-impact conversations on legal trends, real estate opportunities, and urban development ✨ Direct access to industry leaders and like-minded peers ✨ Career-boosting insights and potential collaborations ✨ A relaxed and open social atmosphere—perfect for organic connections Whether you attend solo or with friends, you’ll leave with **new contacts, fresh insights, and future opportunities**. ### ***The Stellar Socials Experience:*** Our events are curated to encourage **natural, pressure-free conversations**. With a focus on relationship-building, you’ll connect with professionals who can inspire your next move—professionally and personally. Come ready to meet, collaborate, and grow. ### Join the Community 📲 Instagram: [@stellarsocialsbylimitless](https://www.instagram.com/stellarsocialsbylimitless) 📘 Facebook: Stellar Socials by Limitless 🎥 TikTok: [@stellar.socials](https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/toronto-real-estate-interior-designer-construction-finance-networking-tickets-2002921455992?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true) ### Notice of Photography: *Please note: Photos and videos will be taken for promotional purposes. By attending, you consent to being photographed and/or filmed. If you prefer not to appear, kindly inform an event organizer upon arrival.*

Workshop 2: Bold Colour

FIGURE & FORM w/ RIEL

Signature Series I Hatha

Yoga Kawa's Signature Series I is our modern expression of Hatha Yoga: a heart-led, breath-centered practice that harmonizes body, mind, and spirit through purposeful movement and stillness. This class follows a set sequence uniquely designed by Yoga Kawa to help students build confidence, mobility, and awareness over time. The familiar flow lets you feel your own progress week by week, refining alignment, posture, and breath with each return to the mat. Poses are held for several intentional breaths (about three in the 45-minute version, or five in the 60-minute version), giving you time to truly inhabit each shape and connect with your breath. The slower pacing invites you to move with curiosity rather than urgency, gently awakening strength and flexibility as the body softens into each pose. Beyond the physical, this practice nurtures mental clarity and emotional balance. As the breath steadies, the nervous system settles, easing stress, calming the mind, and restoring a sense of inner harmony. Every session opens with 2 minutes of breathwork and closes with 3 minutes of stillness and the resonant vibration of OM, sealing your practice with centered calm and quiet awareness. To learn more visit [Yoga Kawa](https://www.yogakawa.com/schedule/)

Food Styling Workshop: an Immersive Food Photography Experience

IMPORTANT: YOU MUST ALSO REGISTER AT THIS LINK: [https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/henrys-church-sony-food-photography-workshop-food-styling-fundamentals-tickets-2002955832814?aff=oddtdtcreator](https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.eventbrite.ca/e/henrys-church-sony-food-photography-workshop-food-styling-fundamentals-tickets-2002955832814?aff=oddtdtcreator__;!!O7_YSHcmd9jp3hj_4dEAcyQ!zzE6xi2zlA67MElcbYe2Kjo4mk81FPArAbm9kftkK7e9rvKGDeIr-D3FPwpghSSE5-hZkQtc8ePumRXEz5J92A3uDkf3kpE$) **Sony Food Photography Workshop - Food Styling Fundamentals: Isaac Tang** Discover how thoughtful food styling can bring your photography and video to life. Join chef and food photographer **Isaac Tang** for a beginner’s introduction to food photography class exploring how food composition and settings can elevate the look of food. Through practical examples and live styling demonstrations, Isaac will share techniques for creating appetizing food scenes. Styling for photography and video: Explore how to prepare and arrange food for still images and moving shots. **Working with lighting:** Understand how light direction, softness, and shadows shape the appearance of food. **Creating a cohesive scene:** Bring together plates, props, backgrounds, and food placement to create a moment . **Live styling demonstrations:** Follow Isaac’s process as he builds and refines setups, explaining the choices behind the looks. Ideal for beginners, content creators, and photographers looking to learn more about food. Sony Specialist will be on hand for live demonstration and for you see some of the latest Sony cameras. Remember to register here: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.eventbrite.ca/e/henrys-church-sony-food-photography-workshop-food-styling-fundamentals-tickets-2002955832814?aff=oddtdtcreator__;!!O7_YSHcmd9jp3hj_4dEAcyQ!zzE6xi2zlA67MElcbYe2Kjo4mk81FPArAbm9kftkK7e9rvKGDeIr-D3FPwpghSSE5-hZkQtc8ePumRXEz5J92A3uDkf3kpE$

The Future of Wellbeing: AI, Community & Social Impact

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-future-of-wellbeing-ai-community-social-impact-tickets-1997859089317?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAcGRvZgJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAad9JE43Cv4asJwzLwmAkV5UH94sl9eJwjPGVPLPRLCUuBLTGMNoB7aCPW61-A_aem_eqTb0M6UTv4G97JZPcFxPw **Overview** What does it mean to build AI in service of wellbeing? A one-day forum on tech, climate, mental health, community & social impact. *A Community Panel & Networking* An evening forum on what it means to build technology in service of wellbeing. As AI reshapes how we live, work, and care for one another, one question matters more than ever: what does it mean to build and adopt technology in service of holistic wellbeing — human, community, and societal — in the Canadian context? The Mindful Impact Forum brings together nonprofit leaders, founders, technologists, youth, and changemakers for a focused day of conversation and practice. We move deliberately from the human to the technical: first setting the foundation of what wellbeing truly means, then turning to how we build and adopt AI responsibly in service of it. After launching our forum series in Vancouver this past March, we're bringing it to Toronto for a single, focused edition — in partnership with Google Developer Groups and The Dais, TMU. ### **What you'll experience** * A flagship day of remarks, a keynote, and an opening panel on wellbeing * A creatively facilitated community forum — real cross-sector dialogue * A hands-on AI & technology for social impact workshop * Practical tools for leadership, resilience, and innovation you can use the next morning * A genuinely cross-sector room: founders, youth leaders, community builders, and changemakers ### **The program** Session 1 — Framing & Community Panel: What Wellbeing Means Session 2 — AI and Responsible Innovation: From Principles to Practice Session 3 — Finding our Wisdom Way Forward: Future Community Wellbeing & Leadership ## Event Details **📍 Location:** The Sandbox, TMU (341 Yonge St 3rd floor, Toronto, ON M5B 1S1) **📅 Date:** Oct 14, Wednesday 2026 **⏰ Time:** 6 PM - 9:00 PM (Door open 5:30 PM) **🎫 Ticket — FREE -$50** All proceeds support Wisdomway Impact’s mental wellbeing initiatives. Student & Youth (under 25, limited spots) FREE **Speakers** 1. **AJ Kim** is a social entrepreneur, global impact practitioner, dedicated to building spaces where inner development and collective change meet. Her work spans leadership development, youth empowerment, and community wellbeing initiatives in Asia, Africa, and Canada, grounded in field experiences, dialogue, and systems thinking. Through forums, education programs, and partnerships, she explores how mental wellbeing can become a foundation for stronger communities, sustainable leadership, and long-term social impact. 2. **Alejandro Castellanos** Toronto-based AI Systems Architect, Alejandro builds trustworthy AI technologies for community resilience, public-interest intelligence, and human-centred care. His work emphasizes evidence, human oversight, and technology that strengthens—not replaces—human judgment. 3. **Camara Chambers** (*Director of Learning and Events, The Dais at TMU)* Named one of 100 Black Women in Canada to Watch and a national leader by The Philanthropist Journal, Camara has spent her career where equity meets civic engagement — leading a national policy program for Europe's largest LGBTQ charity, and serving as Executive Director of Volunteer Toronto, Canada's largest volunteer centre. At the Dais she builds community partnerships and designs leadership programs for Canada's next generation of leaders, and she founded Let's Hike T.O., which has introduced over 1,300 people to the trails. She brings the question that keeps the whole session honest: responsible *for whom?* 4. **Carolyn Shaw** is the Co-Founder, President and Chief Creative Officer of Humanity, an independent, Black-owned and female-led agency built for changemakers. With more than 20 years of experience in marketing, branding and design, she helps purpose-driven organizations turn bold ambitions into ideas, experiences and campaigns that move people. Carolyn believes the strongest organizations are built by keeping people—their needs, dignity and lived experiences—at the centre of how we lead, communicate and create change. Her work spans health, education, culture, sustainability and the nonprofit sector, bringing strategy and creativity together to make complex issues more human and meaningful. A lifelong learner and advocate for purpose-led leadership, Carolyn is especially interested in how organizations can pursue progress without losing sight of the people that progress is meant to serve. 5. **Danielle (dane) Cadhit** is an experience designer, story weaver, facilitator, and lifelong observer of patterns. At Coralus, she crafts experiences that invite people to connect more deeply, see and do things differently, and (re)imagine new possibilities.Her curiosity tends to live in the spaces between things: between people and ideas, work and life, structure and emergence, the inner world and the communities we build around us. Lately, she has been especially interested in what happens when we stop treating ourselves like something to optimize, and instead pay more attention to the rhythms, seasons, relationships, and conditions that shape how we actually live, work, gather, and create. 6. **Hilary Van Welter** is CEO (Chief Exploration Officer) at Ascentia, Coralus Transformation Architect, and Associate Steward at Bounce Beyond. She has spent a lifetime exploring how life, people, organizations, communities and nature flourish, evolve and bring new possibilities into being. Her perspective has been shaped by decades of looking at these questions from many angles, across government, business, social innovation, community and systems transformation. Her work lives at the intersection of strategy, imagination and living systems, with a particular curiosity about the relationships and conditions that reimagine even the term wellbeing beyond the individual into community and society. She brings the wisdom of a long trajectory, a deep trust in life’s intelligence, and an ability to sense patterns and possibilities while they are still emerging. 7. **Jake Hirsch-Allen** (*Director of Partnerships, The Dais at TMU)* Jake works at the intersection of inclusive technology, ethical data, and responsible AI. He built public-private partnerships in workforce development and higher education at LinkedIn, co-founded Lighthouse Labs, and advises impact investors, public-sector leaders, and startups on responsible tech and AI governance. A former intellectual property and international criminal lawyer who clerked at the Supreme Court of Israel, he can speak to the ethics, the policy, and the build of AI all at once — and here, he opens the questions the demos will have to answer. 8. **Katie Choi (she/her)** is the Lead of Community Education at HF Care and a registered social worker with experience supporting diverse communities across the mental health, developmental services, and settlement sectors. Drawing on both her professional background and her lived experience as an immigrant and the daughter of immigrant parents, Katie is passionate about exploring how culture, migration, and family dynamics shape holistic wellness. Through her work, she supports front-line workers in building culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and strengths-based approaches to service delivery. 9. **Kritima Kukreja** Technology professional and mobile developer, Founder of Synk Tech AI. Specialized in creating smart agents, chatbots and automations that scales for the client’s needs. A former experienced developer in well-known companies such as IBM, MicroSoft, Bank of America, and Google. Kritima builds user-focused digital experiences and explores the intersection of AI, mobile technology, and emerging digital tools. She is also an active member of Toronto’s tech community, supporting and mentoring fellow builders. 10. **Swelen Andari** is the Director of Strategy, Climate Resilience & Youth Mental Health at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). She leads a research and systems change initiative to address climate distress, climate action, and active hope for youth. Swelen leads the CAMH Mental Health & Climate Response Initiative, an organization-wide effort addressing climate-related mental health impacts. Trained as a Creative Arts Therapist and with a background in systems thinking, and implementation science, she has over a decade of experience in system-level initiatives to improve access, service design, prevention, and youth leadership in Ontario’s child/youth mental health system. For several years, Swelen was involved in local and national climate justice organizing, including collaborating with Climate Justice Toronto, supporting the 350’s Our Time Campaign, and co-designing a social movement organization committed to advancing equitable climate solution, good work and dignity for all. ## Organizer & Sponsors **Wisdomway Impact** connects mental wellbeing with community, social, and environmental resilience. We support leadership programs, community wellbeing strategies, and cross-sector impact projects that strengthen trust and collective care. We believe community wellbeing begins with inner wellbeing. Your ticket directly supports ongoing community initiatives and leadership development programs. **The Dais, Toronto Metropolitan University** is a public policy and leadership think tank, working at the intersection of technology, education and democracy to build shared prosperity and citizenship for Canada. With over 20 research reports exploring how AI is reshaping work, public policy, education and the nonprofit sector, the Dais has helped organizations build the knowledge and practical skills needed to adopt AI responsibly and effectively through the RAISE initiative which saw 550+ nonprofit professionals across Canada access practical training on AI governance and adoption. **GDG Toronto** is a chapter of Google Developer Groups, a global network of local, community-run developer groups. We bring people together around Google technologies through talks, hands-on workshops, and hackathons to be the technology literacy bridge for our community.

FIGURE & FORM w/ RIEL - 2nd SESSION

Creative Code Toronto work session

Join us for a Toronto meetup of creative coders! Instead of our usual show-and-tell, this will be a **work session!** If you're looking for some motivation to tinker on a creative project, now's your chance! **What is creative code?** *Creative coding* refers to anything with an artistic component that uses code as a medium. We welcome artists who use code (for visuals, audio, poetry, or whatever else), designers, animators, toolmakers, researchers, or just enjoyers and people looking to learn more! **Location:** Impact Kitchen on Queens Quay (88 Queens Quay W, Toronto, ON M5J 0B6) **Join our discord** if you want to talk to everyone before/after the event, or have any suggestions for things you'd like to see or do! [https://discord.gg/ux9txXPsdJ](https://discord.gg/ux9txXPsdJ)

Short Reads Social #15: Will we ever escape from 'beauty'?

Short-Read Socials are back! Come meet with like-minded and unlikeminded people to talk about the topic of the month. This time, we're thinking about **beauty standards and looksmaxxing.** *Who gets to decide who are what is considered 'beautiful'? Is 'looksmaxxing' and the pursuit of beauty self-empowerment or self-harm? Is attractiveness a privilege?* \-\-\- **\*\*\*Note: this event and future events (at least until 2027) will be on second and last Wednesdays! we won't be there on Tuesday :(** \-\-\- **How does it work?** * The event is casual. You can talk to anyone there with or without our prompt sheets, either about the month's topic or about whatever you want. * Open philosophical discussion, including for controversial topics, is welcome but be respectful. Every has had different experiences so aim to have good-faith discussions :) * If you've read/watched/heard anything related to the topic of the month, feel free to bring it in! Not necessarily physically, but you can if you want... * If not, here are some thought-provoking reads to start you off (read as many or as few as you want): * On lookism * [If Pretty is a Privilege, Ugly is a Curse](https://youtu.be/FnACzwV7Mwc) (19:16 to 1:18:39) * [Lookism as Epistemic Injustice](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/02691728.2022.2076629?needAccess=true) * On looksmaxxing * [How Many Bones Would You Break to Get Laid?](https://www.thecut.com/2019/05/incel-plastic-surgery.html) * [Looksmaxxing and the Rise of Male-to-Male Transsexuals](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uox4OMC50-4&t=2033s) * On the beauty industry * [The New Face](https://torontolife.com/deep-dives/the-new-face-how-unnatural-beauty-standards-became-a-multi-billion-dollar-medical-industry/) * [The Age of Instagram Face](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/decade-in-review/the-age-of-instagram-face) (bypassed paywall version [here](https://www.removepaywall.com/search?url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/decade-in-review/the-age-of-instagram-face)) * Feel free to post other recommendations (blogs, movies, tv episodes, video essays, etc.) in the comments! \-\-\- Finally, Short Read Socials have a 'pay what you can' policy. They'll always be free to attend--but if you've been having a good time with us and want to pass along a couple of bucks to help cover Meetup platform costs for future events, there is a contribution bucket on the table that night and a [Paypal](https://paypal.me/bookclubforhumans?country.x=CA&locale.x=en_US) link :)

Speaker: Sharon Tenenbaum

Photography Walk: Fall Colours @ U of T