Aimee Gasparetto
Program Director, Every One Every Day Kjipuktuk-Halifax
I am a Community Development Professional and Non-Profit leader with over thirteen years of experience developing community-based initiatives that promote health, challenge inequalities, and strengthen local economies. A primary focus of my career has been supporting regional and sustainable food system development with approaches that are grounded in community, collaboration and social innovation. I am passionate about cultivating systems leadership and change, with expertise in strategic program development and evaluation, partnership and coalition building, team leadership and facilitation. In my work and in my life, I come with a learner's mindset and approach leadership as a practice of my core values - curiosity, courage, and agency.
In my current role as Program Director at the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre, I’m leading the development of a platform approach to building neighbourhood participation that centres reconciliation and is inclusive to all. Over the winter of 2020/2021, we launched a pilot initiative called Every One Every Day (EOED) Kjipuktuk-Halifax, inspired by the work of Participatory City in East London, UK, which is demonstrating that participation in practical, everyday activities can transform people's lives and the neighbourhoods in which they live. It is a collaboration between residents, organizations and local government, to create robust social infrastructure that can help to re-imagine how we live and work while building more sustainable, equitable, and resilient communities. In Halifax, EOED is led on the ground by the Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Centre and aims to be a platform for inclusive participation that inspires and supports residents to be co-creators of the places in which they live and provides opportunities for reconciliation to be practiced daily - through welcoming opportunities to learn from and with Indigenous communities, and building connections and friendships that help to foster new understandings of one other and places we call home.
I have fulfilled various board of director roles throughout my career and currently sit on the board of Nourish Nova Scotia.
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What are you most proud of professionally?
I’m most proud of the fact that I’ve managed to direct my professional career in a way that aligns with my values and feels deeply connected to who I am as a person. My work has always felt like an extension of me – and I’m proud that I’ve been able to create that for myself.
What’s your vision for Atlantic Canada in 10 years? What’s our biggest opportunity now?
My vision for Atlantic Canada is that we recognize and invest in the wealth of social capital that exists across the region and nurture this to fuel a more prosperous economy for all – one that is underpinned by social and environmental justice, with significant movement towards reconciliation with Indigenous and African Nova Scotian communities.
I think the people who live here are our greatest asset and opportunity. While the Atlantic Region continues to be recognized as an attractive place to live where quality of life is high - there are many that remain excluded from this picture. As we focus on Covid-19 recovery, we can prioritize “building back better” - where ecological integrity and social resilience help drive our decisions. We can prioritize more equitable opportunities for local people, while continuing to attract and invest in new talent and innovation to propel our economy forward.
What was your greatest stage of growth? What made it a shift for you?
In 2016, I was working for a local environmental organization and decided to start my own business. It was a risk, but I jumped in with two feet and teamed up with a business partner to start Beanstalk Baby Food. For 2 years I worked a daytime job that I loved while in the evenings I worked to make and market organic, locally sourced baby food. I’ve always felt that I have an entrepreneurial spirit and at the time it was invigorating, and a massive challenge. After a year I ended up running the business on my own and after two years, I ended up shutting it down for a host of reasons. I’m not sure if I’ll ever start a business again, but I live with the knowledge that I can – and that sense of knowing presented a big shift in what felt possible to me.
And all of this said, when it comes to (the joy and pain) of growth, nothing could beat becoming a mother.
What’s your favourite or most read book or podcast? Now or at each of your greatest stages of growth?
I LOVE podcasts. I recently listened to the Seven Sacred Truths by Tanya Talaga and loved it. Over the last year I've been listening to things like Dare to Lead and Unlocking Us (Brene Brown), Work Life (Adam Grant) and the Tim Ferriss Show. But honestly I could go on forever... I’m just so inspired by the generosity people show through the range and depth of stories that are being shared through podcasts.
What’s your deepest learning from this past year?
In the context of Covid-19, there have been powerful lessons about surrender and letting go - and sensing my way into how I might begin to re-define my sense of productivity. That being said, I’ve still got lots of work to do.
I’ve also been reflecting on what it means to live and lead intentionally, but more importantly, how intent can often fall short without meaningful action. Many of the issues we’re facing today require massive shifts on so many levels (personal, community, systems) – particularly when it comes to unpacking systemic issues of power, privilege and oppression. While intentions can be powerful, it seems that many are feeling called, even compelled, into bold action. Yet it’s not always easy to know how to act. In a conversation recently about how we “do reconciliation”, a colleague responded – “you’re doing it right now – in your listening, learning, and leading”. This was a light bulb moment for me. The actions will vary - maybe showing up in a different way, confronting the status quo, and speaking up when it’s needed. With really clear intentions, I’ve been doing a lot of finding my way through many small actions – and gaining the courage, vulnerability and humility required for big change.
Who’s inspired you, directly or indirectly? How have they inspired you?
Lately I’ve been inspired by so many young people who are standing up for things that really matter – like social justice, economic security, and the environment. I was inspired last week by a community member who shared a story of inconceivable childhood trauma, and her journey through recovery. I recently read the book Becoming, by Michelle Obama and was inspired by her strength, her integrity, and her vulnerability. I’m inspired daily by my four year old daughter – who still sees the world through a lens of wonder and curiosity. It’s amazing to me – how inspiration is sort of everywhere.
What would you have done differently?
I can’t think of much I would have done differently. I’ve taken risks, made mistakes, and found success…. It’s all been worth it.
What were your priorities and how did they help you overcome some of the struggles you’ve faced? What motivated you to make the choices you’ve made? What are the principles you live by?
After university I spent a lot of time working and travelling abroad. I worked on fishing boats in the Bering Sea, traveled around East Africa, studied Permaculture in Thailand, and more. This time I took to see and experience the world has shaped who I am today. My thirst for seeing and experiencing new things is insatiable – and this leaves my mind open to endless learning and possibility. It also helped me develop a fierce sense of independence and trust in myself. When I moved back to Canada and began what I might now call my “career”, I was motivated by values that were unquestionably seeded by my parents and community early on in life, but these took on a life of their own when I set out into the world as a young adult.
As for principles I live by:
Take the risk and be comfortable with failure.
Endless curiosity; learner for life.
Movement and mindfulness, everyday that I can.
Trust in multiple truths… there are many ways to see and understand the world.
Meet each other, and the planet, with kindness – we need each other, and it’s the only world we have.
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systems-thinker, community builder, social innovator, dot-connector, nature lover