Countdown is a global initiative to champion and accelerate solutions to the climate crisis, turning ideas into action. The goal: To build a better future by cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 in the race to a zero-carbon world – a world that is safer, cleaner and fairer for everyone.

The TEDxHouston community invites you to a series of watch parties, TED Circles, and project nights to learn from the world’s leading thinkers and doers about what a healthy, abundant, zero-emission future can look like, connect with changemakers and concerned global citizens like you, and start ideating and collaborating on new solutions to help us activate our communities and accelerate Houston’s energy transition for a regenerative future.

The ongoing health and economic crises are reminding us of an important fact: We’re all part of the same fragile system, dependent on nature and one another. As we look to the future, we must work to be better ancestors to the next generations of Houstonians and start building a more sustainable, regenerative, and resilient future for them!

Cross-Border Conversations on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a series of virtual dialogues that showcase strategies and stories from the frontlines of SDG action – in Canada and the United States.

On October 13, the series returns for a discussion with Camden, NJ’s police chief on how his city overhauled and rebuilt its police department in 2013. We’ll hear from him and local leaders about the role of institutions and advocacy in building community trust and safety, and invite questions and insights from participants about what safe, healthy, and empowered communities mean to them.

Speakers:

• Police Chief Joseph Wysocki of Camden, New Jersey
• Lyse-Pascale Inamuco and Robin Browne, volunteer organizers and advocates with the 613-819 Black Hub.
• Ottawa City Councillor Rawlson King, Council Liaison for Anti-Racism and Ethnocultural Relations Initiatives;
• Michele Penney, Community Developer, Somerset West Community Health Centre

Why this conversation? Systemic racism, violence, and over-policing are longstanding challenges in communities across Canada and the United States, brought into focus most recently by the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Aubrey, Regis Korchinski-Paquet, and many others. The death of Abdirahman Abdi in Ottawa has reverberated throughout the city since 2016, and people are reexamining the relationship between institutions and communities, including the delivery of police and mental health services.

What can you expect? Through lightning talks and breakout discussions, we aim to create a brave space for honest dialogue among participants and panelists about what it takes to build safe, healthy, and empowered communities. While we won’t be able to address the full complexity of these issues in 90 minutes, our hope is to bring together a range of perspectives so that we may learn from what’s worked, what hasn’t, and continue to chart a way forward together.

Tickets

In an effort to make this event as accessible as possible and remove cost as a barrier to participating, we’re offering a tiered pricing system with a limited number of fully-subsidized tickets. Upon checkout, please select the option that best suits your needs – no questions asked.

Accessibility

Impact Hub Ottawa and our partners are committed to hosting accessible events. To that end, here are a few things to note:

• This event will be held virtually, on Zoom
• This event will be recorded – you will not be required to use your webcam
• A recording will be sent to all who register via Eventbrite.
• Automatic closed captioning in English will be provided

Please identify your accommodation requirements during the registration process and be aware that while we endeavor to address all requirements, it may not be possible to fulfill all requests.

More on the series

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) address serious global challenges, which won’t be solved without major changes to the way we live, work, and interact with our environment. Cross-Border Conversations on the SDGs is a virtual event series highlighting strategies and stories from the frontlines of SDG action.

Hosted by Impact Hub Ottawa, the series showcases social justice and sustainability leaders from Canada and the US, sharing their stories on how to work strategically towards the Goals.

The series includes four events:

• February 25: The SDGs as a Blueprint for Building Liveable Cities (SDG 11)
• October 13: Building Safe, Healthy & Empowered Communities (SDG 16)
• November: Decolonizing the Way We Work (SDG 10)
• December: (Re)Centring Anti-Racism & Indigenous Tradition in Sustainability (SDG 13)

November and December dates to be announced. Sign up here for updates!

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Let’s bring cross-border conversations online! #CrossBorderConvos

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