2025 Weaving Connections Conference

Join us for the annual AGES conference on April 10 & 11. This year’s theme is Weaving Connections. We are excited to share and showcase the work of graduate students from across the Faculty of Education and to welcome the School of Child & Youth Care into our faculty.

Presenters

We’re excited to have a diverse and impressive lineup of conference presenters. This group of emerging and established scholars and educators whose work spans critical inquiry, community engagement, creative practice, and inclusive education. Explore their bios and presentation descriptions to learn more about the innovative research and thoughtful conversations they’re bringing to the conference.

Conference Schedule

Thursday, April 10

Location: MAC D282 WȻENEṈISTEL | Start time 3:00 pm

  • 3:00 pm – 4:15 pm – Welcome and INVINCIBLE presentation
  • 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm – Social Mixer

Join us as we open the conference with a warm welcome followed by a powerful and inspiring presentation:

INVINCIBLE: Our Voices from Care
Presenter: Dr. Sandrina Carere, PhD, Academic Lead, Kinship Rising/INVINCIBLE, UVic Professor

This youth-led digital storytelling project, created in collaboration with Surrounded by Cedar Child and Family Services, features original poetry, artwork, graphic novels and video stories by Indigenous youth in care on Lekwungen homelands. Dr. Carere and youth collaborators will guide attendees through the INVINCIBLE website, offering a meaningful look into lived experiences and community-rooted research. Grounded in the project’s unique ‘INVINCIBLE methodology’, this session blends Indigenous knowledge, creative expression, and youth leadership to share stories of strength, identity, and resilience.

Stick around afterward for a relaxed social mixer!
Enjoy non-alcoholic drinks, snacks, and good conversation as you connect with fellow conference attendees.

Friday, April 11

Get the Zoom link for Friday hybrid/online sessions.

9:00 - 10:00 amOpening panel discussionMAC D282This panel will include representatives from each of the units in the Faculty of Education.
10:00 - 11:00 amPoster presentationsMAC D287Six students will present their posters concurrently.
11:00 - 11:30 amWorkshopMAC D283Poetic Inquiry as research:
Imagine, Create, Connect (Serap Asar Brown)
11:30 am - 1:00 pmLunch breakMAC D282Lunch will be provided! See details below.
12:00 - 1:00 pmLiving Lands Campus WalkMeet at MAC D282, walk over to David Turpin courtyard togetherJoin čésəlit̓əšən (Loreisa Lepine) for an outdoor tour of the 'A Place of Medicine' restoration project in the courtyard of the David Turpin building at UVic. Loreisa is the first officially recognized and “ongoing” Indigenous Land Steward at UVic, and she leads this restoration project.
1:15 - 1:45 pmRoundtable conversationsMAC D287Table 1: Kristi Koons & Asma Noureen
MAC D288Table 2: Joshua Houghton
MAC D283Table 3: Catherine McGregor
1:45 - 2:00 pmCoffee breakMAC D283Coffee, tea, and snacks will be provided! See details below.
2:00 - 2:30 pmWorkshopsMAC D288Creating Accessible Posters
and Presentations (Nora Loyst)
MAC D283What does it mean to be Present?
Come and be grounded: a Mental Health
Art Workshop (Federica Liberti)
2:30 - 3:00 pmWorkshopsMAC D288Mapping Teacher Wellness: An Exploration Teacher Wellness Using Found Poetry (Linnea Leist)
MAC D283Engaging Mexican children and youth as Chikomexochitl Researchers (Valeria Cortes)
3:00 - 5:00 pmPaper presentationsMAC D287 3:05 - 3:20 - Iram Zahra
3:25 - 3:40 - Emily Eirikson
3:45 - 4:00 - Shina Khan
4:05 - 4:20 - Stephanie Puddister
4:25 - 4:40 - Sema Kaya
4:45 - 5:00 - Christina Shock
Hybrid online
and MAC A341
3:30 - 3:50 - Lucy Nana Konadu Arthur
4:00 - 4:20 - Tara Poole
4:30 - 4:50 - Mervit Siffledeen
5:00 - 5:30 pmClosing remarksMAC D282Conference closing from the committee
and the Acting Dean of Education

Accessibility

AGES is working with an Accessibility Coordinator to help ensure that everyone can comfortably engage with the content and context of the Weaving Connections conference. We’ve identified some accessibility features and known barriers and implemented some accessibility supports for attendees. Learn more about conference accessibility at Weaving Connections.

Food & Drink

At the social mixer on Thursday evening, there will be non-alcoholic beverage options and snacks including cheese, crackers, and fruit.

On Friday morning, breakfast will be provided to conference attendees from 9:00 am – 10:00 am in MAC D282. Lunch will also be provided, and will be Chinese food from Fairway Market. There will be vegetarian, non-vegetarian, and vegan options for lunch. On Friday afternoon, there will be a coffee break with coffee, tea, and pastries/snacks. No alcohol will be present at the conference.

Please contact the AGES Coordinator if you have any specific dietary requirements, as we’ll be happy to provide a specific lunch for you!

Contact 

Do you have questions about the conference or about how to get involved with AGES? Contact Yasmeen Barakat, the AGES Coordinator, at ages@uvic.ca.