Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Accomplishments
Timeline
Generic

Lama Mugabo

Vancouver,BC

Summary

  • Twenty-five years of experience as an International Community Planner and Program Coordinator in Canada, fostering diverse and empowered communities.
  • MA in Community and Regional Planning from UBC and BA in Communications from SFU.
  • Outstanding verbal and written communication skills; fluent in English, Swahili, Kinyarwanda, and French.
  • Experience working with residents and organizations in the Downtown East Side.
  • Strong leadership skills with the ability to inspire, motivate, and activate.
  • Experience in multi-stakeholder engagement to build resilient communities.
  • Infectious passion for bringing people together and making connections.
  • Effective leadership of multi-level projects through consensus building; self-directed with the ability to work constructively towards effective follow-through of operational goals.
  • Excellent written, verbal, listening, and interpersonal skills.
  • Experienced in all aspects of project management, event planning, and product development.

Overview

19
19
years of professional experience

Work History

Baraza Collective Principal

N-EAT
Vancouver, BC
07.2022 - Current
  • Recruit digital communication professionals to establish a learning exchange hub, leveraging retail marketing, podcasting, and collaboration platforms to engage our audience in building both local and global markets
  • Establish Baraza Boutique to sell Made in Rwanda products in Metro Vancouver
  • Form a team of digital communication professionals to create a collaborative platform that fosters audience engagement in knowledge exchange and personal development
  • Facilitate walking tours in historic Black Strathcona to explore Black history and future aspirations for a dynamic and inclusive Vancouver
  • Organize reflection tours to Rwanda to learn about the resilience of the Rwandan people and the nation's transformation from a failed state in 1994 to a modern state today., Nutrition through Engagement and Agricultural Technology

Founding Director

Kigali
Vancouver
06.2005 - Current
  • Facilitated a series of development education workshops across cities in the USA and Canada to promote development education
  • Raised and managed a budget of 75 million Rwandan Francs (equivalent to $100,000 CAD) for infrastructure development and skills training
  • Supervised 20 staff members and over 350 volunteers from 8 countries, collaborating with their Rwandan counterparts
  • Hosted the Softchoice Cares team to set up a computer lab, revitalize a sports facility, and build the Covaga Innovation Center
  • Organized 15 development, cultural, and ecological tours for over 350 international visitors to learn about Rwanda’s post-genocide reconstruction
  • Maintained the organization’s website and Facebook page content
  • Managed teams of American and Canadian university researchers in local development projects, employing service-learning principles for community development and educational exchange
  • A total of over 50 undergraduate and 4 graduate students worked with Building Bridges with Rwanda in rural areas.

Community Action Network Program Manager

BC Poverty Reduction Coalition
Vancouver, BC
08.2022 - 07.2024
  • Facilitate and deliver the CAN training program and curriculum, supporting and engaging graduates in their work while connecting them to key strategic campaigns that activate and promote our Blueprint for Justice policy platform
  • Expand the CAN Leadership training program to reach different communities and support engagement with CAN leaders and graduates
  • Facilitate the interconnection between the CAN network/program and the PRC organizational coalition network and PRC board of directors
  • Participate in public education forums about the Community Action Network as a catalyst for positive change in building sustainable communities in BC
  • Provide advice to the PRC on the CAN network and coalition members, while supporting PRC campaigns that bring our Blueprint for Justice to life.

Community Engagement Lead

Hogan’s Alley Society
Vancouver, BC
12.2018 - 08.2022
  • Develop a food security initiative to equip tenants of Nora Hendrix Place with gardening and wellness skills
  • Create social media content to foster a learning exchange platform between NHP tenants and the wider community, using short videos, podcasts, and blog posts on gardening, nutrition, and wellness
  • Collaborate with community organizers in the Downtown Eastside (DTES) to build a campaign aimed at banning street checks that disproportionately target Black and Indigenous residents
  • Facilitate "Know Your Rights" workshops in collaboration with Pivot Legal Society and Black community residents
  • Deliver presentations to schools, businesses, and conferences on various topics related to Black economic, social, and justice issues.

Field Projects Manager

Pacific Water Research Centre, SFU
Vancouver, BC
02.2019 - 02.2020
  • Contribute to the creation of N-EAT, a community development initiative aimed at building food resilience in BC and the global south
  • Communicate with local community champions, liaisons, and the Chief to ensure the smooth delivery of the project's objectives
  • Share updates and address concerns regarding the greenhouse reactivation and community garden construction with the N-EAT Project team
  • Build and promote partnerships with like-minded organizations and individuals
  • Oversee the purchase, shipping, and movement of all supplies and materials required for the greenhouse reactivation
  • Plan and organize all N-EAT team trips in collaboration with the Team Manager
  • Hire and oversee the activities of volunteers in collaboration with the N-EAT Team
  • Prepare narrative reports and project documentation.

Carnegie Community Action Project, Community Organizer
Vancouver, BC
11.2016 - 02.2019
  • Advocated for the interests of low-income community residents, assisting them find their voices to address challenges related to inadequate income, social justice, and the right to dignified housing
  • Contributed to various local publications, including Volcano, Carnegie Newsletter, 2016 SRO Hotel Report and Housing Study, and The Mainlander
  • Organized Black History Month events to raise awareness of the contributions of people of African descent to the Canadian cultural mosaic
  • Empowered young people to take on leadership roles in social innovation and creative spaces
  • Co-founded the Carnegie African Descent Group (CADG), a community-based organization that promotes the interests and culture of people of African descent residing in the DTES
  • Served as a community engagement catalyst for the Hogan’s Alley Working Group, fostering collaboration among diverse cultural groups—Japanese, First Nations, Chinese, and People of African Descent—to promote inclusive planning and collaboration in the post-viaducts Hogan’s Alley
  • Building Bridges with Rwanda

Senior Project Manager

International Center for Sustainable Cities
Vancouver, BC
06.2006 - 04.2008
  • Recruited and managed project officers to support the cities of Durban, Dar es Salaam, and Dakar in long-term urban sustainability planning
  • Coordinated communication between field officers and the ICSC head office through weekly emails and telephone conversations
  • Conducted field visits to learn, support skills development, and facilitate technology transfer among partner cities
  • Participated in planning and delivering peer exchange training workshops with urban planning practitioners from Latin America, Africa, Europe, and North America to share best practices for implementing long-term urban sustainability strategies
  • Provided strategic advice to the Mayor of Kigali on accessing urban planning resources for the City of Kigali
  • Built and maintained strategic relationships with CIDA Canadian International Development Agency through meetings and report writing to identify and address critical project needs and outcomes
  • Consulted and advised senior managers and the Mayor of the City of Kigali on urban sustainability issues.

Development Program

United
06.2006 - 10.2006
  • Conducted a participatory research project working with African students at New Westminster Secondary School
  • Facilitated job search programs (resume writing, job interview, self-marketing and networking
  • Facilitated presentations by successful African Canadian professionals
  • Develop English as a Second Language courses and homework support through peer- learning exchange
  • Development of a video production to tell the story of African student refugees and experiences in Metro Vancouver
  • Screened video and facilitated dialogue in multi-cultural settings

RR10 National Coordinator

ENGAGEMENT
  • In 2004, I organized a dialogue event to engage local audiences in raising public awareness about the causes and impacts of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda
  • In 2019, I established a partnership between Building Bridges with Rwanda, Hogan’s Alley Society, and the SFU Institute for Diaspora Research and Engagement to launch the Remembering Rwanda 25 Years commemoration, creating a legacy project within Simon Fraser University's Development Office
  • In February 2020, the RR25 Legacy Project was invited by the UBC Global Fund to facilitate dialogue workshops on topics such as Tribalism vs
  • Ethnic Division, Islamophobia, Gender, and Settlers vs
  • Indigenous conflict
  • These well-received sessions have set the stage for future dialogues exploring how Rwanda's lessons can address local conflicts in Metro Vancouver.

Founding Director

Hogan’s Alley Society
  • As a founding director, I offer walking tours to individuals and groups interested in the untold story of Hogan’s Alley
  • I serve on the research and community engagement committee, working to expand our community's understanding of the African diaspora's contributions in British Columbia
  • Frequently invited as a guest speaker, I am actively involved in a community development project that fosters relationships between Chinese, Indigenous, and Black communities in Vancouver’s Strathcona District
  • Centered around gardening and food, we are creating a safe space for residents to gather, share meals, learn from each other’s cultures, and dispel divisive myths
  • Baraza Collective Principal
  • With a robust background in community building and engagement, I initiated the Baraza Collective Hub, featuring a boutique, podcast, and collaboration platform
  • This initiative actively involves individuals and organizations in creating communication content for social media, aiming to enhance awareness and appreciation of Africa's indigenous solutions for sustainable development.

Education

Master of Arts -

University of British Columbia, Community and Regional Planning Vancouver
01.2003

Bachelor of Arts -

Simon Fraser University
01.1998

School of Communication

Accomplishments

  • Hogan’s Alley Society’s Research and Engagement Committee
  • Building Bridges with Rwanda Chair
  • Empowering Entrepreneur Toastmaster, VP Membership
  • Black African and Caribbean Advisory Committee. 4

Timeline

Community Action Network Program Manager

BC Poverty Reduction Coalition
08.2022 - 07.2024

Baraza Collective Principal

N-EAT
07.2022 - Current

Field Projects Manager

Pacific Water Research Centre, SFU
02.2019 - 02.2020

Community Engagement Lead

Hogan’s Alley Society
12.2018 - 08.2022

Carnegie Community Action Project, Community Organizer
11.2016 - 02.2019

Senior Project Manager

International Center for Sustainable Cities
06.2006 - 04.2008

Development Program

United
06.2006 - 10.2006

Founding Director

Kigali
06.2005 - Current

RR10 National Coordinator

ENGAGEMENT

Founding Director

Hogan’s Alley Society

Master of Arts -

University of British Columbia, Community and Regional Planning Vancouver

Bachelor of Arts -

Simon Fraser University

School of Communication

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Lama Mugabo