Teacher Guide
This comprehensive, downloadable teacher guide provides educators with a valuable resource to introduce the concept of public policy to students in an engaging and interactive manner.
So, why does public policy matter?
Public policy matters because it determines the laws and regulations that shape how we live together.
Public policy is also important because it determines which services, we as citizens enjoy and which services the government doesn’t offer. Public policy affects all of us, whether we are aware of it or not, or whether we agree with it or not.
Fellows featured in this module
- Sakariya
- Ahmed
2022/23 Fellow
Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Sakariya Ahmed is an innovative city builder who works to address disparate outcomes to build nurturing and sustainable communities. Sakariya is passionate about advocating to institutions for disenfranchised young people and leveraging their power to influence positive change. Sakariya currently helps ideate, create, and deliver products at Microsoft as a Product Manager.
Recently, Sakariya has worked to shift educational pipelines and inclusion efforts with his alma-mater, Ivey School of Business as a member of the EDI Council and a founder of BSIC (Black Students at Ivey Collective). He’s been able to help Ivey revamp their EDI strategy and partner with the private sector to implement transformative programming to Black students and advocate on their behalf to administration.
Sakariya is passionate about distributing opportunity and access to disenfranchised communities, especially those experiencing housing. Previously, he’s been part of a group of 10 young people across Toronto who worked on a Youth Engagement Strategy to help the city of Toronto how it can engage with disenfranchised and disinterested youth in their 20-year plan.
Additionally, he’s been involved as a Youth Fellow in the City of Toronto and has been featured on CBC Radio on numerous occasions regarding his work representing his community at various levels in Toronto.
- Deanna
- Matthews
2022/23 Fellow
As Anishinaabekwe mixed settler, Deanna is a member of Sachigo Lake First Nation in northern Ontario and grew up exploring the Rockies from Amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton, AB).Deanna is the Director of Impact and Learning at Teach For Canada, a non-profit that recruits, prepares, supports, and sustains teachers working in 21+ First Nations communities in northern Ontario and Manitoba. Her passion for equitable education and social policy stems from her work running Mikinakoos (Little Turtle) Children’s Fund in coordination with the Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority.
Prior to joining Teach For Canada, Deanna worked as a Policy Analyst in the Privy Council Office, providing briefings for the Prime Minister and senior government officials on key Indigenous priorities, and has also worked within Health Canada’s Climate Change and Health Adaptation Program.
Often having her feet ‘in two different canoes’ – one eager to advance Indigenous policy in Canada, and another striving to center Indigenous methodologies and experiences in research and practice – Deanna brings an interdisciplinary perspective to her work.
Deanna received her Bachelor of Education with distinction from Western University, and is concurrently a SSHRC Doctoral Scholar studying First Nations education governance. She is also undertaking a Master of Public Health in Indigenous Health at the University of Toronto.
- Merryn
- Maynard
2022/23 Fellow
Merryn Maynard is a social researcher, systems thinker, and communicator. Since 2019, she has worked with Maple Leaf Foods and the Maple Leaf Centre for Food Security, leading efforts to track social impact, learning, and evaluation.
Merryn’s career has been focused on alleviating food insecurity in Canada through work in public, academic and non-profit organizations, including the national youth charity Meal Exchange. She currently serves on the board of directors of Community Share Food Bank in the Don Mills neighbourhood. She is a believer in cross-sectoral collaboration to address complex problems and public policy as a key lever for change.
Born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, Merryn currently lives in Toronto with her partner and their dog, Joni. She holds a Master of Science degree from the School of Public Health and Health Systems at the University of Waterloo and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Psychology from McMaster University.
- Ian
- Van Haren
2022/23 Fellow
Ian Van Haren is a PhD Candidate and course lecturer in sociology at McGill University. His research focuses on civic engagement, migration policy, refugee resettlement, and the experiences of newcomers of diverse backgrounds as they adjust to life in Canada. Before his doctoral studies, he worked as a diplomat for the Canadian government, with assignments as a migration officer in London, England; Beirut, Lebanon; and Pretoria, South Africa.
Ian grew up in a farming community in central Alberta: for the first ten years of his life his parents had a dairy farm and since then they have farmed bison. His grandparents immigrated to Alberta from the Netherlands.
Ian now lives in Montreal. In addition to his overseas experience, he has also lived, worked and studied in Moncton, New Brunswick; Gatineau, Quebec; and in Ottawa and Toronto. He is a board member at Citizens for Public Justice, a faith-based public policy and advocacy organization, and has also been involved in refugee sponsorship initiatives in Ontario and Quebec.
- Naheda
- Sahtout
2022/23 Fellow
Dr. Naheda Sahtout (Ph.D) is an award-winning academic, researcher, scientist, and leader. Naheda completed her B.Sc. (Honours) in Biology from the University of Waterloo, M.Sc. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Guelph, and Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Saskatchewan. She is currently a Science Analyst in the Office of the Chief Science Operating Officer with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Naheda developed a strong interest in STEM outreach and finding innovative and creative ways of bringing STEM to rural and Indigenous communities during her graduate programs. She also found her passion in enhancing graduate education, and as a student leader worked hard to strengthening the student-supervisory relationship, finding more resources for graduate students, increasing the networking opportunities for graduate students with non-academic partners, and working on initiatives that prepare graduate students for non-academic careers.
Having herself tackled an academic journey with a visual impairment; she is passionate about advocating for inclusivity, diversity, equality and accessibility in science and education in general. She is committed to redefining the landscape and finding ways to support women and girls succeed. Her unique background and first-hand experience navigating academia, combined with her fierce and enthusiastic nature, have given her the tools to be an excellent advocate for the matters that are close to her heart.
Don’t miss out on our podcast episode!
Episode 2: Why does policy matter? + Whitehorse
In this episode, Fellows Michelle Bailey ’23 and Madison Rilling ’23 discuss why public policy matters to them, and how their trip to Whitehorse influenced their understanding of public policy.
