About Me
I'm Kristina, a fat, queer, and non-binary femme living in Amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton, AB). I deeply value community work, justice, and equity which significantly impact my life and in turn - paid, unpaid, and recreational work. I believe that "no one is free until we are all free" (Martin Luther King, Jr.) and that we have an obligation to look after each other, especially those who are most impacted by oppression(s). Professionally and academically, I am a social worker, educator, and Master of Social Work student at the University of Calgary.
I have significant interest and passion for the fat community (lived experience), and those who are incarcerated or have been in the past (work experience). Once I complete my Master of Social Work program, I have high hopes to complete a PhD to co-investigate certain phenomena within these communities. Specifically I am interested in the role of hope for incarcerated individuals with regards to their determination and resilience. With the fat community I want to look into the way in which social work can respond to fatphobia to establish and uphold human rights for fat/large-sized folks.
On the side, I obsess over my beautiful cat, lipstick, and reality t.v!
I have significant interest and passion for the fat community (lived experience), and those who are incarcerated or have been in the past (work experience). Once I complete my Master of Social Work program, I have high hopes to complete a PhD to co-investigate certain phenomena within these communities. Specifically I am interested in the role of hope for incarcerated individuals with regards to their determination and resilience. With the fat community I want to look into the way in which social work can respond to fatphobia to establish and uphold human rights for fat/large-sized folks.
On the side, I obsess over my beautiful cat, lipstick, and reality t.v!
Recent Experience
Social Service Work
2017 - Present - Program Coordinator, The Elizabeth Fry Society of Edmonton
- Coordinate a program for teen girls and non-binary youth designed to foster healthy relationships and positive coping and decision-making skills as a means to prevent entry to the criminal-legal system. Coordination includes: resource development, evaluation, program and curriculum development, group facilitation, and program promotion
- Focus on human rights community advocacy for all individuals who request support through the Covid-19 crisis
- Previously managed a caseload of incarcerated women at Fort Saskatchewan Correctional Centre (FSCC) and Edmonton Remand Centre (ERC) seeking help with release planning, referrals, and support
- Provide referrals, support, and resources to criminalized and at-risk women
- Supervise staff, summer, and practicum students when needed
- Perform literature and scoping reviews of training modules for practice research, research scholarship and near-peer mentorship program, and focus groups
- Plan, develop, and facilitate focus groups for a national study on social work students' experiences with field placements
- Develop proposals and subsequent programs on research scholarship and near-peer mentorship for the University of Calgary
- Facilitated assessments of family violence over the phone, and subsequently participated in completing intake for women and families brought into the shelter
- Provided resources and referrals to women in need that did not meet the mandate of the shelter
Facilitation & Additional Community Work
2019 - Present - Founder/Organizer, Fatties of YEG
2018 - Co-Facilitator, Western Canadian Conference on Sexual Health
- Bring together a community of fat/large-sized folks on-and-offline focused on community building, fat liberation, and fat joy through online community development, coordination, and organization
- Successfully secured funding to allow for website development, emergency fund disbursement, and self-advocacy training guide creation for members
- Facilitated workshop on how to incorporate the anti-oppressive framework of sexuality into Social Work practice
2018 - Co-Facilitator, Western Canadian Conference on Sexual Health
- Facilitated a workshop on how to incorporate queer and trans bodies and identities in sexuality education
