Allison Burgess, Director of the Sexual & Gender Diversity Office and Cherilyn Scobie, Director of the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) Equity Diversity and Inclusion Office are delighted to announce that Janine Raftopoulos has been appointed the Chair of the UTSC Positive Space Committee.
The University’s Positive Space Campaign is a groundbreaking program that identifies safer and more inclusive spaces for LGBTQ2S+ students, staff, faculty, and librarians at the University of Toronto Scarborough. Positive Space challenges the patterns of silence that continue to impact LGBTQ2S+ students, staff, faculty, and librarians, even in environments with anti-discriminatory and inclusive policies.
The most visible symbol of this campaign is the inverted rainbow triangle sticker that you will see in many places around campus. As Chair, Janine will support and coordinate with the UTSC Equity & Diversity Office, the Principal’s Office, the Sexual & Gender Diversity Office, and St. George and University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) Positive Space Committees to reflect the shared interests of students, staff, faculty, and librarians in building an inclusive and welcoming campus community.
Janine brings incredible depth and breadth to this position. She has been a member of the Positive Space Committee since 2020 and hosted this year’s Virtual Rainbow Tie Celebration. Janine is determined to pursue an equitable, inclusive and safer campus, for LGBTQ2S+ students, staff, faculty, and librarians at UTSC. Her experience serving on the board of Iranti-Org, an organization that works with lesbians, trans, intersex and gender non-conforming movements in South Africa and across the African continent positions her with perspective and experiences which extend beyond UTSC.
Janine is currently the Integrated Communications Advisor for UTSC. She holds a Masters in Communications and her experience includes 17 years in the marketing communications sector working across Africa and Canada, with organizations in the non-profit sector, corporate world, government organizations and fast-paced agencies. Janine is a change-maker who develops integrated solutions with drive, thoughtfulness and inclusion in an effort to make a difference.
We look forward to the impact of her leadership and experience as Chair of the UTSC Positive Space Committee.