Our Sponsors & Partners
How will nurturing our diverse cultural identities and shared stories help modern communities thrive?
Join us for an inaugural two-day in-person gathering exploring the transformative power of storytelling as a vital pillar of newcomer belonging, youth opportunities, and grassroots community leadership.
Brought to you by The StoryBridge Network and hosted in collaboration with our community partners, the inaugural StoryStrong Conference invites storytellers, community leaders, elders, researchers, and residents to gather in Winnipeg for an intentional journey of learning and conversation. Together, we will examine how amplifying underrepresented voices fosters true inclusion, multiculturalism, and collective empowerment.
Dates: November 6 & 7, 2026
Venues: Canadian Museum for Human Rights (Nov 6) & RRC Polytech (Nov 7)
Family Accessibility: Professional, secure on-site childminding is available all day on Saturday, ensuring parents, youth, and caregivers can fully engage.
Begin the weekend by grounding yourself in our core theme: "Stories of Culture & Community."
Share in an evening of community connection, enjoy local finger foods, visit the cash bar (featuring complimentary non-alcoholic options), and meet fellow advocates for newcomer integration, youth advocacy, community investment, and cultural preservation.
Opening Keynote Address: Somia Sadiq
We are honoured to feature Somia Sadiq for our inaugural keynote address. Her presentation will explore deep narratives of identity, resilience, and collective healing, setting the foundation for Saturday's conversations.
Live Cultural Performances
Experience live artistic and musical performances celebrating brilliant local talent, cultural expression, and rich oral storytelling traditions. Artist announcements coming soon!
Opening Keynote
Somia Sadiq
Somia is an award-winning entrepreneur, global peace negotiator, and visionary leader in conflict transformation. As the founder of Narratives, Kahanee, and Ravayat, she pioneers storytelling-driven solutions for change. A sought-after keynote speaker and conflict readiness strategist, she blends business acumen with cultural wisdom. Gajarah, her debut novel, is a powerful testament to storytelling's ability to foster resilience rooted in identity and ancestral strength.
Saturday is structured as an intentional, immersive day of learning and conversation designed to answer our core question: How will nurturing our diverse cultural identities and shared stories help modern communities thrive?
To ensure deep, meaningful engagement, our daytime breakouts are divided into four curated Learning Tracks. Attendees can choose one deep-dive workshop per session block, enabling intimate group dynamics and focused skill-building.
Choose Your Community Learning Journey: While you can choose two deep-dive workshops live on Saturday, you won't miss out on the rest! Our printed conference program and post-conference digital digest capture high-level insights, key takeaways, and collaborative notes from all 10 sessions.
The Day’s Flow
9:00 AM
Arrival & Community Mixer
Enjoy coffee and fresh baked goods while exploring our vibrant Community Bookstore.
10:00 AM
Welcoming & Program Framework
Community welcome, opening activities and acknowledgments.
10:20 AM
Opening Plenary
& Panel
“Bridging Generations: Elders, Identity, and the Future of Knowledge in Immigrant Communities.” This foundational discussion examines how intergenerational knowledge protects cultural identity and shapes future advocacy in immigrant communities.
11:30 AM
Session Block 1: Breakout Workshops
Concurrent morning workshop sessions spanning four key themes.
12:45 PM
Community Lunch
A full lunch and space to process morning themes, connect with fellow attendees, and share perspectives.
1:30 PM
Session Block 2: Breakout Workshops
Concurrent afternoon workshop sessions spanning four key themes.
3:00 PM
Closing Plenary & Grassroots Action
A facilitated reflection mapping our collective learning into real-world personal pledges and community-led working groups.
3:45 PM
Final Farewell & Closing Program
Presentation of collective calls to action, closing remarks, and a look forward to next year.
Available from 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM on Saturday, November 7, 2026:
Low-Sensory Support: A dedicated Quiet Room Space is available all day for cultural reflection, low-sensory breaks, or private prayer.
Free Childminding: Complimentary service for up to two children, ages 11 or younger, from the same household.
Choose Your Learning Track
Explore our four dedicated tracks designed to streamline your conference experience and target specific areas of community growth and leadership:
Track 1: Cultural Identity & Connected Communities
Focus: Intergenerational knowledge, oral traditions, and navigating diverse multicultural environments.
Block 1 | Session 1:
11:30 AM - 12.30 PM
Joanne Roberts is a Filipina-Canadian filmmaker, former journalist, and storyteller based in Winnipeg. Her work is rooted in identity, connection, culture, and the belief that a story can be true and still be incomplete if certain voices are left out. Through film, facilitation, and community-based workshops, Joanne helps people explore how stories shape belonging and the way we understand both ourselves and each other.
(Interactive Panel)
Whom Do We Trust To Tell Our Stories
In this panel, Joanne Roberts explores whom people trust to tell their stories and share information, and why more communities are turning to one another rather than relying solely on traditional institutions. By exploring how trust shapes who tells our stories and how communities share knowledge with one another, Joanne will lead an exploration of the growing role of community-rooted storytelling in preserving culture, reflecting lived experience, and building belonging.
Block 2 | Session 1:
1:30 PM - 2:45 PM
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Rob Malo, also known as TiBert, is a Franco-Manitoban active member of l'Union nationale métisse Saint-Joseph du Manitoba. He is a storyteller, author, stage performer, juggler, poet, consultant, and community builder. Rob gave a masterclass for Storytellers of Canada - Conteurs du Canada and was Storyteller-in-Residence at the University of Manitoba. He twice received high praise from CBC Manitoba and the Winnipeg Free Press critics for his kids' shows. He has published articles in Pathways: The Ontario Journal of Outdoor Education and was awarded Certificates of Excellence from Interpretation Canada for digital educational tools distributed by the Province of Manitoba DREF website. His recent projects include TiBert le Voyageur graphic novels, the 2025 Winnipeg Tourism and 2026 DARE Lights, Camera, Innovation award-winning Histoire cachée - In Plain Sight AR audio tour of Saint-Boniface, the TiBert et Douzie duo and Fluent XR, a VR language learning app.
(Interactive Workshop)
Stories Within Stories: Framed Narratives
In this advanced storytelling workshop, Rob Malo explores how framed narratives can provide context, build trust with audiences, and allow sensitive themes to emerge naturally through metaphor, humour, and narrative distance. Drawing on oral storytelling traditions, contemporary performance storytelling, and his experience sharing cultural stories in schools and communities across Canada, Rob will demonstrate practical methods for embedding one narrative inside another.
Track 2: Storytelling for Community Well-Being
Focus: Collective healing, self-care for advocates, and creating safe spaces for personal expression.
Block 1 | Session 2:
11:30 AM - 12:45 PM
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Whether her role is as a director, producer, actor or writer, Rachel E Smith strives to create and collaborate on unique and thought-provoking work. She is an experienced arts educator and performance coach of ten years, currently developing and running her own community-based programming. Rachel is dedicated to assisting others on their journeys of self-empowerment with a focus on confidence-building, skill development, and nurturing artistic expression.
(Interactive Workshop)
Collaborative Storytelling
Using cultural stories, theatre-based techniques and exercises, Rachel E. Smith invites participants to explore improvisation and spatial awareness while having fun presenting short stories collaboratively. Participants are encouraged to bring or be ready to share a cultural story (such as a folktale) during the session.
Block 1 | Session 3:
11:30 AM - 12:45 PM
Sue Proctor began performing as a mime clown over thirty years ago. Creator of six original Fringe theatre shows, Sue was a founding member of the Canadian Association of Therapeutic Clowns and uses mime and clowning to inform her work as a dramaturg and in teaching drama to all ages and abilities. Sue is Artistic Director of ‘Arts Inclusion’ in Winnipeg. Her Master’s thesis online - “The Archetypal Role of the Clown as a Catalyst for Individual and Societal Transformation” https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/977096/ Sue’s PhD dissertation https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/id/eprint/995981/1/Proctor_PhD_F2025-3.pdf
(Interactive Workshop)
Non-Verbal Communication for Storytelling
Non-verbal communication is fundamental to establishing a relationship with someone who speaks a different language or has limited verbal abilities. Sue Proctor explores mime as a form of non-verbal communication, inviting participants to play with concepts of body awareness, self-expression and communication.
Block 2 | Session 2:
1:30 PM - 2.45 PM
Izzeddin Hawamda ﺣﻮاﻣﺪهﻋﺰاﻟﺪﻳﻦ was born and raised in the West Bank, Palestine. He currently serves as the Anti-Racist Education Professional Learning Initiative Coordinator with Louis Riel, River East Transcona, and Winnipeg School Divisions. Izzeddin has completed his PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Manitoba. Izzeddin has been actively speaking about the power of dialogue and the importance of sharing, listening, and respecting diverse perspectives and narratives. Izzeddin has been publicly telling stories about Palestine, using storytelling to bring communities together. Izzeddin Hawamda is the founder of Sadaa ﺻﺪى Consulting that strives to create spaces where people can connect, share stories, and foster empathy through meaningful dialogue. Through the creation of the “Unbounded Stories” series, Izzeddin aims at connecting the Canadian public with the human face of the Palestinian story. Izzeddin has been awarded King Charles III’s Coronation Medal in recognition of his efforts in promoting dialogue.
(Interactive Workshop)
The Power of Stories: "My Story vs The Story of Me"
This interactive workshop invites participants to reflect on the tension between “my story” and “the story of me.” Through guided storytelling, dialogue, and shared food, participants will explore how bias, both internalized and external, shapes perception, identity, and belonging. Led by Dr. Izzeddin Hawamda and Sadaa-Echoes, this session is grounded in a commitment to amplifying marginalized voices and fostering spaces of care, dignity, and connection.
Track 3: Youth Empowerment & Peer Connection
Focus: Collaborative spaces, youth identity, newcomer youth connection, and interactive play.
Block 1 | Session 4:
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Salmah Quadri is a Language and Literacy educator, researcher, and teacher whose work explores storytelling, belonging, and identity in educational spaces. She recently completed her PhD in Language and Literacy Education at the University of Manitoba and currently works as a Literacy Support Teacher in Winnipeg. Her research examines how relational, story-centered approaches create conditions for voice, agency, and meaningful literacy learning among children and youth across school and community contexts.
(Interactive Workshop)
Belonging Before Voice: Rethinking Youth Storytelling Spaces
In this workshop, Salmah Quadri explores how storytelling with young people does not begin with speaking, but with creating a sense of trust and belonging. Drawing on experiences from a community-based storytelling program with middle-years youth, Salmah invites participants to reflect on what it takes to create spaces where stories can emerge naturally.
Block 2 | Session 3:
1:30 PM - 2:45 PM
Jessica Laus is currently pursuing a PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Manitoba in Canada. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Wayne State University, a Master of Science from the London School of Economics, and has worked in international diplomacy for well over five years. A practitioner and advocate of restorative justice and nonviolence, she is most proud of her work cultivating youth leadership through peace education in New Jersey and Winnipeg.
(Interactive Workshop)
Practicing Hope: Community Care through Self-Care
In this workshop, Jessica Laus invites youth to engage in strategies that encourage collective and self-care practices grounded in transformative justice and storytelling to build skills, awareness, and connection. By the end of the workshop, youth will have engaged in acts of hopeful resistance against (seemingly) long odds that they can apply at home, in schools, and in their communities.
Block 2 | Session 4:
1:30 PM - 2:45 PM
Diwan Oulai is a researcher and community practitioner focused on youth, migration, and social cohesion. His work explores how storytelling and sport create spaces for belonging and connection among newcomer communities in Winnipeg. With experience in both academic research and community-based initiatives, he is passionate about translating lived experiences into inclusive practices that strengthen identity, resilience, and cross-cultural relationships.
(Interactive Workshop)
More Than a Game: Storytelling, Identity, and Belonging
In this interactive workshop, Diwan Oulai uses dialogue, movement, and creative expression to explore how storytelling can strengthen a sense of belonging, identity, and community among newcomer youth. Drawing on his research with young newcomers in Winnipeg, Diwan highlights how shared spaces, such as sport, can foster connection, resilience, and cross-cultural relationships.
Track 4: Narrative Arts & Creative Storytelling
Focus: Practical leadership tools, advocacy, and musical/expressive performance.
Block 1 | Session 5:
11:30 AM - 12.30 PM
Shanley Spence is an internationally known, world-class First Nation performer. Born and raised in Winnipeg, Shanley is Anishinaabe from Lake St. Martin First Nation and Nihithaw/Cree as a member of Mathias Colomb Cree Nation. Shanley began dancing at age 3 and started her hoop-dancing career at age 13. Having performed at a variety of nationwide and international events, institutions, conferences, and workshops, Shanley has even shared the stage with the likes of A Tribe Called Red, Nelly Furtado, Mohawk DJ “DJ Shub”, Boogey the Beat, and many others. As a strong advocate, Shanley’s community involvement has earned her many awards and accolades, including a Top 40 Under 40 Manitoba Award in 2017 and a Manitoba Youth Achievement Award for Artistic Performance!
(Interactive Storytelling)
Healing through the Hoop
This session teaches the hands-on, cultural art of the Indigenous traditional hoop dance. Shanely Spence brings a moving storytelling experience of cultural healing, identity, and our connection in the circle of life, bridging gaps around Indigenous identity and fostering open discussion for integration through a mix of powerful spoken word, prayer, and dance performance. Participants can try some hoop dance movements for themselves and participate in an open sharing circle with the group.
Block 2 | Session 5:
1:30 PM - 2:45 PM
Jeanette Perez immigrated to Canada from the Philippines in 2015. She is a dedicated community leader who promotes Filipino culture and heritage through music and the arts. She serves in leadership roles with the Philippine Heritage Council of Manitoba and the Filipino Music and Arts Association of Canada, and teaches ukulele to seniors at the Filipino Seniors Hall. Jeanette holds degrees in Chemical Engineering and Management Engineering and is pursuing registration as a Professional Engineer with Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba.
(Interactive Storytelling)
Saturdays with U (Ukulele)
Jeanette Perez blends an embodied narrative about her journey to Canada with hands-on instruction in ukulele playing. While sharing her deeply personal story of resilience, loss, and rediscovery through music, inspired by a simple ukulele gifted by her son, Jeanette introduces participants to her love of music and its connection to her family and her heritage. Participants will have the opportunity to try the ukulele themselves, learning a simple finger pattern and three to four commonly used chords.
The StoryStrong Community Bookstore
More than just a marketplace, our flagship Conference Bookstore is a vibrant space for dialogue, grassroots engagement, and community investment.
Throughout Saturday, you will have the unique opportunity to meet and speak directly with local community, multicultural, and peacebuilding authors. Come share in meaningful conversations about their work, discover powerful new perspectives, and purchase personalized, signed copies of their books.
Every purchase made at The StoryBridge Network’s bookstore booth—including curated local titles and exclusive StoryStrong commemorative items—directly supports our fundraising targets. All proceeds are funnelled right back into The StoryBridge Network’s program-reinvestment model, directly funding future newcomer initiatives, youth opportunities, and community-led projects.
Registration & Subsidized Seats
Take advantage of discounted Early Bird rates before August 31, 2026.
Community Investment Subsidies: We believe financial barriers should never limit community participation. Thanks to our dedicated sponsors, we are proud to offer fully subsidized, complimentary seats specifically for newcomers, youth, and seniors. If you or someone you represent is part of these groups and requires a sponsored pass, please fill out this form or contact us at info@thestorybridge.ca to request a ticket.
Get Involved: Partner, Showcase, or Volunteer
1. Corporate Social Responsibility & Community Investment
By partnering with the StoryStrong Conference, your business directly invests in a sustainable, community-rooted model of multiculturalism and inclusion. Our sponsorship opportunities are specifically designed to meet your Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) objectives—whether that means sponsoring youth opportunity brackets, funding newcomer belonging initiatives, or providing gifts in-kind.
To request our comprehensive corporate partnership package and discuss how we can align with your community investment goals, contact Patlee Creary at info@thestorybridge.ca.
2. Showcase Your Work: Apply for a Bookstore Booth
Are you a local author, independent publisher, or grassroots organization dedicated to multiculturalism, newcomer belonging, or peacebuilding? Gain direct access to an audience of community leaders, youth advocates, and educators. Book a display table in our high-traffic Upper Agora hub to share your journey, sell signed copies, and connect deeply with attendees.
Your Fully Hosted Investment: $100 for Independent Authors/Grassroots; $175 for Organizations and Small Publishers. (Includes a display table, program visibility, all-day coffee and baked goods, and a full community lunch!)
3. Join the StoryStrong Volunteer Crew
Support grassroots community leadership from the ground up! We are seeking 20–30 passionate volunteers to assist with Event Planning, Registration, Logistics, and Guest and Speaker Hospitality. Volunteers receive comprehensive training, a supportive team environment, and full access to conference activities when off shift.