Introducing...Victoria Veenstra

Victoria is the newest member of our team. She joins our team this week as the Justice Communications Team Coordinator, working for the Centre for Public Dialogue, Office of Social Justice, and Canadian Indigenous Ministries Committee. She holds a masters of arts in history from Trent University and used to work for the Canadian Canoe Museum as their Programs Registrar. She was also part of Faith Formation Ministries Emerging Leaders Cohort as well as a panelist at Inspire 2017.Victoria will be one of the editors of Do Justice, along with Paola Fuentes Gleghorn.

We are thrilled to welcome Victoria to the team!

1. Who is one of your social justice heroes?

My hero right now is a guy by the name of Lenny Kohm.  Lenny travelled as a photographer to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska and the village of Old Crow in the Yukon.  He fell in love with the place and the people. He spent the next 25 years travelling around North America in partnership with the Gwich’in people speaking about how individuals could make a difference and advocate for both the environment and the rights of the Gwich’in.  To this day (with many close calls in between) the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge remains free of oil drilling. I love his story because it shows the impact one person can have. It also gives me hope for engaging the political system and seeing results.

2. You have a masters of arts in history. What has been one of the most formative experiences or lessons learned from either your education or work in that field?

One of the most important things I learned during my graduate degree was how to lead discussions.  As a Teaching Assistant I was responsible for creating an environment where people felt they could engage with a historical issue and go to a deeper level.  Learning to navigate conversations around controversial topics through trial and error grew me in ways I couldn’t imagine at the start.

3. Tell us about a time you have been inspired by your congregation or church.

I once visited a church where I stood around at coffee hour and no one spoke with me.  It made me much more aware of the amazing gift of hospitality my home church has. That experience inspired me to watch the people who are amazing at connecting with visitors and to learn from them to better welcome every person who comes in the door.  

4. What TV show or book character or best embodies you and why?

Susan from the Chronicles of Narnia is a character I embody in several ways.  I’m a ‘protective’ (a.k.a. bossy) older sister. Susan was the voice of reason and very practical while still being up for an adventure.  She’s a character I admire for being courageous and not afraid to stand for what is right. I dream of the day when I can travel through my closet to another world, but for now I’ll take any C.S. Lewis book with a cup of tea.