Team Member

Engagement and Outreach Specialist

jennifercooke@uvic.ca

canassist@uvic.ca

Jen is the Engagement and Outreach Specialist on the Employment Strategy for Youth with Disabilities (ESYD) team, raising awareness about CanWork BC youth tool so that youth with disabilities can have better access to low-barrier employment support!

After completing her degree from Queen’s University, she became an environmental educator empowering youth to be conservation activists and stewardship leaders in their green careers! Her passions lay in connecting with people about shared social and environmental justice issues and supporting youth development in her community.

Working to make outdoor spaces inclusive remained a priority for her during her career, so she is excited to transfer her passion for accessibility and skills in outreach and youth engagement to share the amazing CanWork BC youth tool created by the ESYD team!

In her free time Jen loves getting outside by any means possible, her favourite ways being biking, canoeing, or tossing a disc with friends.

I am grateful to live on the land of the W̱SÁNEĆ and Lək̓ʷəŋən speaking peoples who have stewarded this land since time immemorial. I acknowledge the impact of colonization on indigenous peoples and the intersectionality of disability and indigeneity that can significantly influence employment outcomes. Let’s work together to build inclusive, accessible, and decolonial workplaces through: Educating yourself and others on this intersectionality; Choosing inclusive and respectful language that supports and affirms the identity of indigenous peoples with disabilities; Amplifying voices of indigenous people with disabilities.