ABOUT ME
Athavarn (he/they) is an Eelam-Tamil writer, facilitator and educator. His work engages with consciousness—emotion, conflict, self-concepts and temporal perception—as terrains of political transformation.
As a facilitator, he is interested in the fractal nature of change, both individual and collective, and how change maps onto the past, present and future. Athavarn has supported diverse groups—activists, artists, researchers, lawyers, policymakers, students and residents—to make sense of present social, environmental and political landscapes and chart pathways towards more just futures. In that sense, Athavarn's work has been grounded in critical hope.
Prior to freelancing, Athavarn worked in different roles across non-profit, academic, and public sector consulting organizations focused on urban governance, social policy and human rights. His work has taken him to South Africa, India, Sri Lanka, Poland, Jordan, the United States and every province and territory in Canada. His writing has been featured in ANMLY Press.
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Athavarn loves astrology, tarot, sci-fi, cooking, hiking, R&B, pour-over coffee, his people, his friends and his family. He is currently based in Toronto, Canada.
Education
Master of Arts, Adult Education & Community Development
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
University of Toronto (Current)
Non-Profit Leadership Certificate
Goodman School of Business
Brock University
Bachelor of Social Science, Sociology
Faculty of Social Science
University of Ottawa
Work
Family Service Toronto
Manager, Social Action
Project Coordinator
Simon Fraser University
Manager, Special Projects
Third Party Public
Community Engagement Associate
CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation
Youth Programme Consultant
Youth Community Building Intern
The Refugee Hub
Communications & Outreach Assistant
Awards
Volunteering
30 Under 30
Tamil Canadian Centre for Civic Action
Board Member
Sherbourne Health
McCall MacBain Loran Scholar
Loran Scholars Foundation
Board Member
Amnesty International Canada