My name is Suffia Malik and I am a third year health sciences student in the CityLAB Hamilton Semester in Residence program. This program brings together a group of students from diverse academic and personal backgrounds to learn about community engagement, design, and dialogue. We spend our entire semester together at CityLAB, where we learn about the diverse issues and initiatives that are shaping Hamilton. As a part of the residency, students work with community partners to help make Hamilton a healthier place to live.
As a health sciences student, I bring my interests in global health, the social determinants of health, and equity to this program. I was interested in joining CityLAB because I wanted to engage with community building and learn about how people tackle issues on a local level. Through the program, I have been able to learn about climate justice and personally engage with the experiences of marginalized communities facing climate change.
One of my favorite parts of the average CityLAB week is when we explore new parts of Hamilton and learn about how design impacts our connections to our communities. Our instructor Brian Baetz takes us through different areas of the city to help us understand the physical spaces that shape people’s lives. I have loved our explorations of the different green spaces in Hamilton such as Jackson Park and the Dundas EcoPark Gateway. I have also loved SOBI biking precariously around Locke St construction on a day that I missed a bus stop and I was now tasked with catching up to my CityLAB peers several blocks away.
Because of CityLAB, I have also gained the confidence to engage with local politics. I attended my first ever general issues committee in order to support a community hub for diverse and marginalized populations in Ward 3. I am also currently planning a workshop for my CityLAB peers to discuss the issue of Bill 21 in Quebec (on which I am conducting a thesis project). Our involvement with community partners in Hamilton have created opportunities to connect with the issues facing Hamilton residents and the solutions different groups are working towards.
I will finish by saying that the friendships I have developed through CityLAB are among the most valuable things I have gained from this residency. Learning from, debating, and working with a group of passionate, creative, and inspiring students and instructors has made coming to CityLAB a daily adventure. I am incredibly grateful for the laughter and explorations we have shared and I know I am privileged to be in the presence of so many current and future leaders.