Mitchell Defehr

Background

About Mitchell Defehr

I graduated from Canadian Mennonite University with a Bachelor of Arts in Peace and Conflict Transformation. I am currently in the Master of Human Rights (M.H.R) program at the University of Manitoba. I have a passion for advocacy and community engagement. I have worked in various capacities coordinating educational programs for youth and am keen to be more involved in education, research, empowerment, and human rights programming. As MARL’s education coordinator I work on fostering social justice, human rights, and civil liberties through education and advocacy. Prior to starting at MARL, I worked as the Volunteer Coordinator at Camp Manitou. I ran weekly orientations for youth where we did workshops on resume building, soft skills training, communication skills and inclusivity training. As a person of privilege, I hope to be an advocate for marginalized groups and dismantle systems of oppression. I want to be a part of enhancing the well-being of others by cultivating agency. In the M.H.R program, I have continued to refine and shape attributes such as cross-cultural understanding, collaboration, fostering curiosity, interdisciplinary learning, critical thinking, and the value of knowing effective research methods. As a member of various boards and councils, I am keen on addressing organizational caveats to inclusivity. I have been involved in analyzing and revising training modules that deal with staff training. As well as a pivotal member of various sub-committees tasked with strategic planning for organizations' inclusivity planning.