Facilitators List
Adornment Stories alumni provide workshops incorporating multiple theories including narrative theory, anti-racist perspective, Black feminist theory and anti-oppressive practices. Workshops incorporate body positivity, storytelling, and skills building while challenging heteronormativity, gender constructs, mental health stereotypes, and Eurocentric beauty standards.
All workshops and services are rooted in body positive, racially conscious, LGBTQI2 friendly and affirming approaches. Workshops aim to provide non-judgmental services and safer spaces for all workshop participants. For further questions and queries please email: info@adornmentstories.com
To book a facilitator from this list, please fill out a request here
STEPH PFLUGFELDER
Wellness & Arts Educator
Steph Pflugfelder is an artist and educator dedicated to community wellness and social justice. She is a graduate student at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, studying equity in education as a means of creating transformative change within our communities. Steph’s passion stems from her diverse heritage and upbringing; having grown up in Mexico with roots in the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, she has experienced the world through a plethora of lenses. Steph is currently a committed educator who inspires young folks to see their unlimited potential as the next generation of change makers.
SANIQUE WALTERS
Wellness & Arts Educator
Sanique is a catalyst, educator and advocate for community co-expression, wellness and self-care, she strives to create spaces for Black women to learn, create and hone in on their identity, ultimately developing their wellness practices outside of societal norms. As a Black Caribbean woman, holding a Master in Environmental Studies and Bachelor of Honours Degree in Social Science, she works to develop a strategy that can restore self-care to its political meaning through the arts, in both her professional and personal life.
Zainab R.
Wellness & Arts Educator • Poet
Zainab R. is a twenty-two year old emerging artist from Lagos, Nigeria. Originally a writer by choice, Zainab has been honing in on photography as another creative outlet allowing her to explore different forms of storytelling. Often inspired by her African upbringing, Zainab champions authentic and relatable stories that show the multidimensionality of Black people as a race.
ALAWIYA HASSAN
Wellness & Arts Educator
Alawiya is a 25-year-old who has been creatively expressing herself since she was five years old. She enjoys creating visual arts as a form of outlet and self care. However, in the recent years she has developed an interest in other forms of art such as photography, makeup, and fashion. In terms of education, Alawiya studied her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree at Ryerson university in Child and Youth Care. Her current work involves supporting young people with special needs and their families.
Shiann Croft
Wellness & Arts Educator • Poet • Energy Healer
Born on the South American land of Guyana, Shiann ascends from a matriarchal lineage of alchemists, and healers. Shiann is an intuitive energy healer, reiki practitioner, artist, educator, and change agent to art and culture. The Brampton based poetess possesses a powerful relationship with storytelling that is ancestral and thought-provoking, she has sprinkled black girl magic on the stages of Afrofest, Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival, AWA tribute to Miriam Makeba and FOLD Literary Festival to name a few. She has developed and facilitated curriculum for TDSB, PDSB, Toronto Boys & Girls Club and community-based initiatives, using poetry and creative writing as a tool to center the experiences of racialized youth. Shiann birthed a beautiful, holistic healing practice that is steeped in ancestral knowledge and womb wisdom.
Charissa Whittingham
Wellness & Arts Educator •
Charissa Whittingham is a Black Biracial Torontonian passionate about self-expression and racial identity. With a Master’s degree in Child and Youth Care from X University she highlights the importance of an anti-oppressive and trauma informed framework when working with people from all places in life. She believes art should be accessible to all and uses it as a tool for healing, learning and entertainment.
Her favourite mediums are watercolour and needle art but you can find her giving just about anything a try. Branching out into textiles, clay and digital illustration have been her latest adventures.
She works as a Child and Youth Care practitioner supporting adolescents as they navigate high school and build independence.
Keosha Love
Wellness & Arts Educator • Writer • Director
Keosha Love is a multi-disciplinary artist, activist and educator that intersects arts & wellness to empower women and promote positive health in BlPOC communities. As a writer and director, Keosha is notable for promoting social awareness, self-discovery and healing in her work by exploring the diverse narratives and identities of people of colour. In 2016, Keosha founded Our Women’s Voices, a platform focused on creating safe spaces for amplifying the voices of women through events and workshops. Most recently, Keosha was awarded the 2019 Community Award for her immense drive towards strengthening marginalized communities with her platform. Keosha is a force with wings, dedicated to using her voice and empowering others to find theirs.