Dr. Anna Griffith believes education is one of the most powerful tools for creating a better, more sustainable world. That’s why she’s taken on the role of Changemaker Curriculum Developer in the Teaching and Learning Centre. UFV’s changemaking principles of inclusive empowerment; decolonization and Indigenization; sustainable futures; and reciprocity respond to UFV’s new Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs).  

Anna’s role helps faculty apply these principles to embed the ILOs into their teaching practices. 

“Our classes can help cultivate the skills we all need – resilience, adaptability, empathy, and creative problem solving,” says Anna, an associate professor in the School of Creative Arts who is engaged in this work until April. “We can also provide students opportunities to work on the complex, real-world challenges that our world faces. To me this contributes to meaningful, transformative education.” 

Changemaking underlies innovation and change initiatives that have positive impact throughout the communities that UFV serves. UFV is currently in the process of pursuing the prestigious Ashoka Changemaker Campus designation that will highlight the university’s commitment to being a house of transformation, and open new doors for collaboration with other members of the Ashoka global network. This work has been a collaborative effort by many over the past two years and is currently being coordinated and supported by Dr. Martha Dow, Director of UFV’s Community Health and Social Innovation Hub and Senior Advisor for Changemaking.  

Through coaching, curriculum consultation, and workshops Anna supports faculty in developing or leveraging changemaking opportunities in UFV courses, helping them integrate sustainable development and social innovation into their pedagogy. She is hosting a monthly Changemaker Café: Community of Inquiry for people to hold critical conversations about changemaking. Each month has a thematic focus. January’s is changemaking in uncertain times. February’s is decolonizing changemaking. March brings breaking cycles and making change tangible, and April’s is communities of changemaking. 

 Anna is helping faculty develop assignments and course modules that directly engage with some of the world’s most pressing sustainability issues such as gender and social equality, environmental action, and social justice. She says she looks forward to helping design action-oriented, real-world learning experiences that empower students to make meaningful contributions to their communities.  

“Students are seeking relevance in their education,” she says. “They want to work on projects that matter – projects that make a difference in their communities while at the same time giving them experience that they can put on their CVs. By using the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as a lens, we can design projects, assignments, and courses that address our most urgent challenges and resonate deeply with students’ desire to create change.”  

Anna brings a wealth of experience to the role. She holds certifications in Education for Sustainable Development (United Nations University for Peace and Earth Charter), Sustainable Leadership (Institute for Sustainable Leadership), and Leading Social Innovation in Post-Secondary (Ashoka Canada and Royal Roads University). Her research and teaching sit at the intersection of creativity, sustainability, and EDI, with a focus on transdisciplinary collaboration and transformative education.  

Her expertise and experience will help shape UFV’s academic programs to prepare students not just for the challenges of today, but for the uncertainties of tomorrow.  UFV is committed to student-ready learning, making sure graduates are ready to succeed in whatever path they choose after graduating. 

“Anna’s role contributes to UFV’s commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Accord (SDG Accord), ensuring that our students develop the necessary knowledge, skills, and mindset to become true changemakers who lead, inspire, and advance the critical role that education plays in achieving the UN SDGs,” says Awneet Sivia, Associate Vice President, Teaching and Learning. “This is part of UFV’s broader vision of fostering a culture of sustainability that engages learners, transforms lives and builds community.”