Manitoba’s Future 40: Finalists include Jodie Layne, Adam Schwartz
One is an 11-year-old girl dedicated to helping Winnipeg’s homeless and another is a stand-up comedian who has given a voice and a stage to people on the autism spectrum — another 10 rising stars in Manitoba have been revealed.
CBC Manitoba and Metro called on Manitobans to nominate people under 40 making a big impact on their community.
More than 195 nominations came in, and CBC Manitoba is unveiling 10 new finalists a day between Monday and Thursday. Here’s the third set of movers, shakers and change-makers:
Jodie Layne
At just 25, Jodie Layne has made a name for herself across Canada as a powerful women’s rights and LGBT rights advocate.
Layne created Safe Spaces, a group that combats street harassment, empowers women and trains employees of organizations across the province on how to make safe spaces for women and the LGBT community.
She frequently contributes to national publications on women’s issues, is a health educator at the Nine Circles Community Health Centre and sits on the boards of the Women’s Health Clinic and the Rainbow Trout Music Festival.
She’s a proud feminist who fights for equality and justice in her writing and activism — including offering talks on sex-positive sexual assault prevention and spearheading the B.R.A.V.E. program, which works with young men to combat violence against women.
Hijab Mitra
Hijab Mitra is the principle architect at her firm Mistecture Architecture, where she specializes in sustainable, community-designed projects.
Mitra’s most recent project, Marie Rose Place, is an affordable housing project for single, immigrant women who could be at risk. It’s now housing women from 15 different countries.
She’s also worked on the Merchant’s Hotel Project, and her firm specializes in socially-conscious design.
She has a Masters of Architecture from the University of Nottingham but has had her feet planted firmly in Manitoba since 2005.
Marie Christian
Marie Christian has spent the last 11 years working to improve the lives of children in care.
She’s the program co-ordinator for Voices, the Manitoba Youth in Care Network.
Christian provides outreach for the organization, holds workshops and fundraisers and directly mentors young people.
She also co-ordinates an Equitas program for 13 to 18 year olds in Winnipeg to explore human rights issues and come up with strategies to combat discrimination.
James Magnus-Johnston
James Magnus-Johnston is a lecturer on politics and ecological economics at the Canadian Mennonite University.
He recently co-founded Fools and Horses Coffee Company in Winnipeg — Manitoba’s first “waste-free” coffee shop.
On-tap wine, compostable packaging and local products are all part of the company’s mandate.
He also co-founded RISE Urban incubator, a non-profit that tries to reduce our ecological footprint.
Magnus-Johnston is also very involved in the city’s art scene and has worked with a number of city choirs and theatre companies.
Duncan Cox
At just 19, Duncan Cox is a powerful advocate for anti-bullying.
As a theatre student at the University of Winnipeg, Cox uses music and theatre to bring anti-bullying messages to students across Canada.
As a former victim of bullying, he’s part of the group Hateless, which uses stories and music to empower kids.
Cox has said a big part of his activism is also knowing that victims aren’t the only ones who need help — bullies do too. He advocates for educators to help bullies with better coping mechanisms.
Rebecca Norman
Rebecca Norman started Manitoba Mutts Dog Rescue in 2011.
The group now has more than 850 volunteers, and it is now one of the largest animal rescue groups in Manitoba.
The group has saved more than 1,950 animals since it started.
Part of the group’s mandate is to advocate for remote communities. Norman launched the Get Fixed program to help get Northern communities access to spay and neutering services.
Manitoba Mutts also runs therapy animal programs at Winnipeg universities.
Dr. Allison Dart
Dr. Allison Dart is one of Manitoba’s only pediatric nephrologists (kidney doctors for children.)
She provides highly specialized care for children in Manitoba, Northwest Ontario and parts of Nunavut.
She leads a program that provides life-saving intensive-care dialysis for children who are critically ill and also travels to northern Manitoba communities to treat children closer to their homes.
Dart is the pediatric lead on the FINISHED team, which works with First Nations communities to screen for kidney disease.
Finally, she works as part of the DREAM research team that is working to better prevent and treat youth onset Type 2 Diabetes.
Travis Dreger
22-year-old Travis Dreger has started two businesses while finishing his degree at the University of Manitoba’s Asper School of Business.
He started the first, Quality Concepts, last year. It builds screened-in areas for homes to keep bugs out.
The second, Passages.life, is an online service that improves the way people are remembered online when they pass away.
Dreger created the service to give people a chance to share stories of their loved ones in a safe space online.
He has also worked with a number of groups to foster entrepreneurship and technology use.
Callie Costello
Callie Costello, 11, started Callie’s Backpacks — a project that distributes backpacks with basic supplies to Winnipeg’s homeless population.
Each backpack has deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothpaste, a toothbrush, body lotion, disposable shavers, feminine hygiene products, granola bars, juice box, water, Kleenex, Band-Aids, deck of card and socks.
Winter versions have warm clothes and a blanket, while summer versions have baseball hats and water bottles. Each one also has a small gift like candy or gum.
Costello raises money and supplies and has distributed more than 800 backpacks.
She also volunteers at homeless shelters and has participated in the CEO Sleepout and the Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser for Resource Assistance for Youth.
Adam Schwartz
Adam Schwartz is a stand-up comedian and actor who founded Autistic Productions in Winnipeg.
Schwartz’s material draws heavily on growing up with Aspergers, and wrote and starred in a fringe play called Aspergers: A Tale of a Social Misfit.
He’s become a well-known name in the local comedy scene. He was runner up in Winnipeg’s Funniest Comedian with a Day Job competition last year.
His group Autistic Productions puts on events that feature autistic artists each month.
The 29-year-old is also an advocate for the autistic community — he’ll be speaking at the upcoming Autism Awareness/Pride Day later this year.
