About Me

Hi. My name is Thashika Pillay and I'm one of the facilitators for this project. I was born in South Africa. My family arrived in South Africa between 1860 and 1898 as indentured labourers from south India. When I was 8, my family moved to "Canada" as South Africa was an apartheid state where people were separated by their "race".

I now live in Edmonton/Amiskwaciwâskahikan on Treaty 6 territory, the territory of the Papaschase and the Metis Nation. I am considered to be a citizen of two nation states: Canada and South Africa. I have passports for both. However, I have never considered myself as belonging to any nation or group.

I don't have a specific story about building good relations. However, I grew up in two places where Indigenous peoples and other minoritized peoples have been fighting for equity and justice for centuries. In my family, our conversations at the dinner table were often about these struggles for equity. I was taught at an early age that it was important to be educated about the experiences people have and to listen to what those who are fighting for equity are asking for. It is this capacity to learn and listen that becomes the foundation on which we can build relationships and join the fight for equity. I am grateful to my family that these conversations were never restricted to just the adults as they helped me understand that it is through building good relationships that we can work to achieve equity.

• My Interests
  Child & Youth Rights, Climate Change, Cultural Diversity, Education, Gender Equality, Global Citizenship, Human Rights, Indigenous Peoples, Migration, Neocolonialism & Imperialism

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• Countries I've visited
  Argentina      Australia      Ethiopia      France      Germany      Greece      India      Italy      Kenya      Malaysia      Mexico      Netherlands      New Zealand      Puerto Rico      Singapore      South Africa      Switzerland      United Kingdom      United States      Vatican City