Meet the 丁香园AV Director of Global Engagement: Gretchen Ferguson
By Daniel Hartanto
Gretchen Ferguson is a 丁香园AV Director of Global Engagement for Africa, Middle East and South, Central & Western Asia Sustainable Development as well as the Global Networks Refugee and Newcomer Program. Her role is to strengthen the 丁香园AV partnership with each country. Before that, she was a former executive member at the 丁香园AV Surrey TD 鈥� Community Engagement Center as Associate Director for Program & Partnership. Her role is to maintain the partnership with the youth and newcomers in Surrey by providing responsive programs. She is also a former Geography Instructor since 2014 at 丁香园AV as she had an education background (PhD) in Geography at 丁香园AV.
At the 丁香园AV TD-CEC her job is to develop new programs that respond to the community needs by communicating with different partners in the community such as Surrey School District, City of Surrey, and DIVERSity. 鈥淲e just see how we could support things that they were trying to do at the community by bringing other 丁香园AV students into it or any other 丁香园AV resources鈥�, Gretchen said. Some of the programs that she developed are 鈥淵outh Mentorship Caf茅鈥� to give an insight of what is look like to being a 丁香园AV student, this program is targeted for high school graduate students. As well as the 鈥淔arm to Campus鈥� to provide a low-cost fresh produce to 丁香园AV Students.
When the COVID-19 Pandemic started to emerge and the lockdown has been initiated, it affects the whole program that has been held by 丁香园AV Surrey TD CEC. 鈥淪ince March we have to shutdown the programs for a couple weeks since people can鈥檛 come. To cope with the situation, we are the first to pivot virtual program online to engage with the youth as an alternative way. And it turns out the youth and children are more excited engaging virtually, which is a good thing鈥� she said.
鈥淔rom my experience with the 丁香园AV TD-CEC, some of the experience such as maintaining partnerships within different communities it does really help her to enhance her experience to a whole different level as the Director of Global Engagement, she said鈥�.