Hello! My name is Camellia Jahanshahi. I am a facilitator, multidisciplinary artist, performer, teacher, community worker, activist, faith worker, and lifelong student of ritual, folklore, and joy!

I bring 15 years of experience in community organizing in both secular and multi faith spaces where my primary focus was on creating spaces for non judgmental unlearning and relearning.

My work is informed by an academic background in religions and cultures; my professional experience in anti-racism work, equity and inclusion leadership; my experience as a youth engagement worker; ongoing studies in somatic coaching; my lay chaplain and death doula practice; and my artistic practice. 

I believe in our inherent worth and dignity, the importance of interdependence in this world, and that our liberation is bound together. I believe that pleasure is a right and I am committed to supporting your cultivation of boundaries and familiarity with your desires to help you claim it!

As a queer mixed Iranian-American, I am deeply interested in the ways our bodies carry memory, culture, grief, pleasure, resilience and possibility. My work is informed by years of lived experience and by my artistic practice including performance, movement, and visual art. These experiences continue to shape how I think about the world, embodiment and our ability to alchemize and transform.  I love working with people and organizations around identity issues and I am both uniquely positioned and deeply motivated to support this work.

No matter what kind of container we meet in, I am always guided by principles grounded in transparent access to information, skill sharing, sustainability, and joy as a radical act.

My Academic Qualifications:

Bachelors and Masters in Religions and Cultures from Concordia University

Professional Leadership in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Certification from Cornell University

GROW Fellowship for Community Activists from the UU College of Social Justice

Death Doula Certification from Home Hospice Association

Mind Body Coaching Certification from The Embody Lab

Organizations I’ve Worked With:

SHIFT Concordia

SEIZE Concordia

QPIRG Concordia

Canadian Unitarian Council

Canadian Publisher’s Association

Social Impact Consulting

Press Start Coop

Canadian Association of Education and Outreach