Meet Candies Kotchapaw

Candies Kotchapaw is the Executive Director, Developing Young Leaders of Tomorrow, Today (DYLOTT).

She is a passionate change maker, and she researched, “The Case for Greater Inclusion of Racialized Social Workers in Public Policy Development” during her Master of Social Work program at York University in Toronto and has presented her work at international academic conferences in the U.S. U.K and South Korea.

She is focused on developing her theory of practice from a social work perspective, which considers how lived experience impacts and influences public policy development and implementation, possibly impacting changes to Canadian foreign policy, domestic employment and affordable housing policies.

Ms. Kotchapaw has also developed a program specifically for Black youth who share her aspirations of being public leaders, but who also faced similar challenges to exposure and learning opportunities. 2019 marked the successful pilot, where she sent four young women to the UN headquarters in New York to be professionally trained in Word Politics and Negotiations.

In March 2021, Ms. Kotchapaw officially launched the Black Diplomats Academy, the first of its kind in Canada focusing on Black aspiring diplomats and the concept of Black Diplomacy.

In this experiential learning program, twenty-five fellows engage directly with diplomats and non-diplomatic representatives from Global Affairs Canada and other foreign affairs leaders, to discuss a wide range of global policy topics including human rights and advocacy for Black diplomacy through the UN Decade for People of African Descent. This program took on a truly global focus with fellows from Germany, Jamaica, Cameroon, Zimbabwe, Uganda and South Africa.

Beyond the immediate impact of how this program is positively changing the career outlook and trajectory for these young people, this program is also a broader structural solution for advancing social justice, equity and access to leadership development opportunities for Black communities in Canada and globally.

Ms. Kotchapaw is a highly sought after panelist and consultant. She addresses topics of intentional program design for structural change, navigating entry into hidden and emerging job markets and avoiding mission drift!

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For more info, visit www.mipad.org

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