Jaris Swidrovich (he/they), who currently serves on The 519 Board of Management, is an outspoken advocate in the community. He is a 2 Spirit, queer, disabled, Saulteaux, and Ukrainian pharmacist from Yellow Quill First Nation, and an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto.

Boards seek out business and administration skills, but they also seek to include different perspectives from within the communities they serve. Jaris’s work as a pharmacist and educator makes his skills a great fit for The 519 Board, and he brings his rich lived experience as a 2 Spirit Indigenous and disabled queer person to guide and inform important policy and conversations. That’s not where his viewpoint ends, though.

Jaris is relatively new to Toronto and came out recently. These facts drive his perspective in interesting ways. “I only came out four years ago, during the height of the pandemic,” he says. “We all also know that people in Toronto come from all over. I think the lens of a new transplant from Saskatoon and the Prairies is important too.”

Sometimes we need people with these experiences to remind us of how special Toronto truly is for our communities. Jaris knew they wanted to get more involved at The 519 when they visited the Green Space Festival in 2023. “It was my first Pride as an out individual, and my mind was just blown,” he says. “I was overcome with emotion for how 2SLGBTQ+ folks are celebrated at The 519. I was so driven to get more involved in this community.”

Joining the board is also a way for Jaris to make friends and foster community, which he has found since coming out and moving to Toronto. “I wanted to bring knowledge, skills, experiences, and advocacy, but selfishly I wanted to have community around me,” they say. “Toronto is a big city, and advocacy can be a way to meet people!”

For Jaris, that advocacy has made amazing returns. “Each and every board meeting I’m just blown away by what this incredible community is able to achieve,” he says. “It makes me feel uplifted and hopeful for the future, when that wasn’t always something that I felt as someone who kept parts of my identity a secret.”

The 519’s 2024 Annual General Meeting takes place on September 25. Make sure your membership is in good standing so you can vote for candidates to join the Board.