Danika Swanson appointed Spiritual and Community Animation Consultant

Danika Swanson has been appointed as the new Spiritual and Community Animation (SCA) Consultant with the Student Services Department (SSD) of the English Montreal School Board (EMSB).

Ms. Swanson has been working as a Spiritual and Community Animator for the past year. Prior to joining the EMSB, she held a variety of positions in the fields of education and international peacebuilding including as a facilitation expert, education program specialist, outreach coordinator and consultant. She moved to Montreal with her family in 2017.

Ms. Swansonm is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School, where her Masters work focused broadly on religion, ethics, and politics with particular attention on the region of South Asia and the role of religion, identity, and culture in conflict and conflict resolution. She also brings to this role extensive training and experience in various models of conflict transformation including: mediation, nonviolent communication, dialogue facilitation, and mindfulness. 

As she steps into this position, Ms. Swanson is excited for the opportunity to work with the incredible team of Spiritual and Community Animators, and to collaborate more closely with other Student Services professionals, as well as with administrators to best meet the evolving needs of our schools and students. She  is looking forward to building upon the traditional strengths of the SCA service in encouraging students’ understanding of self, others, and the local and global communities in which we live, while also more fully integrating the service into the prevention and promotion work of the SSD.