About Future Ancestors Services Inc.

Future Ancestors Services is an Indigenous and Black-owned, youth-led professional services social enterprise that advances climate justice and equity with a lens of ancestral accountability. We build bridges between cultures, ways of knowing, and professional sectors with the goal of addressing the causes of systemic issues that disadvantage groups of people, connection to the land, and the well-being of Earth. We have three pathways of work:

1. Our Services: Through a small team of emerging Canadian leaders, we provide speaking, training, research, and free and donation-collecting community services. Our clients operate in a wide range of sectors and are seeking a perspective that brings ancestral accountability, equity, and climate justice to their work, spaces, and people.

2. Our Constellation: Our Constellation is an online platform that features Indigenous, Black, racialized, disabled, young and/or LGBTQ2S+ independent speakers, trainers, researchers, and artists available for hire. All ‘Constellation Stars’ are based in Canada and centre climate justice and equity in their work.

3. Our Collective: Our Collective hosts a growing database of content that explores teachings, understandings and perspectives of future ancestry and ancestral accountability. Our goal is to create a space where individuals can come to create their own understanding of ancestry.

Learn more about us at www.futureancestors.ca or contact us at info@futureancestors.ca

Our Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts are where we share daily tools, resources, opportunities, and community highlights. Follow us at @ancestorsfuture.

References

References are listed by section, in alphabetical order.

Credits

Facilitator Biography and Contact Information

Thank you to the staff at Future Ancestors Services who created this module. Please see their Biography's below. 

Chúk Odenigbo

Founding Director and Director of Ancestral Services, Future Ancestors Services Inc.

Franco-Albertain from Calgary, Chúk (il/lui) is incredibly passionate about the interactions between culture, health and the environment. This passion manifests itself in his three primary roles as (1) Founding Director for Future Ancestors Services Inc.; (2) Co-founder of The Poison and The Apple, a Albertan born bilingual non-profit organization that seeks to change the way in which Canadians interact with nature at a sociocultural level in order to diversify outdoor spaces and make nature truly for all; (3) and, PhD Candidate in Medical Geography where his research looks at the relationships between human health, the environment, geographic factors, society, and healthcare to shed light on public health policies and strategies. 

Chúk is recognized as an expert in "Healthy Parks, Healthy People" (HPHP). Originally from Australia, the HPHP movement approaches the relationship between humanity and nature from a health and health care perspective in order to create and influence programmes and policies to improve public health through parks and natural areas. He has spoken at several international and local conferences such as WE Day, the Healthy Parks Healthy People Forum, the Nature Champions Summit, and the Atlantic Outdoors Forum. He has put together and taught courses at the University of Ottawa for undergraduate students and at ECO Canada for Environmental Professionals. Chúk has also led important discussions on climate change and youth engagement with Global Affairs Canada, Youth Climate Lab, the Salzburg Global Seminar and other government and non-government agencies.

Chúk was ranked amongst the top 30 Under 30 Sustainability Leaders by Corporate Knights, the top 30 Change-Making Albertans under 30 by the Alberta Council for Global Cooperation, the top 10 young Franco-Albertan leaders by Radio-Canada and the top 25 environmentalists under 25 in Canada by the Starfish for three years. Chúk was MEC's ambassador for the outdoors and is an alumni of the first Ocean Bridge cohort, a group of young Canadians leading ocean health and literacy projects across Canada.

Mo Phùng

Alchemist of Ancestral Services, Future Ancestors Services Inc.

Mo Phùng (They/Them) is a queer Việt/Người Kinh second-generation immigrant who was born in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. They are a Marine Biologist, Ocean Technologist, visual artist, and photographer based in Kjipuktuk (Halifax). They currently work as an Alchemist of Ancestral Services at Future Ancestors Services and are a National Advisory Council Member of the Platform. 

Mo has experience working with the Nova Scotia Ocean Sector and non-profits who work in ocean conservation and education. Their approach is to engage the ocean and environmental sectors to create climate justice frameworks and prioritize racialized voices, relationships and connections. In 2018, they were a national ocean ambassador in the Ocean Bridge program, an initiative under Ocean Wise. Then in 2020, they became the Community Specialist for the program, where they supported youth in their service projects and led the communications strategy and social media platforms.

They graduated from Dalhousie University with a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology, with a focus in Underwater Photography, then went onto receive an Advanced Graduate Diploma in Oceans Technology at the Nova Scotia Community College - both institutions are located on Mi’kma’ki. Since graduating, Mo has established themselves as a well-known and respected photographer, taking on both land and underwater commercial photography freelance contracts.

This past year, they have held discussions and webinars on the topics of Intersectional Environmentalism through an 2SLGBTQIA+ lens, arts and the oceans, environmental racism, climate justice and equity in ocean conservation. They were a National Advisor on the 2021 Canadian Ocean Literacy Coalition (COLC) national strategy and implementation plan for the Ocean Decade. They have been published and recognized in platforms and magazines such as THIS Magazine, Taking It Global, #RisingYouth, Starfish Canada, GenW, Ecology Action Centre, Nocturne Halifax, CYC Podcast, Culture Trip, Canadian Ocean Literacy Coalition, CaNOE and more. As co-founder, Oceans Week HFX was the recipient of the 2019 Ocean Education in Collaboration Award, awarded by Ocean Wise Conservation Association.