Guest: Paul Sitnam (international humanitarian)
What is an international humanitarian? To Paul Sitnam, it is the idea of giving yourself to others and learning from the people that you are giving to. And because his work takes him all over the world, there is much to learn – how to work with people, respect their cultures, understand their procedures, and understand each other.
How do you build affordable housing? This is Muktar Latif’s job, as CEO of the Pomegranate Housing Consultancy. He supports governments and other entities in figuring out ways to address housing solutions – it is a job he loves, to the point where it doesn’t feel like work. This is a far cry from his background in chemistry but due to science not paying well in the 1980s, he switched careers to real estate, revealing the path to his future career.
As far as Andy Day is concerned, he has the luckiest job in the world – it brings him to the most beautiful places to meet all sorts of “beautiful people.” This can include anyone who works in jobs that connect people to the land. As the CEO of the BC Parks Foundation, that is his mission – to bring people to nature. The roots of this journey go back to his decision to pursue law or go a more adventurous route; by choosing the latter, it opened him up to the diversity of life and, in turn, the planet.
What does Maureen Palmer do? Having many roles, it was hard to answer that question, until her daughter came up with an apt description – “knowledge translation.” And as a creator of documentaries which take time to make, that knowledge translation has to anticipate what the public wants to talk about months from now. To her, this is key to being successful and a big reason to keep her eyes and ears open.
For Christy Smith’s role in indigenous engagement in environmental consulting, fieldwork is what makes her thrive. She loves going out into the community to build relationships and understanding the nuances of each community. This is a far cry from her dreams of being an artist, which were put on hold after she became a mother; she realized that she wanted to produce a work of value for her child’s future. This led her down a path of self-discovery, both personally and professionally.
