Meet AMO’s 2024 Youth Fellows

In Fall 2023, AMO staff received applications for the fourth cohort of the AMO Youth Fellowship Program. After conducting group interviews with a shortlist of candidates, three Fellows were selected based on their experience in their local communities and their interest in municipal politics and governance. 

Elizabeth Simpson Hillis is from Bradford West Gwillimbury and is in her 2nd year at the University of Toronto studying a double major in Political Science and Urban Studies. Her research and work span a range of topics including Indigenous studies and disability studies, and her background in environmental policy advisory has created an overall passion for climate change advocacy. 

Elizabeth is passionate about taking an intersectional approach to building sustainable communities that prioritize equity, diversity, and inclusion. She is interested in learning about how AMO’s Healthy Democracy Project and Land-Use Planning, Resources and Climate Change pillar work to benefit communities in Ontario.

AMO Board mentor: Councillor Barbara Dobreen

Henry Khamonde was born in the downtown core of Toronto but raised in southeast Scarborough. Throughout his undergrad at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC), he majored in Health Studies (Population Health stream) and minored in Biomedical Ethics and Psychology. 
In the past few years, Henry has fostered a greater understanding of public policy practices and issues, advocacy, leadership, and legislature at the federal, provincial, and municipal levels. The depth of his knowledge and acuity has been accrued through his experiences as a Policy and Programs Assistant at the Ministry of the Solicitor General (SOLGEN), Toronto Metropolitan University’s (TMU) CanStudyUS Fellowship, job shadowing a panel of policy advisors at Association of Municipalities Ontario, and assuming the role of a Black Academic Support Mentor at UTSC.

Henry has a burning desire to converge his political background with his undergraduate studies. He is thoroughly excited to seek equitable solutions, adopt                                              inclusive frameworks, and connect with a diverse range of policymakers.

                                  AMO Board mentor: Mayor Wendy Landry

Thomas Walling is from the City of Kawartha Lakes and is finishing up a Specialized Bachelors of Honours at York University majoring in Global Political Studies. Born and raised in Lindsay Ontario where he grew up playing sports. His areas of study and research are the far-right, terrorism, and extremism. 

With his studies focused on anti-democratic actors, Thomas hopes to use his experiences and research to educate about democracy and the challenges it faces. He looks forward to contributing to the AMOs Healthy Democracy Project. Through engagement with policymakers and stakeholders, Thomas looks to learn more about how to address issues that affect his home community.

AMO Board mentor: Mayor Rick Dumas
 

For more information about the Youth Fellowship Program as part of AMO’s Youth Engagement Strategy, please visit AMO’s Youth Engagement page or contact Stewart McDonough at smcdonough@amo.on.ca.