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Employment is up. Wages are down. Most people have fewer choices and chances. It doesn’t add up. Some people are throwing their hands in the air because they don’t believe the economic system can change. Others are simply throwing shade on it. We’re drawn to people who are taking action today to generate more opportunities and wealth for whole communities in the future, not just a few individuals. Democracy Collaborative’s Ted Howard throws light on what it takes to design an economy that benefits everyone. Ted Howard is a lifelong social justice advocate and campaigner for a democratic economy. He is the co-founder and president of the Democracy Collaborative with offices in Washington, D.C. and Cleveland, Ohio.

In front of a live audience on Wednesday, January 23, 2019, Atkinson’s Ausma Malik had a seriously funny conversation about inclusion, technology and power with U.S. comedian Hari Kondabolu and Canadian Roots Exchange’s Max FineDay. The podcast includes cameo appearances from the cast of The Jetsons, the first colour cartoon series which aired in 1962 and set in 2062. Ausma, Hari and Max talk about bosses and workers, tech for lifestyles and livelihoods, and how race, money and gender colours everything for millennials. They dish about the antics of a space age family and workplace conceived 56 years ago — what’s changed, what’s frozen in time, and what we can do about the future today. Heads up! This episode contains language that some people may find offensive. Hari Kondabolu (@harikondabolu) is a Brooklyn-based comedian, podcaster and writer. His work includes Netflix special Warn Your Relatives, his critically-acclaimed 2017 documentary The Problem with Apu, and two comedy albums, Waiting for 2042 and Mainstream American Comedy. He has co-hosted two popular podcasts, Politically Reactive with comedian W. Kamau Bell and The Kondabolu Brothers. Max FineDay (@MaxFineDay) is a nêhiyaw activist from the Sweetgrass First Nation. He works with Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth on reconciliation as the Executive Director of the Canadian Roots Exchange.

We’ve covered a lot of topics when it comes to decent work and our generation — and we’re not done yet! Our third series about the future of work is dropping soon. It features U.S. comedian Hari Kondabolu and Indigenous activist Max FineDay. Stay tuned!

Dramatic changes in the world of work are igniting new visions and strategies for decent work everywhere. Unionized and non-unionized workers alike are part of a movement to rebalance power and to create a future characterized by greater equality. In this episode, Ausma talks to Sarah Hoy and Fahmida Kamali, two young workers in the Ontario Public Service, to hear about their vision for decent work, millennial leadership, and inclusion in the public service. This episode was recorded LIVE! at the AMAPCEO Workplace Representatives Conference. Sarah Hoy is a young worker and union activist, passionate about social justice. She works as a Program Analyst in the Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services and is the co-chair of the Young Workers’ Caucus of AMAPCEO (@AMAPCEO). Fahmida Kamali (@fahmidakamali) is a Senior Advisor working at the intersection of tech, inclusion, and policy innovation in the Ontario Digital Service. She is also the founder of ‘PS, I’m Muslim,’ a community for Muslims working in the public sector to connect and strategize for inclusion.

There is a common phrase: “Real democracy is what happens between elections.” It also moves beyond politics – it’s how we relate to each other online and offline, at work and in the public square, wherever we find community. . We work together, often across difference, to make decisions in our individual and collective interest. So how do we ensure everyone is heard in the pursuit of decent work? Ausma sits down with Chris Cowperthwaite and Nicole Gagliardi to break this down. Chris Cowperthwaite (@cswc) is a longtime political activist, working to empower citizens to drive change through civic and political action. He is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Open Democracy Project. Nicole Gagliardi (@NickiGagliardi) brings together community knowledge and engagement to drive — and communicate — positive change. She works at the Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough.

Urban and infrastructure developments are often hotly contested, with disruptive construction schedules, impacts on local communities, and debates over how benefits get distributed. While traditionally the scales of power have tipped in favour of developers, historically marginalized and equity seeking communities across Canada are organizing to demand that their voices and interests are heard in public infrastructure projects. Ausma talks with Alejandra Bravo and Dusha Sritharan about how people are building community power and taking their seats at decision-making tables. Alejandra Bravo (@bravo_alej) has worked for over two decades for progressive social change with grassroots, immigrant, and labour groups. She is the Director of Leadership and Training at the Broadbent Institute. She is also the Director of the Power Lab, a new initiative of the Atkinson Foundation and the Broadbent Institute Dusha Sritharan (@Dusha_Sritharan) is a campaigner, working at the intersections of equity and environmental issues, at the Toronto Environmental Alliance.

Anti-Black racism is built into our economy and society. Affordable housing and job prospects are hard to come by for most millennials, but even more so for Black workers. We know more equitable systems and structures are possible – especially where people have created their own space to go deeper, speak unfiltered about the experience of being Black, and get organized for urgent change. Ausma talks with Rudayna Bahubeshi, Kofi Hope, and Hadiya Roderique about what it’s like to get a foothold in the world of work as a Black person: getting educated, getting hired and actually working while Black over a lifetime. Rudayna Bahubeshi (@Rudayna_B) is social justice advocate who is passionate about about city building, racial equity, and supporting young leaders. She works at the Inspirit Foundation. Kofi Hope (@kofi_hope) is a community activist and youth advocate. He was the co-founder and executive director of CEE Centre for Young Black Professionals. He is currently a Senior Policy Advisor at the Wellesley Institute and a Bousfield Distinguished Visitor in Planning at the University of Toronto. Hadiya Roderique (@deeroderique) is a doctoral student at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, a consultant and speaker on diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and a journalist.  

Every year, April 10 marks Equal Pay Day. Why? Because women on average have to work an extra three and a half months each year to earn what a man does in twelve months. And it takes even longer if you’re a woman of colour, and Indigenous woman, an immigrant woman, and/or a woman who has a disability. But it feels like this issue has been around forever – what do we need to do to fix it once and for all? Ausma talks with Fay Faraday and Pamela Uppal about why they are fighting to close the gender pay gap, the merits and criticisms of Lean In, and who inspires their work. Fay Faraday (@FayFaraday) is a lawyer who has fought against systemic discrimination in courtrooms and in social movements. She is a co-chair of the Ontario Equal Pay Coalition. Pamela Uppal (@pamelauppal) is leading a project on the experiences of decent work for women in Ontario’s nonprofit sector with the Ontario Nonprofit Network.

We hear a lot about how technology is shaping the future of work – booming digital industries, apps for finding work, and artificial intelligence. But these conversations often exclude many of the people who are most affected by technological change – workers, especially precarious workers. In the first episode of Lovers and Fighters, Ausma sits down with Jennifer Hollett and Kay Dyson Tam to talk about their love of technology and their fights to make sure the #futureofwork is decent. Kay Dyson Tam (@kaydysontam) has worked at the intersection of tech, community organizing, and decent work for a number of years. She is the Manager of Impact and Innovation at Eva’s Initiatives for Homeless Youth. Jennifer Hollett (@jenniferhollett) is a ‘smash up of tech, news, and politics.’ When we talked to her, she was the Head of News and Government at Twitter Canada.  

Lovers and Fighters is the second podcast series on the Just Work It platform, for and by millennial workers. In this series, we dive deep into the issues that millennials workers love enough to fight for and what motivates them. Join us!

What does decent work mean to you? We asked our friends from the first Just Work It podcast series, Avocado Toast: Smashing Millennial Myths in Pursuit of Decent Work. Here’s what Ahmad Gaied (Episode 4), Yasmine Mathurin (Episode 1), Chenjerai Kumanyika (Episode 2 & 3), Tannara Yelland (Episode 4), Matt Gurney (Episode 1), and Armine Yalnizyan (Episode 1) had to say in this short bonus episode.

In this short bonus episode, Ausma asks our guests the all-important millennial question: do you eat avocado toast? Listen for some surprising and hilarious answers from Jenny Fortin (Episode 5), Chenjerai Kumanyika (Episode 2 & 3), Nil Sendil (Episode 2), Matt Gurney (Episode 1), Carolyn Ferns (Episode 6), Ahmad Gaied (Episode 4), Vass Bednar (Episode 5), Sarah Jama (Episode 2), and Tannara Yelland (Episode 4)!

Millennials are having fewer children than previous generations. Why? The reasons are as diverse as this generation, ranging from personal preference to affordability to apprehensions about the fate of the planet. In the final episode of this series, Ausma talks to Alana Powell and Carolyn Ferns about how the realities of work and childcare are shaping these crucial decisions. Alana Powell (@AlanaMarieP) is a graduate student in Early Childhood Studies at Ryerson University, Task Force Member and Facilitator with the Decent Work Project at the Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario (@AECEO). Carolyn Ferns (@CarolynFerns) is the Public Policy and Government Relations Coordinator for the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care (@ChildCareON).

Millennials are frequently portrayed as big supporters of greater flexibility in work. They want to explore their interests, like hobbies and travel, and work from anywhere. But this doesn’t tell the whole story: ‘flexible’ work can create insecurity, make it harder to pay off debt, and delay reaching milestones like buying homes and having a family. How millennials feel about increasing flexibility in the workplace depends on who you ask and what you mean by flexibility. Ausma breaks apart these issues with Jenny Fortin and Vass Bednar. Jenny Fortin is a community organizer with the Sudbury Workers Education and Advocacy Centre (@SWEAC_CEATS) Vass Bednar (@VassB) is a senior associate at AirBNB Canada and chaired the Expert Panel on Youth Employment for the federal government in 2017. She is also the co-host of Detangled (@DetangledCIUT), a pop-culture and public policy radio show.

Ausma attended the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) Young Workers’ Assembly in November 2017 and spoke with young union activists shaping the future of the labour movement and their place in it. Paige Kezima – Representative for Young People, Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) Aaron Zboch-Alves – Co-Chair of the NextGen Committee, IBEW Local 353 @Local353 Zenee Maceda – National Representative, UFCW Canada ‏@UFCW Kumsa Baker – Past Organizer, UNITE HERE Local 75 @UNITEHERE75, now with Toronto Community Benefits Network (TCBN) @TCBN_TO @kb_woke Matthew Nurse – Youth Committee Chairperson, UNIFOR 1285 @uniforlocal1285 @UNIFORtheUnion Denise Martins – Communications Officer, CUPE 1281 @CUPE1281

We have talked a lot about how economic transitions and the precarious nature of work are affecting millennials, but they aren’t taking these changes lightly. In some digital industries, including media, some younger workers are using their voice, collective power, and union organizing tools to make their work decent. In this episode, Ausma gets advice from Tannara Yelland and Ahmad Gaied, who have organized their own workplaces. They also reflect on their experiences as young people active in unions, the role for millennials in union leadership, and the future of the labour movement. Tannara Yelland (@tyelland) is a journalist, editor, freelance writer, and was a part of the union drive for Vice Canada. Read her work here: https://torontoist.com/author/tyelland/ Ahmad Gaied (@AhmadGaiedOFL) is the Executive Vice President of the Ontario Federation of Labour and a long-time community advocate. You can reach Ahmad via email at agaied@ofl.ca.

Millennials grew up on the internet – chatting with friends on messenger services, researching homework on the computer, and sharing lives on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, you name it. Is this an addiction or are millennials using technology to stay afloat in a world and workplace that expects too much from them? In this third episode, Ausma chats more with Dr. Chenjerai Kumanyika and Nasma Ahmed about how millennials use technology, what this means for equity, and imagining the future of digital work. Dr. Chenjerai Kumanyika (@catchatweetdown) is a professor in Journalism and Media Studies at Rutgers University and the co-host and co-executive producer of Gimlet Media podcast, UNCIVIL (@uncivilshow). Nasma Ahmed (@nasma_ahmed) works  at the intersections of technology, policy, and community organizing. Her email is www.nasmaahmed.ca

Millennials are known as the selfie generation. Do they care about anything but themselves? While some take a pessimistic view of millennials and activism, evidence tells a different story. One in four millennials who live in Canada has actively engaged by a cause or issue in the past year. Mostly, they’re working on social justice, the environment, politics or health care. And they’re not the slackavists they’re portrayed as by many. They’re using the internet and social media to create real opportunities online and IRL (“in real life” for any non-millennials who are listening in!) In this second episode, Ausma talks with Dr Chenjerai Kumanyika, Sarah Jama, Nil Sendil, and Navi Aujla about the millennial worldview. How are millennials fighting for social and economic justice, and how is decent work (or the lack of) enabling or limiting their participation in the wider world. Dr. Chenjerai Kumanyika (@catchatweetdown) is a professor in Journalism and Media Studies at Rutgers University and the co-host and co-executive producer of Gimlet Media podcast, UNCIVIL (@uncivilshow). Sarah Jama (@SarahJama_) is a community organizer and activist, focused on disability justice and anti-racism. Nil Sendil (@SendilNil) and Navi Aujla are organizers at the Workers’ Action Centre and on the Fight for $15 and Fairness campaign (@fairwagesnow).

Some people think millennials aren’t getting ahead because of their frivolous spending on fancy phones, trips to Europe, and avocado toast. Studies show, however, that millennials are more budget conscious than other generations. Rising rates of student loans, precarious employment, and consumer debt suggest millennials are getting a bad rap. In the first episode of this series, Ausma (@ausmalik) breaks down the myth of the frivolous millennial and their alleged personal failings in conversation with Matt Gurney, Yasmine Mathurin, and Armine Yalnizyan. Matt Gurney (@mattgurney) is a morning show host at Global News Radio 640 Toronto and a former national columnist at the National Post. Yasmine Mathurin (@yazbegrams) is a freelance radio producer and filmmaker. Armine Yalnizyan (@ArmineYalnizyan) is a labour market economist. She is currently the President of the Canadian Association for Business Economics and has a long list of publications and accomplishments to her name.

Avocado Toast: Smashing Millennial Myths in Pursuit of Decent Work is the first podcast series on Atkinson’s Just Work It platform.