ABOUT FORA
A meeting place of action and ideas.
Equipping young leaders with the skills, confidence, networks, and opportunities to lead and create change.
WHO WE ARE
About Fora
Fora: Network for Change (Fora) is a Canadian charity driving change nationally and globally by equipping young feminist leaders, aged 18-29, with the training, mentorship, networks, and opportunities needed to advance their leadership and careers, creating lasting impact in their communities.
Through our training, programming, mentorship, and community, we equip young feminist leaders with the skills, confidence, and connections needed to advance their careers and take on leadership on boards, in workplaces, and in their communities, both nationally and globally.
1500+
Young Leaders trained since 2009
XX
cities network reach in Canada
XX
countries network reach across the World
228
Young Leaders placed on governance boards
WHAT WE DO
Change who systems are built for.
Our work is not about preparing individuals to “fit” into existing systems. It’s about changing who those systems are built for. By investing in young women & gender-marginalized leaders, we are strengthening a diverse pipeline of leadership capable of shaping more equitable, resilient futures.
The incredible young leaders in our community possess the skills, insights, and passion to reshape spaces of power, and we’re here to support their leadership, amplify their impact, invest in their futures and help them change the world.
“Beyond transforming the lives of a cohort of emerging leaders, Fora is actively shaping the future by investing in and positioning a generation of capable young women who are ready to answer the call of leadership and drive meaningful change from the boardroom.
Thank you for caring about nurturing the growth of young people.”
Shara Thomas
Rise on Boards | Cohort 7
THE PROBLEM
Who gets to make decisions?
From our inception, we recognized that there are powerful rooms where decisions are made, and that young women and gender-marginalized youth were too often excluded from entering them.
These are the kinds of decisions being made without the perspectives of young leaders:
→ The global economy.
→ Whose labour is valued, and whose is overlooked.
→ Whose leadership is legitimized.
→ Whose futures are invested in and prioritized.
What we stand for:
To equip young feminist* leaders with the network, training, resources, and experiences they need to create a future without gender-based barriers.
Fora’s Vision
A future where young feminists can find strength and community in a strong global network of peers, driving lasting gender-equity and social change.
Fora’s Mission
Our values in practice:
Community
Accountability
Meaningful
Inclusion
Impact
Joy
OUR HISTORY
It started in 2009.
In 2009, as the G20 prepared to gather in Toronto for the first time, one thing was clear:
Young women — and anyone navigating gender-based discrimination — were not in those rooms. Global policy was being shaped without those most impacted by economic inequity, unpaid care work, precarious employment, and systemic exclusion.
Instead of asking for a seat at the table, our founder asked a different question:
Fora: Network for Change takes its name from the word fora — the plural of the word “forum,” and is defined as a gathering place of ideas. Historically, forums were public spaces where communities came together to exchange ideas and shape collective futures.
What does Fora mean?
That question became Fora.
What if young women and gender-marginalized leaders built their own table — and demanded to be heard?
EARLY IMPACT
Global Advocacy
Over the next several years, our Global Summit grew — from France to Mexico to Russia. Dozens of young leaders gathered annually to develop policy recommendations and meet global decision-makers face-to-face.
In 2014, persistent advocacy contributed to a historic commitment: the G20 pledged to reduce the gender gap in labour force participation by 25% by 2025 — bringing 100 million more women into the workforce.
It was proof that youth advocacy could shift global policy.
But it also revealed something deeper:
Representation is powerful.
But representation alone is not enough.
THE REALIZATION
Limited by Invitations
Over time, we saw the limits of invitation-based inclusion. Young leaders were being brought into the space of power — but often as symbols.
We learned that meaningful participation requires more than presence. It requires influence. Accountability. Stuctural Change.
And so, we evolved.
Being in the room isn’t the same as holding power.
TODAY
Where we are now.
Today, we exist for young women and anyone navigating gender-based discrimination — including trans and non-binary people whose voices are too often erased in conversations about gender equity. Because gender equity isn’t equitable if it excludes those most marginalized by gender.
FUTURE FORWARD
Who will shape what comes next?
As we live in a moment where systems are being questioned, challenged, and reimagined, the question is not whether change is coming.
If young women and gender-marginalized youth aren’t at the centre of conversations that rethink our socio-economic and political futures, then inequity will continue to define our systems.
That’s why we exist.
