PeerNetBC Staff

Romi Chandra, Youth Community Developer [top]
Romi is in good company amongst the diverse South Asian diaspora in Canada. Seeking refuge from multiple coups in Fiji (which still continue to this day), he and his family fled in 1989 to find a new home. As a result, social justice practices and community mobilizing became central to his day to day life. At 17, he helped establish the very first Gay/Straight Alliance in BC at his high school in Maple Ridge. As Romi transitions into adulthood, he feels he has much to gain in advocating for and with young people to be the key decision-makers on any issue that affects their lives.

Over the past 10 years, Romi has worked with some of the finest youth and adults in the province. He met many of them through his work as a youth worker at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Community Centre; at the North Shore Multicultural Society as the coordinator of immigrant and refugee programs; and finally at Vancouver Coastal Health's Addiction and Prevention Services as the coordinator of an adolescent sexual health program, Condomania/Planetahead. He has co-authored 4 resource manuals: HRSDC's guide for queer youth employment (1999); PrideSpeak (2004), a helpful guide to presenting anti-homophobia workshops; Community Based Research Centre's Totally Outright (2004) course content development team; and Evolve: No One Gets Left Behind (2007), a train the trainers anti-oppression training manual. Romi finds his strength in helping others to help themselves. There is nothing else in this whole wide eco-system that Romi would rather be doing…except maybe doing all this on the beach!

Ellen Clague, Community Developer [top]
After completing a BA in Asian Area Studies at the University of British Columbia, Ellen spent over four years living in Japan and travelling extensively throughout South East Asia. After returning to Vancouver, she began working at the YMCA of Greater Vancouver International College where she designed and delivered community-based educational programs for international learners. She also developed and coordinated an annual student conference for ESL students studying in private language schools.

In 2000, Ellen moved to the YMCA’s Community Services Division where she managed a variety of programs for Canadian and international youth. During her time working at the YMCA, Ellen completed a TESL Certificate (teaching English as a Second Language) at Vancouver Community College, and a Master of Arts degree in Leadership at Royal Roads University. For her graduating thesis, Ellen researched best practices for educators working with culturally diverse learners in online learning communities. For six years, Ellen served on the Board of Directors of MOSAIC, including 2 years as president and one year as past-president. She currently serves on the Parent Advisory Committee at her children’s school.

Cheryl Hewitt, Executive Director [top]
Raised in Saskatchewan during early years of Medicare, Cheryl became a fierce advocate of public health care and community controlled primary health services. She worked across the country as a community organizer in the political, co-operative and health sectors. PeerNetBC brings Cheryl’s work and activism together, focusing on building community health and wellbeing across the spectrum of mutual aid groups.

Before joining PeerNetBC in 2006, Cheryl promoted social co-ops for one year for the BC Co-operative Association, worked for 8.5 years as the Executive Director of the BC Society of Occupational Therapists and supported the Greater Vancouver health regions in the mid 1990’s as a Community Developer. 

Stephanie Hunter, Program Administrator [top]
Steph started out in an arts- and compassion-based kind of a way. In her work and her schooling, this translated into social service and graphic design. While completing her studies in computer and web programming, she started out in the social sector working as a front-line worker and administrator with Pacific Community Resources Society at the Broadway Youth Resource Centre and the New West Youth Employment Station, and Family Services of Greater Vancouver at the UnLoading Zone Anger Management Program for Youth. Steph's experience with peer support and community development began in high school, where she was involved with the peer support program and peer advocacy. She's in love with her work at PeerNetBC and the beautiful working community that the PeerNetBC team has worked to build, and is thrilled to have been a part of the development of the organization over the past few years.

Elsie Kipp, Kinex Coordinator [top]
Elsie grew up (in Yale, BC) thinking she was going to be the News Editor for the New York Times. To support this plan, she went to school in Calgary to earn a BA in Communications with a major in Journalism. She got her BA but, instead of becoming a journalist, Elsie got involved in various human rights issues and became passionate about politics. In 2000, Elsie moved to Vancouver to continue working for social causes (and in various minimum wage jobs). Eventually she worked for some pretty spectacular organizations doing pretty spectacular stuff. And she still does - she’s here, isn’t she?!

Volunteerism, especially with organizations that promote the development of social justice and community-building, plays an important role in her life. Over the past six years she has done a variety of work with many different not-for-profit organizations and is thrilled to be a part of the PeerNetBC team, which embodies so many of her passions. Elsie has been involved with social justice issues of all kinds but is especially passionate about helping young people understand the important contributions they can make in their communities.