Faye Ying
Executive Director
About GLOCAL
Global understanding.
Local participation.
GLOCAL Foundation of Canada is a national not-for-profit organization advancing accessible, inclusive civic participation through youth leadership, community service and digital innovation.
We bring young Canadians together to make civic knowledge useful in everyday life—and help communities put it into action.
The principles behind our name
GGlobal vision
LLocal engagement
OOpen-mindedness
CCreative solutions
AAdaptive leadership
LLifelong learning
Why this work matters
Civic participation should feel within reach.
Our story
Young Canadians
Various backgrounds · A passionate and diverse teamCreative civic engagementA more inclusive, accessible
and engaging Canadian society
Various backgrounds · A passionate and diverse teamCreative civic engagementA more inclusive, accessible
and engaging Canadian society
Read our full story
GLOCAL is founded and operated by a passionate and diverse team committed to promoting creative civic engagement with local participation and global understanding. Our team consists of young Canadians from various backgrounds, brought together by the vision of creating a more inclusive, accessible and engaging Canadian society.
Challenges we address
- Civic information accessibility — the "last mile" delivery of civic knowledge to citizens and residents.
- Information overload — a root cause of misinformation and disinformation.
- Insufficient civic information for the communities that need it most.
How we respond
Help civic knowledge reach the people who need it.
Young Canadians lead this work as civic-knowledge builders, service designers, engineers and couriers—connecting global awareness with the needs of their own communities.
Build understanding
Explore public concerns such as climate change, poverty and inequality, with an open mind and a global perspective.
Design for local needs
Develop creative ways to make civic information accessible and useful to diverse communities.
Deliver the “last mile”
Bring civic knowledge to citizens and residents, so information can become participation.
The future we’re working toward
Our vision is an on-demand digital civic-information platform connecting Canadians with legislators, governments, civil-society organizations and communities across Canada.
More about our vision
We have described this ambition as the “Uber Eats” and talent incubator of civic engagement: a service that helps civic information reach the people and communities who need it.
Put it into practice
Find your way to take part.
Learn & create
AI Literacy Challenge
Make AI literacy useful in your community.
Explore the program Contribute your timeOnline Volunteering
Put your interests and skills into civic service.
Explore the program Build a projectMicrogrants
Bring a youth-led community project to life.
Explore the program Explore & understandYouCount
Understand and participate in Canadian democracy.
Explore the programFlagship projects
Where our volunteers dig in
Mental Health Research Project
Evaluating Canada's mental health infrastructure, identifying access barriers and proposing improvement strategies through volunteer research and policy recommendations.
Agriculture Research Project
Enhancing understanding of Canadian agriculture, comparing policies across regions and making the agricultural landscape more accessible.
Climate Change Research Project
Examining climate responses across provinces and territories, from emissions targets to renewable-energy transitions, toward global emission goals.
Homelessness Research Project
Exploring housing policies, debunking myths and proposing solutions to combat homelessness disparities across Canada.
LEGISTalk & Chamber Chatter
Empowering young Canadians in policy-making through bill analysis, policy briefs and direct engagement with legislators.
ASKBEAVER Project
Combating misinformation by crafting direct questions for politicians and turning verified answers into engaging civic infographics.
Meet the team
Our board and staff
Board of Directors
Faye Ying — Founder & Executive Director, GLOCAL.
Dr. Laura Stephenson — Professor & Political Science Graduate Chair, Western University; Co-director of the Consortium on Electoral Democracy (C-Dem).
Dr. Fred Cutler — Associate Professor, University of British Columbia; Co-founder and CEO of ISIT Technology; Founder and CEO of Prograds.
Our current team
Joseph Ong
Project Manager, Operations
Dr. Eva Busza
Senior Advisor
Paula Perez
Project Manager, Compliance
Vicky Huang
Project Manager, Volunteering
Jia Yue He
Project Manager, Research & Placements
Joe Shi
Project Manager, Digital
Kiana Du (Kiana)
Digital Project Officer
Read biography of Kiana Du (Kiana)
Kiana works on creating meaningful digital experiences that support GLOCAL’s platforms and community, while also contributing to the organization’s social media management and content. She is a Global Business and Digital Arts student at the University of Waterloo, where she explores the intersection of design, technology, and user research. Outside of work and school, she enjoys photography, travelling, exploring cafés, and finding inspiration in new places.
Eric Okereke
Digital Project Officer
Read biography of Eric Okereke
As a Digital Project Officer at GLOCAL, Eric supports the organization’s UI/UX design, graphic design, and marketing initiatives, and helps maintain and improve GLOCAL’s website. He is currently pursuing a degree in Global Business and Digital Arts at the University of Waterloo, where he focuses on user experience and brand design. In his spare time, Eric plays soccer, explores new music and anime, and works on personal design and development projects.
Eric acknowledges that our work takes place on the traditional territories of Indigenous peoples across Canada. We recognize the enduring presence and contributions of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples to this land.
Hechun Ouyang
Project Manager, Outreach
Read biography of Hechun Ouyang
As an Outreach Project Manager at GLOCAL, Hechun helps communicate our mission and programs to different stakeholders. He studied at the University of Québec in Outaouais. In his spare time, Hechun enjoys playing sports and travelling.
Hechun acknowledges that he is located on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation.
Lillian Pianosi
Data Project Officer
Read biography of Lillian Pianosi
As a Data Project Officer at GLOCAL, Lillian works on developing and maintaining civic databases covering municipal, provincial, and federal governance, school boards, elected officials, and political parties. She is currently studying Geomatics at the University of Waterloo, where she explores GIS, remote sensing, and environmental modeling to analyze spatial patterns and support data-driven decisions. In her spare time, she explores creative mediums, especially crocheting and music, and enjoys learning new techniques that blend craft, design, and problem-solving.
Lillian would also like to acknowledge that she is located on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishnaabeg, and Haudenosaunee Peoples. The University of Waterloo is situated on the Haldimand Tract, land promised to Six Nations, which includes six miles on each side of the Grand River.
Learn more about the wider team on youcount.ca/about.
Testimonials
Reflections shared by members of the GLOCAL community.
Partnerships & networks
We are honoured to be an official partner of the Consortium on Electoral Democracy (C-Dem), a consortium of academic, civil-society and government organizations working to strengthen the health of democracy in Canada.
Our neighbourhoods and land acknowledgements
GLOCAL works with participants and communities across Canada. We recognize that this work takes place on the traditional territories of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples, as part of our organizational commitments.
GLOCAL Foundation of Canada
Your questions belong here.
Curious about GLOCAL, our programs or why we work the way we do? Start with a question.