Melanie Yugo is an educator, organizer and artist passionate about empowering citizens, particularly those who are underrepresented, with the tools and knowledge to participate in and shape cultural life in Canada. Bridging independent platforms and institutions, she is a recognized leader in cultural programming, arts-based facilitation, community engagement and network building. As a creator rooted in printmaking, graphic art and social practice, she is interested in critically addressing and reimagining representations and narratives of the « other » within the public sphere, particularly with culturally diverse, low-income and youth communities. Melanie holds a B.Sc. in Psychology from McGill University, an M.Sc. in Social and Cultural Psychology from the London School of Economics and Political Science, in addition to completing summer studies at the School of Visual Arts. As a cultural manager, she is Co-Founder and Director of Possible Worlds, an art and music hub in Ottawa’s Chinatown, and Spins & Needles, a collective that transforms public spaces through participatory art and music experiences.