ABOUT
Sheri Ahava Cohen is a Queer Artist, Community Activist and Social Worker.​
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In 1993, Sheri went back to school to obtain a Bachelor of Social Work through Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) and graduated in 1996. She later established the Sheri Ahava Cohen Social Justice Award for Students with Disabilities/Learning Disabilities at Toronto Metropolitan University. She received the Alumni Achievement Award from Toronto Metropolitan University in 2009.
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In 1998 Sheri founded the Adult Learning Disabilities Employment Resource Centre (ALDER), a not-for-profit organization in Toronto. She sat as the Executive Director for a number of years.
After leaving ALDER in 2005, Sheri sought out various consultants and supports within Toronto’s community and the USA that supported her to learn wealth management with a focus on social change and philanthropy. In 2007, Sheri took the Sound Work Practitioner’s Program with Gary Diggins. Sheri opens up a portion of her home, called the Sanctuary Space, for groups and events. ​
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From 2014 to 2019, Sheri co founded and sat as a member of the Learning and Violence Collaborative, an online community that discusses and explores the impact of violence on learning.​
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Over the years, Sheri has attended various workshops and training sessions in the areas of wealth, donor gifting, organizational development, and body-centered practices that inform her work.
I see how the personal is political. Through the creation of art, ceremony, ritual and public engagement, I speak to what is considered taboo.
My life’s work has been to unpack the intersectionality of class privilege and trauma so that, as a queer social worker and community activist, I can create and support cross-class dialogue.