Ravina- Canada

Ravina, BSc, MPPGA is a creative thinker and passionate leader. Her introduction to academia began by studying primate evolution, and later, pursuing predictive genomics to develop healthcare solutions from an anticipatory lens. She served as director of INLET, developing software to reduce the health inequities faced by rural and remote populations in Canada.

Ravina has committed herself to issues involving health policy and marginalized groups through her involvement with the City of Edmonton Youth Council, Sustainable Youth Canada, the Edmonton World Health Organization, and various other organizations. Her former projects include YEGbyYOUTH, Youth Mental Health Panel, #PutSolarOnIt, and the reduction of plastic bottles.

Currently, she is the Project Lead in a mixed-methods research team working to improve the definition of gender-based violence. Her global experiences and interdisciplinary education have improved her understanding of and ability to conceptualize the disparity between the influence of policy on health and well-being. As a previous Israel Young Scholar and CJPAC Fellow, she explores issues facing vulnerable populations in the Middle East.

Beyond academia, Ravina is determined to create technology to solve social problems. Right now, her attention is honed in on a global problem: only 19% of businesses across the world are run by women. She is the Co-Founder and COO of FLIK, a platform for female founders/leaders and female apprentices to browse each other, connect, and work together.

Ravina was one of very few women in Next 36, and she found it very difficult to seek out female founder mentors to guide her, an experience shared by her roommate. To address this issue for all aspiring females out there, they together founded FLIK, created a website in 48 hours, and proceeded to interview distinguished women such as the Editor-in-Chief of Glamour, Co-Founder of Fetcher, Head of Bumble Canada, then publicized their stories. These stories received responses from young women in 17+ countries around the world, and people wanted to know how to meet amazing female leaders such as these. They decided to start building another part of FLIK, where they would facilitate connections between young women and female leaders. This became the female founder and apprentice portal - the pinnacle of FLIK.

30 days after launch, the FLIK portal received over 800 applications, from young women looking to gain experiential learning in hopes of becoming entrepreneurs and established founders looking to mentor and get helping hands on their businesses. Every time an apprenticeship is confirmed, another young woman is being exposed to entrepreneurship under a mentor who will give her the skills she needs to become a change-making founder.As co-founder and COO of a social enterprise, FLIK, she is moving to increase women-led ventures across the world through curated apprenticeships and inciting the next generation of female entrepreneurs.

With experience in municipal politics and community advocacy, she also works to promote diversity by encouraging people to fight injustices and challenge stereotypes. In order to implement tangible solutions and continue to advocate for women, she continues research on her passion for understanding religion and freedom of speech situated in the political milieu.

Her myriad of interests in technology for good, freedom of speech, and global governance, has led to a culmination of recognitions which include Top 30 Under 30, Global Changemaker, discussions with the President of Taiwan and the Earl and Countess of Wessex, collaborating with the United Nations, and attending the Assembly of State Parties. She is an alumnus of March of Remembrance and Hope, NEXT 36, League of Innovators, and the European Innovation Academy.