Community Involvement and Volunteering

Community involvement, cultural enrichment, charity, and leadership are among the core values that have contributed to shaping my personality and professional aspirations over the years. As a Board and Committee member of various not for profits, charitable organizations, and international associations, I have been actively engaged in community and civic activities.

Below are some highlights of my involvement in community development activities. 

Responding to Challenging Times: An Inflection Point for Family Justice in Ontario?, Co-Applicant (April 2023-present) (SSHRC Grant).

Member of the Advisory Project Team, Child and Youth Informed Mediation (CYIM) pilot project (March 1, 2023 to present): CYIM was recently launched at the Brampton court site through the Peel Family Mediation Services (PFMS), the court-connected mediation program. This project developed a new process pathway to bring the voice of the child in a court-connected family mediation program, in a culturally sensitive manner, through the Office of the Children’s Lawyer (OCL).

Justice Canada Advisory Committee on Bill C-78 implementation (2022 to present): I was invited by Justice Canada to be part of the national Advisory Group to provide the Department with feedback on the implementation and impact of amendments to the Divorce Act that came into force on March 1, 2021.   

Member of the Provincial Steering Committee, Child Welfare Reform: Domestic Violence Death Review Committee (DVDRC) Children’s Recommendations Implementation (2022 to 2023): The University of Western Ontario and London Family Law Clinic jointly undertook a research project  focused on a review of recommendations made by Ontario Chief Coroner’s DVDRC over the past decade (2010–2020) and the challenges in implementing changes required to prevent the deaths of children and/or their parents. To inform the research project, a multi-disciplinary Steering Committee was set up and I was invited as a member of the committee to share practitioner insights and experiences to inform the child welfare reform.

United Nations (UN) Working Group, Mediators Beyond Borders International (2017 to  present): I volunteer on the UN’s platform through this peacebuilding non-governmental organization (NGO) which has a consultative status. As a co-chair of the UN Mediation in Action group, I co-led the NGO delegation in March 2023 for the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67) at the UN Headquarters in New York, which is the world's main policy-making body dedicated exclusively to gender equality and the advancement of women. I also co-chaired the NGO delegation at the UN High Level Political Forum (HLPF) which is the central United Nations platform for the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the global level.

I am also a founder member and Secretary of the Canadian counterpart of MBBI (Mediators Beyond Borders Canada) registered in Canada. I have the privilege to co-lead the flagship program for training Young Diplomats of Canada (YDC) for international youth diplomacy for the Y7 and Y20 summits on negotiation and leadership. 

A collaborative response to addressing family violence with racialized communities in Peel,  Co-Applicant: (February 2022 to present): The COVID pandemic has greatly impacted the health and well-being of individuals, families, and communities around the world. Building from the Peel Region's Community Safety and Well-being plan, this research project, led by Trillium Health Partners and supported by various community and academic partners, engages a diverse group of community members who have experienced family violence. The research explores  experiences of family violence and is engaged in co-creating preventative interventions during pandemic recovery that are evidence-informed and culturally sensitive to help racialized and diverse families at-risk of experiencing family violence in Peel.

Domestic Violence in Immigrant Communities: Case Studies: Co-researcher/ co-author (2019-2020): This was an inter-disciplinary research project on the intersection of law and social work. I co-authored the case studies in the book and contributed in writing various research papers published based on the research findings with specific practice tips for the family justice professionals. The research team developed an all-inclusive support model for interdisciplinary, holistic and culturally informed services for victims of domestic violence. Justice Canada invited the research team for an expert paper to feed into development of the HELP toolkit for identification and response to domestic violence in ethno-cultural communities by family law lawyers. The case studies are translated in 7 different languages and are available as a free online resource, accessed by over 20,000 users since its publication.

Impacts of Experiencing or Witnessing Domestic Violence (DV) in Childhood: Perspectives of racialized immigrant youth (April 2021 to present): Co-researcher: This  project is carried out in collaboration with academics at The Toronto Metropolitan University and Sheridan College. The research examines racialized immigrant children's experiences of DV and the relevance of the principle of the child's best interest in their context.

Member of the Family Law Advisory Committee with Legal Aid Ontario (“LAO”) (2010 to 2013): This was the membership of one of the LAO’s nine Board advisory committees. Each committee is an expert panel in a specific area of law or specialization, to provide the LAO Board with input and advice to support the annual strategic and business planning process.

Member of the University of Toronto’s (UofT) working committee of the Internationally Trained Lawyer’s Program (“ITLP”) (2008 to 2013): ITLP at the UofT, Faculty of Law introduced this first integrated legal-bridging program with the goal of obtaining professional accreditation and licensing in Ontario and to help  foreign trained lawyers transition smoothly to the Canadian legal market. I was a member of the working committee and participated in consultation and designing of the program for integration of foreign trained lawyers into Canadian law practice.

Instructor, York University School of Continuing Studies (SCS), Family Mediation Certificate Program: (2021- present): I am an Instructor for the Family Mediation Certificate Program offered by York SCS. I teach the course for “Screening for Domestic Violence and Assessing for Power Imbalances” in a virtual setting four times  a year. I also teach other courses of Family Law, Family Relations, and Advanced Family Mediation.

Parenting Plan Guide and Template - Member of the Taskforce 2.0 by Association of Family and Conciliation Courts  (AFCC-O) (November 2020 to December 2021): These documents were prepared to assist parents and their professional advisors in developing child-focused, realistic parenting plans. The Template provides discussion and suggestions for possible clauses that may be used or adapted by parents and their advisors. It is available online free of cost and is a useful community resource, particularly for self-represented litigants. In March 2023, the DivorceMate software launched this first ever Parenting Plan adapted from the AFCC-O template, which is now live in Ontario.

Community partner of Sheridan College's School of Community Studies (2017 to present): In this capacity, I sponsor student awards and professional development opportunities, supervise the students for practicum program, collaborate on research projects and often do pro bono work as a guest speaker. 

Cast member, Children’s legal play - Law Day 2015: (April 17, 2015): I participated as a  cast member for Ontario Justice Education Network’s (OJEN) children’s legal play "Cat in the Hat" performed at McHugh public school on Law Day. It was collaborated between Brampton Bench, Bar and the administrative staff. The performance was followed by an open session of children’s questions and answers about the roles of a judge, lawyer, interpreter, and other cast members, and how it works in real life. It was an opportunity for community legal education, teaching young children about the role of law and concepts of honesty, truth, fairness, responsibility, and justice.

Instructor, Professional Responsibility Program, Law Society of Ontario (June 2008): I was invited by the Law Society as an instructor to teach this 4-week full-time Program in 2008. It was a mandatory program to obtain a licence to practice law focusing on skills training, practice management, professionalism, and ethics.

Volunteer: Elizabeth Fry Society of Toronto (January-December 2002): I volunteered  at the Toronto West Detention Centre correctional facility, women's penitentiary once a month with a team to meet with the incarcerated women, to understand their needs and connect them with available resources and support. This experience allowed me to receive orientation from  Correctional Service Canada (CSC). It helped me realize the powerful role of volunteers in such settings, and gained a better understanding of the interconnected nature of issues of criminal law with other areas of laws and systems.

Board of Directors and Committee Involvement:

1. Volunteer Member of Board of Directors, Ontario Association for Family mediators (OAFM) (December 2022 to present): OAFM’s Accredited Mediator designation, offered since 1982, is at the root of Family Mediation in Ontario. OAFM advocates for Family Mediation in Ontario in a number of ways, with its most significant contribution to the mediation community and the public is the AccFM and CPMed (OAFM) designations for accreditation of Family and child protection Mediators. Archana is a member of the Board of Directors as well as the Standards Committee and Finance Committee.
2. Volunteer Member of Board of Directors, Mediators Beyond Borders Canada (MBBCAN) (September 2018 -current): MBBCAN is a Canadian not-for-profit organization dedicated to connecting conflict resolution practitioners from across the country in an effort to build a more peace ‘able’ world. The umbrella organization for MBBCAN is MBBI. The objective of MBBI is peacebuilding and advocacy of the process of mediation, with no position on specific issues.
3. Volunteer Member of Board of Directors and past Treasurer:  The Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC-O) (October 2018 to present): AFCC-O is an interdisciplinary association dedicated to the resolution of family conflict through education, innovation, and collaboration. I have been a member of this organization since 2010, and a Board member since 2018. I am a past treasurer and have served on various committees, such as member of the Finance Committee, and Annual Conference Committee 2019 and 2023, Newsletter Editorial Committee from 2012 to 2019 and co-editor of the Newsletter from 2022 to the present day.
4. Chapter Committee Member of AFCC, the international parent organization of AFCC-O (April 2022 to present): Reporting to the AFCC parent Board, this committee helps assess the organizational formation of AFCC chapters and their relationship to the parent organization. It involves reviewing the organizational structures and recommending improvements or changes in operations with respect to 22 international AFCC chapters.
5. Policy Advisory Committee, Member and Chair, Indus Community Services (July 2007 to September 2015): As a Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) member for approximately 7 years and Chair for the last 2 years, I worked with the Board of Directors for long term projects and strategy setting. In 2012, I was awarded the Volunteer Service Award by the Citizenship and Immigration Ministry for my 5+ years of volunteer work with the community agency.
6. Canadian Bar Association (CBA) - Women Lawyer’s Forum (WLF) (2018-2019)- Elected and served as Member-at-Large for the CBA National section. From 2011 to August 2015, I was a member of the editorial committee for the WLF Newsletter published by CBA.