The Forefront: Next-gen generosity

Nimi Nanji-Simard was taught from an early age the importance of giving back to the community and helping those who need it the most. In 1972, Nimi and her family came to Canada as political refugees. Once her father found success in business, he started giving back to the community, especially in the healthcare sector. Through this example, Nimi has spent her life spreading awareness and championing the importance of charity.

In this episode, Nimi shares her philosophy on giving back, as well as how to teach the next generation to lead with compassion. She shares how her work with UNHCR has deepened her understanding of the importance of helping refugee students of all backgrounds and abilities. Through her business, NimiNimi Scarves, Nimi has further fostered her charitable work by donating 30% of profits to various organizations.

About Nimi Nanji-Simard

Nimi Nanji-Simard is a Social Worker, Entrepreneur, and the Director of the The Nanji Family Foundation, which focuses on funding healthcare and education initiatives in Canada. She is deeply committed to helping others, and does so through her work with UNHCR, United Way, and Autism Speaks, an organization she helped found. Nimi is the Founder and Designer of NimiNimi Scarves, a scarf company that focuses on combining luxury fashion with her philanthropic efforts.

Resources Mentioned
Giving to Toronto Metropolitan University
UNHCR Scholarships and Higher Education
NimiNimi Scarves

Three reasons to listen to this episode

Hear Nimi Nanji-Simard’s philosophy on the importance of giving back to your community.
Learn about teaching the next generation how to build awareness and compassion for those around them.
Discover resources for refugee students and how organizations like UNHCR are creating opportunities for students of all levels.

Episode highlights

5:05 Pyarali’s Core Principle

For Nimi’s father, Pyarali, he was grateful for Canada’s free education and healthcare for giving his family a sense of freedom. This gave him and his family the space to succeed in Canada, as well as the opportunity to give back to the community, which became one of the family’s core principles.
9:04 How Nimi focuses her giving
Following in her father’s footsteps, as well as drawing from her experience as a Social Worker, Nimi saw the importance of giving back. In her words, there is “not a cause not worthy of support.” This ultimately leads to the family’s decision to start scholarships for refugee children.

13:18 “Refugees like us are not perfect.”
Nimi highlights how refugees are often held to a higher standard than those born in Canada, without taking into account the nuance of past traumas faced. Refugees have all the same needs as anyone else: shelter, food, education, and health.

14:19 Helping refugee students who need it the most
Through her work with UNHCR, Nimi works on an initiative that allows refugee youth to access education through 40 universities in the world. This initiative has no criteria for admission, which allows refugee students across all learning levels to participate.

17:19 Raising a generation that leads with compassion
As Nimi states, giving back is not always a family value. It’s important to teach the next generation about the importance of compassion, which can be done through building awareness on how the rest of the world lives.

Enjoyed this episode?

We invite you to explore more episodes of The Forefront: Next-gen generosity on your favourite podcast platform. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review and share it with your community.

To learn more about giving opportunities and community impact at Toronto Metropolitan University, visit torontomu.ca/giving
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Justin Poy grew up in Toronto in the 1970’s. As one of the only Chinese-Canadian students at his school, he faced constant casual racism, from both students and teachers. This caused Justin to feel ashamed of his identity, which led him to actively avoid his cultural background throughout his youth. Fast-forward to his time at Toronto Metropolitan University, Justin was able to build a strong community, and through the encouragement of his mother, Vivienne Poy, he joined organizations such as the Mon Sheong Foundation.

His work at TMU helped shape his career. He realized that many companies overlooked the Chinese-Canadian market. One cold call to Jaguar led to an entire portfolio of clients looking to expand into that market.

In this conversation, Donette and Justin explore the cultural differences regarding charity and giving between Canada, Hong Kong, and China, how he encourages the Chinese-Canadian community to give back, and how we can teach the next generation about the importance of charity work and volunteering in their community.

Resources mentioned

Giving to Toronto Metropolitan University
SickKids Hospital
Mon Sheong Foundation
Note: While Justin discusses Mon Sheong Foundation in the context of the 1990s, the organization was founded in the 1960s.
Yee Hong Foundation
Chinese Canadian Museum

Three reasons to listen to this episode

Learn about Justin’s identity journey, from being excluded while growing up in 1970’s Toronto to finding community at TMU.
Hear how Justin used his cultural background as a competitive advantage in the marketing world by identifying underserved markets.
Find out why Justin has dedicated his time to organizations such as SickKids, and how he is encouraging the Chinese-Canadian community to give back.

Episode highlights
2:50 - Not wanting to stand out as Chinese
Justin reflects on growing up in Toronto in the 1970’s and being the only Chinese student at his school. He shares how he faced racism from other students and the teachers. This left Justin feeling ashamed of his identity. However, once he arrived at TMU, he began to build community with other students whose families had immigrated from Hong Kong.

7:37 - Turning his identity into a business opportunity
Justin leveraged his background and cultural insight and used it as a competitive advantage. First reaching out to Jaguar, Justin identified how companies were often overlooking the Chinese-Canadian market. From there, he built a portfolio of clients, who he assisted in reaching that audience.

17:30 - Justin’s time as a Board Member for SickKids and how he engaged the Chinese-Canadian community
As a Board Member for SickKids, Justin would work to engage donors from the Chinese-Canadian community by holding events where community members could hear directly from doctors, and include the community in the discussion, which helped them feel invested in the cause.

22:30 - Encouraging the next generation to give back
As Justin notes, factors such as the gig economy and a lack of cultural pride lead to the next generation not valuing giving as much as the previous generation. He shares how he instilled the importance of volunteering and giving to his own children.

Enjoyed this episode?
We invite you to explore more episodes of The Forefront: Next-gen generosity on your favourite podcast platform. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review and share it with your community.

To learn more about giving opportunities and community impact at Toronto Metropolitan University, visit torontomu.ca/giving.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Education has the power to open doors, create opportunities and strengthen communities. As president and vice-chancellor of Toronto Metropolitan University, Mohamed Lachemi has spent the past decade helping to expand access to higher education while championing student success.

In this episode, Lachemi reflects on his journey from international student to university president and discusses how philanthropy, community partnerships and a commitment to inclusion have helped shape major initiatives at TMU, including the School of Medicine, the Lincoln Alexander School of Law, the Nadir Mohamed Centre for Student Wellbeing and new student housing.

About Mohamed Lachemi

Mohamed Lachemi is the president and vice-chancellor of Toronto Metropolitan University. He has served in the role since 2016, previously holding positions as TMU’s provost and vice-president, academic, and as a professor in the Department of Civil Engineering. During his presidency, the university has expanded major research initiatives, launched the TMU School of Medicine, and strengthened partnerships with alumni, donors and community organizations.

Resources mentioned / related links
Giving to Toronto Metropolitan University
School of Medicine - Toronto Metropolitan University
Lincoln Alexander School of Law
Nadir Mohamed Centre for Student Wellbeing

Three reasons to listen to this episode
Learn how philanthropy and community partnerships are helping expand opportunities for students at TMU.
Hear Mohamed Lachemi’s personal journey from international student to university president and how it shaped his approach to leadership.
Discover how education, inclusion and generosity can help strengthen communities and create lasting social impact.

Episode highlights
03:15 - Investing in students is investing in Canada
TMU serves a student population that reflects the diversity of the GTA, including many first-generation university students and newcomers to Canada. Lachemi argues that supporting these students through philanthropy ultimately benefits everyone: “My answer has been always: ‘Actually, this is to support our country.’”

06:02 - Creating a sense of belonging
For Lachemi, student success begins with making people feel seen and supported. He explains that universities must be “deliberately inclusive” and recognize that different communities have different needs, requiring more than a one-size-fits-all approach.

12:30 - Scholarships inspire a culture of giving
Having relied on scholarships throughout his own academic career, Lachemi understands firsthand how financial support can change a person’s future. He shares how those experiences inspired initiatives like the PACE program and shaped his belief that “giving is not just an act, it’s actually a value.”

15:24 - Building institutions around community needs
From the TMU School of Medicine to the Lincoln Alexander School of Law, Lachemi explains how the university’s most significant initiatives have been shaped through consultation with communities. By listening to local needs and partnering with donors, TMU has created programs focused on healthcare, access, justice and wellbeing.

26:40 - Supporting the next generation of changemakers
As he reflects on his last decade at the helm of TMU, Lachemi encourages alumni, donors and community partners to continue investing in higher education. He believes that universities play a critical role in preparing future leaders. “When talented people are successful, they will bring solutions to all of us.”

Enjoyed this episode?
We invite you to explore more episodes of The Forefront: Next-gen generosity on your favourite podcast platform. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review and share it with your community.

To learn more about giving opportunities and community impact at Toronto Metropolitan University, visit torontomu.ca/giving.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Forefront: Next-gen generosity is exploring how generosity can create opportunity, strengthen communities and shape the future. Hosted by Toronto Metropolitan University Chancellor Donette Chin-Loy Chang, this season features conversations with leaders, community builders and changemakers whose commitment to giving back and giving forward is making a lasting impact.
Through stories of leadership, purpose and community, guests share how investing in others can open doors for future generations and create change that extends far beyond a single individual.

New episodes monthly.

Watch full video episodes on YouTube or listen on your favourite podcast apps.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Discover how Toronto Metropolitan University is shaping the next generation of nurses through  immersive, hands-on education. Backed by a $1 million donation from the FDC Foundation, these innovative simulation labs immerse students in realistic healthcare scenarios, preparing them for the complexities of modern nursing by utilizing the latest technology to navigate high-pressure situations with confidence and care.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.