Laugh Cry Cringe: Falling Forward with Chris Thompson

Welcome to Laugh Cry Cringe: Falling Forward - The Power of Vulnerability, an inspiring event featuring Chris Thompson, the Executive Director of the Federation of Black Canadians. Join us for an enlightening evening as Chris shares his personal journey and the profound insights he has gained along the way. In this thought-provoking event, Chris will delve into the transformative power of vulnerability and embracing the challenges that life presents.

In our fast-paced world, it's easy to opt for the simpler, more comfortable choices in life. However, as Chris Thompson has discovered in his own remarkable journey, these easy choices often lead to more significant challenges in the long run. Chris has learned that making the tougher choices, even if they come with a higher risk of failure, can ultimately make life more fulfilling and rewarding.

"Falling forward" is a core theme of Chris's story, emphasizing the importance of learning and growing through our setbacks. By embracing vulnerability and being open to new perspectives, we can find beauty in life's struggles and discover the hidden treasures within ourselves.

Chris will discuss his rise to leadership and the intersections of decision-making skills, failing, vulnerability and impact. He will take us on a storytelling journey of goal setting, experiential learning and a growth mindset. The aim is to empower community members as they navigate their academic and professional experiences. We encourage and invite all U of T students, staff, faculty, and librarians to attend.

If you require an accommodation to join this session, please contact UTM's Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Office at [email protected].

This event includes food and refreshments. 

The purpose of the Laugh, Cry, Cringe: Storytelling Series is to create safer, braver spaces to engage in conversations that explore current events and personal stories of lived experience, while unmasking misconceptions about various groups/communities/people.

Laugh, Cry, Cringe aims to normalize conversations around anti-oppression in a respectful way, encouraging participants to share their perspectives and ideas, going beyond the surface level approach. Our hope through this initiative is to bridge current gaps between our diverse communities through dialogues of understanding and respect, and to create more inclusive and sustainable learning environments for students and the broader community.

Each session will include a different speaker, perspective and topic led by students, staff, faculty and/or community members. Look out for upcoming sessions by following @utmedo(Link opens in a new tab) @harthouseuoft(Link opens in a new tab).