Demetre Vasilounis

Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival is a unique showcase of contemporary Asian cinema and is Canada's largest Asian film festival. As a member of its Features Programming Committee, I assist in evaluating a selection of thousands of film submissions to be screened at the festival, and meet with the other committee members to discuss and debate the mets of these films to offer diverse, engaging and poignant programming for our audiences.

LAWS is an education engagement and support program for high school students facing barriers to post-secondary access. In this program I act as a mentor to students from Westview Centennial Secondary School and provide guidance to them on topics such as career, studying and life generally.

Anime North is one of the largest non-profit, fan-run anime conventions in North America. As a Panelist, I facilitate discussion about aspects of various Japanese subcultures between attendees to the convention and my fellow panelists.

St. Paul's Anglican Church is one of the oldest Anglican churches in Canada. I volunteer with the church's ESL Cafe, where I teach English to international students through a conversation-based class designed to assist them with grammar and diction.

The Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre (JCCC) is a Toronto-based organization that celebrates the unique culture, history, and legacy of Japanese Canadians for the benefit of all Canadians. I am heavily involved with the JCCC's community initiatives and have helped organize many of its events, including seasonal festivals, concert performances, and the world-renowned Toronto Japanese Film Festival.

Refugee Sponsorship Support Program RSSP is a charity that provides pro bono legal services to refugees looking to immigrate to Canada. I worked with supervising lawyers to interview clients and advocate for their interests in refugee applications to and correspondence with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

In my final year of law school, I took on an additional volunteer role at CLASP to assist with several criminal-law related matters. My experience included negotiations with Crown counsel at the Ontario Court of Justice (OCJ), shadowing duty counsel at the OCJ, and conducting bail interviews at the OCJ with detained individuals.

Teen Legal Helpline (TLH) is a charity with the goal of providing accessible legal advice to teenagers in Ontario. In this role, I established partnerships between TLH and other Legal Aid Ontario-funded clinics to increase awareness of TLH across various communities within Ontario.