About Us
Finding Inspiration in Every Turn
Our board is a collective group of people working towards making the world a better place. Have a read to find out more!
Our Story
The Calgary Social Capital Society is a non-profit society that promotes social change in Calgary. They achieve this through weekly dialogue discussions led by experts and society members, cultural events, and social activities such as nature walks and potluck dinners. The Society also provides small, no-interest loans to members in alignment with our values. Examples include loans for continuing education certificates and the instillation of a green house on a local farm.
Meet The Team
Michael Falconer
President
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Michael Falconar is first a loving father and husband, and community activist. He is performing many roles at the same time and some of these are occasional, in waiting for their opportunities. He is a high school teacher of science, industrial arts, outdoor education and sometimes other courses when called upon. He volunteers to teach primitive existence skills and survival education. He is a locksmith, businessman and real estate consultant specializing in land development. He stays involved in every level of the electoral process; never to win a seat, but to challenge, contest, validate and authenticate the democratic system in Canada. All this is based on the continual change of his personal dynamic philosophy of survival.
Arthur Clark
Founder
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Arthur Clark is Professor Emeritus, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary. His personal vision is of a healthy global community, based on transformation of local communities including cities. He is author of a book on global citizenship http://www.aupress.ca/index.php/books/120173 and founder of the Calgary Centre for Global Community http://www.calgarycgc.org/ and works closely with such initiatives of others as Humainologie http://www.humainologie.com/ and a remarkable learning centre at Folk Tree Lodge https://folktreelodge.ca. He is also a founder of the Calgary Social Capital Society, a registered non-profit in Alberta. The Society is designed to move the culture of Calgary away from materialism and toward a vibrant, joyful, connected, and creative society. As one part of the activity of the Society, he participates in a weekly creative dialogue, currently held by Zoom on Wednesday evenings.
Saima Jamal
Director
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Saima Jamal is a well-known and awarded Calgary based community organizer and helper, social activist, humanitarian, interfaith promoter and Tedx featured public speaker. Her work focuses on refugee and immigrant issues, activism, anti-racism, religious discrimination and women’s issues. As the current Co-Founder of the volunteer run Calgary Immigrant Support Society and past Program Manager of the Consortium for Peace Studies at the University of Calgary, Saima uses a unique multi-faith, multi-cultural and multi-community approach to mobilize 1000s of Calgarians to make our city the most welcoming place for newcomers to live and thrive, strengthen the social fabric of our society and to make our world a more peaceful, compassionate and more understanding place to live. Saima’s years of peacebuilding efforts and compassionate work as a peace activist included program development that educated Calgarians on different ways Canadians grappled with local and national calamities, conflict resolution domestically and internationally and covered the fight against deviant extremist groups, curbing radicalization, and finding reconciliation for religious conflicts and sectarian issues.
Aditya Chaudhuri
Gad Fly and Secretary
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Aditya Chaudhuri is an absolute animal lover, an avid musician, but most importantly, a global citizen who is passionate about contributing towards a sustainable and better tomorrow. As he pursues a promising career in technology consulting, he parallels it with his work in the realm of development. Firmly believing that professions must be paralleled with social responsibility, he leads the Calgary Professional Chapter of Engineers Without Borders Canada, where he engages the professional demographic well in playing bigger roles in their spare times to create lasting, local impact. Aditya was recognized as a Top 30 Under 30 in 2019 for his work in this field and is known to inspire others to take action and create change. When not at work or volunteering for one of the numerous causes he’s involved in, he can be found exploring the Rocky Mountains, enjoying working with animals, or immersed in practicing Indian classical music.
Ahmer Menon
Director
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Ahmer Menon is an active philanthropist, social worker/activist, and civil engineer. His passion is to volunteer and provide support to various international and local cultural and charitable organizations in raising funds, he also actively helps new immigrants and fellow engineers in finding jobs by organizing various workshops and seminars on resume writing, interview skills, and job search, etc.
In recognition of his significant contributions to fellow citizens, community, and to Alberta, Ahmer has been awarded ‘Alberta Centennial Medal (2005) Canada’ by the Government of Alberta.
Ahmer is Elected as President Pakistan Canada Association – Calgary (2019 – 2021) and in past, he has served the community as Director IDRF (International Development and Relief Foundation) - Calgary (2014 – 2016), President Indus Association of Canada - Calgary (2014 – 2019), Director South Asian Community Services Society (SACSS) - Calgary (2016 – 2021)
Helen Ostrowski
Director
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Helen Villaraza Ostrowski is an architect from the Philippines, where the smiles of people shine even on cloudy days, in the storms of life. She immigrated to Canada in 1976 where she met her now late husband Jorg Dietram Ostrowski, at a "United Nations International Design Competition for Architects", held in Vancouver Canada.
They shared a passion for change as ecological visionaries. They married not long after and settled in sunny Calgary Canada with skies "as blue as my husband’s eyes" even at -40 degrees C. They envisioned birthing and raising children as “stewards of God’s Creation"; however biological children was not the gift for them but instead many young people from universities, as countless as the stars of heaven, came under their tutelage. The “EcoHomeOffice" in Calgary was abundant with life, play & work. It was home, playground & laboratory. Over the past 45 years family, friends, colleagues, clients & the media have gone through their lives like an open book.
Today, Helen invites you again to collaborate with her as partners in building harmonious communities that create a green revitalized economy, in the undertaking Trans-Canada “Pathway to Peace : Biosphere Leapfrog”, dedicated to the memory of her beloved husband, Jorg Dietram Ostrowski who lived his life building peace along the trails of the Earth, our common home on a tiny blue-green planet in the vastness of God’s Creation.
Jose Tenga
Director
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Jose holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics degree from the University of Sierra Leone, a graduate Certificate in International Peace and Conflict Resolution from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a graduate Certificate in Strategic Project Management from the University of Calgary and, as a Rotary World Peace Scholar, a Master of International Development Policy degree from Duke University, North Carolina. Jose was sponsored by the Rotary Club of Calgary for the World Peace Scholarship.
Jose is also a licensed Insurance Professional with the Alberta Insurance Council.
After completing graduate studies at Duke University, Jose Tenga returned to Canada to serve as senior socio-economic specialist with Worley Parsons Canada. After a year he was invited to The Jimmy Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta, Georgia, to serve as assistant director in the conflict resolution department. He also served as project director for Africa, where he met with heads of state and senior government officials in Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Guinea (Conakry) and Sierra Leone.
From 2010 until 2012, Jose served as consultant technical advisor to The Presidency of the Republic of Sudan, under a peace-building assignment by the department of Foreign Affaires and International Trade Canada.
He returned to re-join his family in Canmore, where he went into private sector consulting in the hospitality industry. At the moment, Jose is an Associate with World Financial Group (WFG), where he is helping families, businesses and individuals meet their financial planning needs, especially in investment, retirement and insurance.
Zoe Bertamini-Gawdun
Treasurer
Zoe Lynne is herbalist born in Drumheller Alberta. She was one of the founding members of the Alberta Herbalist Association and served for 4 years as the acting treasurer.
Zoe organizes and hosts educational workshops provided on a sliding scale for residents of Drumheller and Calgary.
She is an avid volunteer and believes in harm reduction practises and building community to strengthen our society.
