About this Event
Last Black Friday, Canadians spent an estimated $865 million in a single day. More than half of holiday shoppers took on credit card debt for gifts, and over a quarter of them were still paying it off when the next season came around. At the same time, a good deal helps a tight budget go further, and the holiday rush keeps a lot of small businesses afloat.
Our leading question for this month’s Agora event is: How do we buy, sell and consume in a way that works for our wallets but also for the people and planet that are affected by our choices?
🎤 Opening Speeches
We will start the event with a total of 30 minutes of opening remarks, that shall help us to get inspired for the group discussions. These are our speakers:
- Dr. Ela Veresiu is a Associate Professor of Marketing at York University and will touch on the markets responsibilities in the context of consumer well-being and market belonging.
- Nella Tadic is a Psychology graduate and will address consumer habits from a psychological and neurological perspective.
- Eduek Brooks is a Financial Educator and will briefly talk about how individuals can master their financial independence.
💸 The Four Topics
We will look at ethical capitalism and better consumer choices from four angles:
- Individual agency: What power do we have as consumers, and what practical choices matter?
- Societal expectations: What do we owe each other? What should healthy consumption look like culturally?
- Company accountability: What business models and everyday practices need to shift, and who's responsible for that change?
- Government & policy: What regulation and systemic change within capitalism would actually work?
Choose the topics you’re most passionate about in the sign-up form, and we will form small groups around it.
ℹ️ Event Details
- We’ll meet for 3 hours. The first part is an open conversation about your topic and the second is about developing concrete solutions, with time to socialize too, of course! 🙂
- We’ll provide you with an intentional structure, materials (pens, post-its etc.) and a space that makes your conversations productive.
- At the end, all groups come together to share their findings and ideas.
- A light brunch (croissants, snacks & fruit) and coffee are on us! 🥐☕
🌱 After & Beyond the Event
After every event, we publish a report on our website with everything discussed and developed. Here you can find an example report from our Agora event on wildfires.
If your group wants to take an idea further, whether into your own life or to local decision makers, we’ll help you figure out the next step and find project partners. For example, after one of our events, one group started an initiative to introduce recycling incentives in a local supermarket and another attendee is starting a cultural roundtable event format.
At the event, we will also invite you to our WhatsApp community, where we collaborate on initiatives and plan social activities.
👤 Who Would Most Enjoy Attending?
Our space is for everyone that is interested in meaningful dialogue, building new connections and making a difference in their immediate environment. People of all ages and ethnic/religious backgrounds have attended our events - we really welcome diversity of thought and personality.
🏛️ Our Vision
At The Modern Agora, we are reimaginging the ancient Greek agoras - gathering spaces that were central to the development of democracy, public discourse and social impact, while serving as the foundation for community life. You can get to know more at themodernagora.org!
Looking forward to hosting you 💙
Leon, Founder of The Modern Agora
Event venue & nearby stays
Pluto: Fourth Space for Community, Co-Creation, & Coworking, 60 Sumach Street, Toronto, Canada
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.