The JustChange website highlights a quote by Margaret Mead, the renowned anthropologist, that says: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world, indeed it is the only thing that ever has.”
JustChange was created by 11 young Ottawa professionals, including seven former Carleton students. Every month, they each donate $50 and, every two months, the organization gives a $1,000 grant to a group or individual who has proposed an initiative to produce positive social or environmental outcomes for Ottawa. The group will be handing out its third grant in May.
Brittany Fritsch is one of the founders. “I believe that it is important for people to be generous and invested in their communities, whether they are just beginning their careers or are already established,” says Fritsch. “For me, JustChange is a way to demonstrate this.”
Fritsch will formally graduate with her Master of Arts in Public Administration from Carleton on June 12 and is already working as a Manager of Public Policy and Community Engagement for Imagine Canada, a national charitable organization, where she interned.
As part of her master’s coursework, Fritsch completed two directed studies. The first one focused on the relationship between business and social mission among Ottawa social enterprises. The second was on Social Return on Investment (SROI), looking at its strengths and weaknesses.
Dr. Tessa Hebb
She says that the staff at the School of Public Policy and Administration (SPPA), which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, greatly contributed to her academic experience. She singles out Dr. Tessa Hebb “for her continued support, guidance and mentorship. She challenged me to engage deeply in the material resulting in papers that I could not have otherwise written on my own.” Dr. Hebb is the director of the Carleton Centre for Community Innovation at Carleton.Fritsch was born and raised in Saskatchewan. She moved to Calgary where she held jobs in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors. Before attending Carleton, she also spent time in rural Uganda working with marginalized women on income-generating projects.
She said that she was originally attracted to the master’s program at SPPA because it, “has a great reputation. It has the benefit of being located in Ottawa, meaning that its students get great exposure to federal politics and public policy. And there are a number of research centres affiliated with Carleton that helped me to explore my research areas. You can also seek out opportunities to customize your experience and take advantage of the diverse range of interests that the SPPA faculty has.”
This summer, the School is launching Canada’s first Master of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership (MPNL), along with a graduate diploma geared at working professionals.
