About the founder
Ayana has never met a problem she didn’t want to solve. She is a creative problem-solver who uses her talents to address issues rooted in systemic inequality. From leading anti-oppression workshops to running social innovation labs, she draws on a broad set of design and systems thinking skills, with a preference for dialogue-based design. She has a knack for helping large groups reach consensus and for moving collaborative initiatives forward.
She is an educator, a small business owner, and a kite-flying enthusiast.
She is not a robot.
What’s in a name?
harbingers \HAHR-bun-jerz\
noun. pl.
1 : those who initiate major change : people who originate or help open up new activities, methods, or solutions.
2 : those who foreshadow future events or give anticipatory signs of what is to come.
Adapted from Oxford Languages Dictionary
Our values
Anti-oppression |
We critically counterbalance power structures using systems thinking, considering winners and losers in decisions, and by building inclusive processes. |
Accountability |
We promote and centre input from people affected by the issues we work on. We give outliers the weight they deserve. We share data openly and contextualize it within lived experiences. |
Learning |
We use appreciative inquiry to lead with curiosity and empathy. We reflect on and evaluate everything we do, and we share our learnings openly. |
Process |
We care as much about the means as the end. We commit to processes that honour participants. We are both values- and purpose-driven. |
Boldness |
We challenge entrenched views and take innovative risks, anchored by our values. We experiment freely to develop new solutions to both old and new problems. |
Heart |
We increase the joy and optimism in difficult work. We make room for community-building and make people feel heard. We aim to always leave on a high note. |
How we work
Cooperation |
We build those around us as we build ourselves. This means we exchange information with our networks, support and promote each other’s work and seek collaborators. |
Redistribution |
We work toward equal distribution of power. We share revenue with collaborators, pay equitably, and work with affected people to ensure lived experience is compensated as expertise. |