Latest news with #WinnieChen
Hamilton Spectator
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
‘OMG, are you the picnic girl?: How a TikTok callout gathered thousands for a picnic in Toronto
It all started with a TikTok call-out by a recent graduate who wanted to bring together people and foster social connection in Toronto without breaking the bank. Winnie Chen, a University of Guelph alumna, said Toronto lacks 'third places'— a hub beyond work and the home where people can gather to build community and form meaningful bonds. She wanted to change that this summer , but meeting new people in a place like Toronto has become expensive, especially for a 23-year-old graduate struggling to find a job in a bleak labour market. On July 5, she did more than just meet new people on a budget. She hosted a massive picnic event at Centennial Park at Exhibition Place that created a third place for the community to make meaningful connections without having to pay a fee to attend. Winnie Chen speaking at her massive picnic at Centennial Park at Exhibition Place on July 5. 'There are a lot of people who thanked me for hosting this event,' Chen said. And it couldn't have happened without the power of social media. In late May, she made a call-out in a social media video asking if a group of strangers were interested in having a picnic together. The call-out to her rather modest social media following resulted in 200,000 views overnight for the video and 2 million views in total for the entire picnic series. A post shared by Winnie || Toronto 🇨🇦 UGC (@winniemoments) 'I can't really fathom what that number is until I go out,' Chen said, adding that strangers on the street recognize her and ask, 'OMG, are you the picnic girl?'' Chen said more than a thousand name-tag wearing individuals attended the picnic where people chatted, snacked and spent quality time with strangers over board games and painting stations, while sitting on a giant picnic blanket. Picnickers danced and chanted to 'ETA' by K-pop sensations New Jeans, as well as to throwbacks from Justin Bieber in a rave-like set by DJs Eunicecycle and Sidequest Steve. 'They brought such good energy. It kind of turned into a mini rave or mini music festival at one point,' she said. The event's success highlights young people's strong desire to interact with their community after a report pointed to Toronto as the loneliest place in Canada , combined with isolation during the pandemic. Winnie Chen's picnic attracted more than a thousand people looking to make new friends. 'Some people in their 20s probably lost two years of high school or two years of university, which is in my opinion, the most important time to learn how to build connections and make new friends,' Chen said, adding that high rates of youth unemployment add to the issue as 'a lot of people can't afford to go out to events and meet new people.' She added that the event felt authentic and the high demand is a reflection of what people in the city crave. 'It was very nice. It just tells something about Toronto, that everyone wants to have a connection ... a meaningful way to meet people and making it as authentic as possible,' Chen said. She set up a GoFundMe campaign that reached $2,000 in donations and she also received some financial assistance from sponsors. Attendees were asked to bring something with them to the potluck-type event such as board games, food, a volleyball net and other activities. Toronto Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik attended the event and gave a speech. Chen recruited a group of volunteers using a Google form list with over 200 people eager to assist with the project. Chen's picnic, which she said she was 'shocked to pull off,' was inspired by a large cake picnic event in San Francisco where more than a thousand attendees were instructed to bring their own cakes to a park. The biomedical graduate says most of her friends are facing unemployment and are 'frustrated' with the lack of opportunities. 'They feel like they're not enough,' Chen said. 'But it turns out, everyone's facing the same situation and may feel discouraged to continue looking. It really hits on your self-esteem when you don't get an interview back.' Work is often considered part of one's identity and the topic of one's job is often a conversation starter and how individuals introduce themselves to others, said Yeeun Archer Lee, assistant professor in psychology at Trinity Western University in B.C. and researcher in loneliness and social connection. 'Without that, it's difficult for people to feel very confident to go see new people,' Archer Lee said. 'This specific picnic event really shows a glimpse of hope in that online connectivity, like social media, that's often blamed for a lack of in-person interactions was turned into in-person interactions. Research shows that in-person interactions still have special benefits that online connections cannot replace,' she added. Chen wants to continue hosting similar events in the future, keeping them sustainable and affordable. 'I'm thankful I got to meet everyone ,' Chen said. 'Everyone was there because of one TikTok I made, I felt really good that everyone was so supportive.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
New York Post
4 days ago
- New York Post
City sued for discrimination by ex-Civilian Complaint Review Board investigator
He was hired to be an investigator — but was allegedly treated like a pack mule. An administrator for the NYC Civilian Complaint Review Board was forced to perform manual labor at his office job, and eventuallu quit to escape 'grotesque bigotry and hostility' from his supervisors, he said in a lawsuit. Nigerian-born Ademola Bello was the only desk worker at the CCRB's Division of Financial and Strategic Management ever asked by his bosses 'to haul furniture, office supplies, boxes of paper and filing cabinets,' he claimed in court papers. 4 Ademola Bello is a graduate of Columbia University's Journalism School. Helayne Seidman Winnie Chen, the CCRB's director of budget and operations, and Jeanine Marie, the agency's deputy executive director, treated Bello, 52, like 'property' and 'chattel labor,' which left him 'emotionally battered and psychologically depleted,' the Nigerian native said in the July 16 legal filing. Bello, who started working for the CCRB in September 2023 as a civilian investigator and transitioned to Chen's department that December, where the Columbia Journalism School grad — alleged he was singled out for 'strenuous manual labor' due to his 'African identity.' 'They tried to cover up all these things, it was just so bad,' Bello told The Post this week. 'And it was because of my nationality.' 4 Bello will soon need surgery on his knee, which he hurt lifting heavy boxes. Helayne Seidman He was repeatedly asked to do tasks 'utterly incongruous with his administrative duties and physical capacity,' like moving furniture, and in early 2025, he sustained an 'acute knee injury' lifting a large box, according to the lawsuit. Even though the city confirmed his injury was work related, Chen allegedly urged him to 'rub [his knee with] her 'Chinese oil,' or face consequences' and pushed him to drop a worker's compensation claim. When he refused Chen's 'nontraditional herbal treatment…her abuse escalated,' he said in court papers. 4 The offices of the Civilian Complaint Review Board. Google Maps Bello was the only person in the office who wasn't allowed to eat at his desk and his requests for pay raises or remote work privileges were denied, unlike his 'non-African, less qualified' colleagues, he alleged. And he was also asked to fill-in at the reception desk, often coming into the office before sunrise and not leaving until well after 5 p.m., he said in the legal filing, which also alleges he was never paid for 40 hours a week, despite working twice as many hours. 4 Bello worked under Winnie Chen, who is a party to the civil suit. Winnie Chen/ Linkedin 'I was told I was working for free and there was nothing I could do,' said Bello. 'When he questioned this exploitation' during a discussion with Marie, 'the response was unambiguous: 'You can resign,'' he said in the litigation. He would never be able to meet Marie's expectations because Bello 'was not 'white,'' Marie said, according to the lawsuit. Bello's lawyer, Bennitta Joseph of Joseph and Norinsberg, said he'll be having knee surgery next month. 'At the Civilian Complaint Review Board — the agency sworn to root out abuse — an African immigrant was treated like a slave,' Joseph said. 'They exploited him for manual labor, denied him dignity, and discarded his humanity while hiding behind the language of justice. This wasn't just hypocrisy—it was modern-day servitude, enforced by bureaucrats drunk on power and bigotry, and for this they must be held accountable.' The CCRB did not return calls seeking comment.
