SSMU WALKSAFE has been in operation since 1990 with the mission of creating a safer space for those within the McGill community providing them with a safe means to get to wherever they need to go. For more than thirty years, we’ve sported our easily-identifiable red jackets providing our peers with a safe way to get to where they need to go. Since then, we’ve grown, added a new service to our operations called WALKBuddies, and continued our mission that we consider to be a labour of love.
Get to know the people who make it all happen below! See the Executive Team that gets everything ready and makes sure our big team of volunteers can contribute to the safety of our community.
2023/24 SSMU WALKSAFE Executive Team
President
Gabriel Karasik (he/him)
Gabriel oversees all operations related to WALKSAFE and supports each executive member with their individual duties. He acts as the designated representative for the service and is WALKSAFE’s primary liaison with SSMU executives and McGill University. Gabriel has been a volunteer with WALKSAFE since 2021.
VP Internal Affairs – Retention
Luc Wilson (he/him)
Luc is responsible for planning and organizing social events to foster a greater community within WALKSAFE. He is responsible for ensuring volunteer satisfaction and taking recommendations to improve the service. Luc has been a volunteer with WALKSAFE since 2019.
VP Internal Affairs – Recruitment
Blair Jackson (they/them)
Blair is responsible for organizing and executing all training sessions along with handling the recruitment of new volunteers. They are the liaison with all external training partners. They also take care of training dispatchers. Blair has been a volunteer with WALKSAFE since 2021.
VP Finance
Mathieu Pestel (he/him)
Mathieu is responsible for all finance-related matters. He prepares the WALKSAFE yearly budget, handles reimbursements for volunteers, approves all of WALKSAFE’s purchases, and communicates with the SSMU Department of Finance to ensure that WALKSAFE’s financial operations run without difficulty. Mathieu has been a volunteer with WALKSAFE since 2022.
VP University Relations
Rohan Rastogi (he/him)
Rohan handles all of WALKSAFE’s event booking requests. He organizes fundraising activities and information tabling to facilitate a greater presence of WALKSAFE on the McGill campus. He is responsible for maintaining communication with McGill-affiliated organizations including clubs and fellow services. Rohan has been a volunteer with WALKSAFE since 2022.
VP Community Relations
Ethan Alexander (he/him)
Ethan handles the creation and distribution of promotional material and updates all of WALKSAFE’s social media platforms. He is responsible for improving awareness of WALKSAFE within and outside of the McGill community and the greater Montreal community. Ethan has been a volunteer with WALKSAFE since 2022.
VP Scheduling
Nick Mazza (he/him)
Nick manages all matters related to volunteer scheduling. He is responsible for sending out the monthly schedule and ensuring all shifts are at full capacity. Nick enforces rules and regulations as outlined by WALKSAFE’s disciplinary policy. Nick has been a volunteer with WALKSAFE since 2021.
VP Social Media
Amelia Tai (she/her)
Amelia creates the overall image of the service to the general public while also maintaining an adequate presence in various McGill social media outlets. She also creates the infographics and service messaging that faces the public. Amelia has been a volunteer with WALKSAFE since 2022.
Daycare Coordinator
Marjana Rahman (she/her)
Marjana oversees the general management of WALKBuddies. She is responsible for assisting the VP of Internal Affairs – Recruitment with the recruitment and training of all WALKBuddies volunteers and acting as the liaison with the daycare staff and SSMU. Marjana has been a volunteer with WALKSAFE since 2022.
VP Communications
(TO BE ANNOUNCED!)
This position is in charge of handling internal and external communications between the executive team, WALKSAFE volunteers and the community, ensuring all correspondence are answered promptly They are responsible for sending out the Monday Weekly Report and networking to expand SSMU WALKSAFE’s presence.
VP Infrastructure
(TO BE ANNOUNCED!)
This position is in charge of maintaining and overseeing improvements to the SSMU WALKSAFE’s website. They are also responsible for ensuring the office’s equipment remains in good order and oversee office space improvement projects.