Niki Dun

Brainstormer, Change Agent, Connector, Designer, Global soul, Idea generator, Marketer, Parent, Social entrepreneur, Writer/Editor

Improving quality of life and building community through collaborative design exemplifies Niki Dun’s work. Recipient of a BC Creative Achievement Award, Niki’s work in social design began with founding Design For Development (DFD), a registered charity that aims to reduce poverty and save lives by designing and producing solutions to basic-needs issues faced by underserved and low resource communities. Design For Development’s Bike Ambulance Project is the current focus of Niki’s work as Director. The Bike Ambulance has been piloted in communities in Malawi and Namibia and exhibited at Bruce Mau’s Massive Change show, MOV’s Velo-City and most recently the Design In Canada exhibit at Canada House in London. Niki has worked on projects in India, Malawi, Namibia and South Africa to assist others in designing for low resource communities. In recent years, Niki has developed an interest in facilitating the sharing of creative and innovative ideas at local and global levels - with the goal of fostering a deeper understanding of the world, of changing attitudes, of sparking collaboration. Niki is an active member and supporter of the TED and TEDx communities and is the co-producer of TEDxEastVan. About her TEDx work: "Playing the role of catalyst and facilitator is one of the most rewarding roles I can imagine. The energy, the ideas, the interplay between minds that manifests itself into something that didn't exist before you gathered those forces together? How can anything be more incredible or more humbling? Being a TEDx organizer is, of course, about the sharing of ideas. But it really is so much more than that. It brings people together, breaks down barriers and helps us better navigate this complex world we find ourselves in."

Beach paddleball, holding my breath underwater, and filling out my tax forms. But no, not at the same time.