Our 2025–2026 Youth Fellows
Alexander Martin, Ava Smithing, Julian Lam, Maddie Case, Maddie Freeman, and Nonso Morah will be focused on engaging youth on important policy issues, including AI and Online Harms.
SEPT. 3, 2025 - We’re excited to present our 2025–2026 Youth Fellows at the Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy: Alexander Martin, Ava Smithing, Julian Lam, Maddie Case, Maddie Freeman, and Nonso Morah.
The fellows will lead youth engagement events throughout the year, empowering young leaders across the country to raise awareness about AI and online safety, all while contributing to a national dialogue on digital policy.
We look forward to sharing inspiring and thought-provoking content from our Youth Fellows over the coming months on our social media accounts (LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, BlueSky, and X). For now, you can learn more about the fellows through their bios below.
Alexander Martin
Alexander Martin is a PhD student in Science and Technology Studies at York University focused on Canadian social media sovereignty and the policies needed to protect it. His research explores grassroots alternatives to corporate platforms as models for more democratic and accountable governance, alongside work on AI, content moderation, and mis/disinformation. He previously worked in policy and strategic communications for NATO’s Office of the Chief Scientist and advocates for adaptive policy frameworks that strengthen Canada’s role in shaping global digital governance.
Ava Smithing
Ava focuses on shaping policy and creating solutions for more human-centered technology design, data privacy and youth online safety. Since graduating from Stevens Institute of Technology in May 2023, she became the first full-time employee at the Young People's Alliance, where she serves as the Advocacy Director. She is also a member of the inaugural All Tech is Human Affiliate cohort. Ava has testified before a Congressional subcommittee in the U.S. on the American Privacy Rights Act and the Kids Online Safety Act. She will be the host of an upcoming investigative podcast exploring the impacts of technology on young people.
Julian Lam
Julian Lam is a JD student at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at UBC with a background spanning law, public policy, and international finance. He holds a Master of Public Policy from McGill University and a BA in International Relations from UBC. His experience includes developing the global strategy for Canada’s Digital Supercluster, leading AI policy initiatives at McGill’s Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy, and analyzing geopolitical risk for investment at the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. Julian is especially focused on the global governance of AI and champions cross-sector collaboration to advance inclusive and equitable decision-making.
Maddie Case
Maddie is dedicated to addressing critical challenges in democratic engagement, online safety, global peace and security, and climate action. She has held roles in policy, communications, stakeholder engagement, and research. She also holds a Master's of Public Policy and Public Administration from Toronto Metropolitan University and a Bachelor of Arts from Queen’s University. Her experience within the world of politics and public service, at both the provincial and federal levels, allows her to provide a well-rounded perspective on the Canadian landscape.
Maddie Freeman
Maddie is a changemaker, a digital wellbeing advocate, and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree-holder from University of Colorado Boulder. Her endless passion and dedication to this cause is rooted in her own mental health journey, deeply intertwined with her immense loss of 10 friends to suicide in her Colorado community. Through grief, she was driven to prevent this from happening to the next generation; in 2020, she wrote a petition that garnered 13,000 signatures in two days, shifting the narrative around mental health care for teens at local school districts. At 19 years old, Maddie created NoSo (No Social Media November), which sprouted into a national initiative that would grow exponentially over the next five years. In 2023, it earned Maddie a Young Innovator in Behavioural Health award. Maddie continues to be fuelled by directly impacting thousands of students annually, who’ve told her how much her initiative has improved their mental health.
Nonso Morah
Nonso Morah is a McCall MacBain Scholar and graduate student in the Faculty of Education at McGill University. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Social Sciences from the University of Ottawa and has previously held positions with the Senate of Canada, the 1834 Foundation, and the University of Alberta. With a background in public policy, parliamentary procedure, and arts-based community development, her work explores the intersection of the arts, youth culture, and political imagination—particularly the role of artistic pedagogy in shaping civic consciousness. Beyond academia, she is a published poet and an award-winning spoken word artist.
Media Contact:
Isabelle Corriveau
Senior Manager, Public Outreach and Communications, Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy
isabelle.corriveau2@mcgill.ca
