Andrea Langlois (@andreamlanglois) is the director of engagement at the International Centre for Ethnobotanical Education, Research, and Service (ICEERS) and co-organized the 2019 World Ayahuasca Conference. She holds a Master’s Degree in Media Studies from Concordia University in Montreal and a BA in Women’s Studies from the University of Victoria. Andrea has worked in the non-profit sector for almost 20 years, supporting organizations to articulate powerful visions for the future and acting strategically to realize them. She is the co-editor of two books on autonomous media and pirate radio and has been involved in research on media and social movements, social dimensions of health, HIV/AIDS, and psychedelic drug policy. Andrea is passionate about dialogue, social movements, community engagement, Indigenous rights, Amazonian conservation, and plant medicine.

“From the periphery, I know the Amazon is burning, people are suffering, Mother Earth is struggling. It’s one thing to know things are bad, that we are at a tipping point. But it’s a whole other practice to witness,” she says. “I’m not ready for the funeral of our planet. I’m not ready to see the burning, clear cuts, mining pits, floods, dams, dead whales, lists of extinctions, polluted air and waters. But I witness. And I will grieve. And I will continue to learn to speak up for the plants that have taught me so much.”

In partnership with Spirit Plant Medicine Conference in Vancouver, BC, Nov 1 - 3, 2019, the Cosmic Sister Emerging Voices Award (CS EVA) increases visibility for talented women in the field of psychedelics who work tirelessly in supportive, behind-the-scenes roles, as well as talented newcomers who shine in spotlight positions.