Empowering Advocates
ally: university member who would like to support an advocate.
advocate: an individual working in an activist movement.
The Advocate Ally Project connects the resources of a university to the needs of democratic and human rights advocates. Over the past three years, CANVAS and UVA’s Democratic Futures Project have sponsored university/advocate partnerships in Belarus, Bolivia, Myanmar, South Sudan, and Syria, among other locations. With the Advocate Ally Project, the hope is to expand the global impact of this work.
Project Managers
Virginia Bonnie
Virginia Bonnie is a 3rd year undergraduate student at the University of Virginia double majoring in Computer Science and English with a Modern and Global Studies concentration. She was a 2025 intern for Shuddhashar FreeVoice through the Oslo Scholars Program and has been involved with several research projects through the Karsh Institute’s Democratic Futures Project. She has previously worked with AI startups and will continue to research the roles of both technology and literature on democratic activism in the remainder of her time at the University of Virginia.
Corinne Sweeney
Corinne Sweeney is a 4th year undergraduate student at the University of Virginia, studying Global Development, Politics, and Media through the Echols Interdisciplinary Program. She is also pursuing a Social Entrepreneurship minor through the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. As a member of the Democratic Futures Project, Corinne has assisted research for the “End Arbitrary Detention” Campaign led by Felix Maradiaga, as well as volunteering at several activist-led DFP events. Corinne is also a member of UVA’s Business Ethics Society and a student analyst for Profit with Purpose.