Cultural Mediator, Storytelling Strategist, Author, Film Maker
Three connected brands
One purpose: to promote understanding between cultures.
Busayo Disu
The Person
Cultural Mediator, Storytelling Strategist, Speaker, Author, Community Leader
Meet Busayo →
Our Story, Our Voice™
The Storytelling Platform
Books, Documentaries, Podcasts, Animations, Digital Learning
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Mrs. Disu™
The Children's Learning Brand
Stories, School Resources, Activities, Kindness in Action
Visit the corner →What is cultural mediation?
I sit between institutions and African immigrant communities, and help each side hear what the other is really saying.
Every side of the bridge
It serves the institution and the community at once. These are the people I walk alongside most often.
Schools & Educators
Turning classrooms into places where every newcomer child is understood, not just enrolled.
Churches & Faith Communities
For congregations welcoming newcomer families into the life of the church, where faith becomes a doorway to real belonging.
Corporate Organizations
For companies who want internationally trained talent to stay, grow and lead, because belonging at work is a skill teams can build.
Youth-Focused Organizations
For the mentors, programs and clubs shaping young lives, helping them reach immigrant youth in ways that truly land.
Governments & Public Services
For public servants designing programs for communities they rarely sit with. I bring the community voice into the room before decisions are made.
Libraries & Community Organizations
The gathering places where newcomers first feel welcome. I help staff meet families with warmth and real cultural insight.
Families & Youth
African immigrant parents and young people navigating two worlds at once. I help them find their voice, their footing and their way forward.
Ways we can work together
Screenings
A film shown in your room, with Busayo there to open the conversation that follows.
Book a screening →Classroom Resources
Books, documentaries and animated shorts to license, each with a discussion guide ready to teach.
Explore resources →Speaking Engagement
Keynotes, staff training and workshops, shaped around the room you are actually filling.
Start a conversation →The ten services
Cultural Competency Training
Practical, story-driven sessions that help your team move past assumptions and serve African immigrant communities with genuine confidence.
Cultural Inclusion Consulting
A careful look at your policies, spaces and everyday habits, with warm and honest guidance on where belonging breaks down and how to repair it.
Diversity & Belonging Workshops
Interactive gatherings where teams practise empathy through real stories, leaving with language and habits they can use the very next day.
Community Engagement Strategy
Help reaching communities that past outreach never quite reached, built on trust, relationships and an honest understanding of why people stay away.
Youth Engagement
Programs and mentorship moments that meet immigrant youth where they are, so they can see their own story as a strength rather than a burden.
Family Support Navigation
Walking beside newcomer families as they learn the systems around them, from school meetings to health appointments, until they can walk confidently alone.
Cross-Cultural Communication
Coaching for the conversations that go wrong quietly, helping colleagues, clients and communities say what they mean and hear what is meant.
School Inclusion Support
Hands-on support for principals and teachers welcoming newcomer students, from first-day arrival to parent partnership that actually works.
Workplace Cultural Intelligence
Building teams where internationally trained colleagues are heard, promoted and kept, because belonging is a leadership skill, not a poster.
Public Policy Consultation
Bringing lived community experience to the tables where policy is written, so decisions reflect the people they are meant to serve.
The shapes these take
From a single keynote to a full training series, every format is tailored to your audience, your goals and your time.
For Organizations
- Professional development sessions
- Faith community training
- Workplace inclusion training
- Leadership development
- Cultural intelligence workshops
For Schools & Libraries
- School workshops for students and staff
- Library learning sessions
- Youth leadership programs
For Communities & Families
- Parent education sessions
- Community dialogues
How an engagement works
Every engagement is shaped around your goals, but the rhythm stays the same: four movements, in order.
- 01
Listen
We begin with your people and your challenges. I ask, and then I truly listen, on both sides of the gap.
- 02
Understand
Together we name what is really happening beneath the surface, the histories, fears and hopes at play.
- 03
Bridge
Training, stories, strategy and honest conversation carry meaning across, in both directions.
- 04
Sustain
We build habits, resources and relationships that keep working long after I have gone home.
What comes with every engagement
Booking should feel easy. Here is what arrives with the date, from the first hello to the week after.
A pre-event learning call
Before anything is written, we talk through your audience, your goals and the moments that matter most, so nothing on the day feels generic. This call is where the session is actually shaped.
Content tailored to your audience
Stories, examples and language adjusted for your sector, whether that is a boardroom, a school gym or a council chamber.
Resources for everyone in the room
Handouts and discussion guides drawn from the Our Story, Our Voice library, so attendees leave with something they can keep, share and put to work. Licensed classroom resources can be added to any engagement.
A follow-up guide
Discussion questions and next steps that keep the conversation alive after the applause, so the event becomes a beginning.
Moments of gratitude
Every honour here really belongs to a community. These are the moments when the work was seen.
Strathcona County Award of Excellence
The first Black recipient of this honour, recognized in the Arts, Culture and Heritage category for storytelling and service in the county at the heart of her journey.
Bold Woman, 40 Over 40
Featured as a panelist and one of the women celebrated in the 40 Over 40 Bold Woman project, honouring the resilience and journeys of women over 40.
PurpleTie Foundation Recognition
Honoured by the youth led PurpleTie Foundation for creating spaces where young people feel seen, valued and empowered.
Community Leader of the Year, Alumni Award
Presented by NorQuest College, her alma mater, for sustained community leadership and dedicated service.
AfroCaribbean Artist of the Year 2025
Presented by Andrew Knack, Mayor of the City of Edmonton, for work that amplifies African and immigrant stories.
Stars of Alberta Volunteer Award
Recognized by the Government of Alberta for an outstanding commitment to volunteerism and inspiring contributions to the community.
Alberta Women in STEM Scholarship
A $2,500 award supporting women building careers in science and technology, held alongside her work as a pharmacist and data specialist.
1000 Women Scholarship Award
An $18,000 award from the 1000 Women movement, carrying her through the studies that now sit underneath every training room she stands in.
The work, on film
Footage from the award ceremonies will be added here once the organizers have cleared it for sharing.
Kept with care
A few moments from the shelf, and the full album one click away.
Understanding, measured
Frequently asked questions
What exactly do you do as a cultural mediator?
I help institutions and Black African immigrant communities understand each other, through staff training, strategy, community conversations and family support. The common thread is translation between lived experiences, so that classrooms, workplaces and community spaces work for everyone in them.
Who do you work with?
Schools and school districts, churches and faith communities, corporate organizations, youth-focused organizations, governments and public services, libraries and community organizations, and the families and youth at the heart of it all. If your work touches newcomer communities and you want to do it better, we should talk.
How long is a typical engagement?
It depends on the goal. A single workshop can open a door in an afternoon; deeper culture change usually unfolds over a series of sessions across several months. We will shape the timeline together.
Do you work outside Alberta?
Yes. My home base is Alberta, and much of my work is rooted there, but I welcome invitations from across Canada and beyond. Many trainings and consultations also work beautifully online, which keeps distance from being a barrier.
How do we start?
With a conversation. Send a note through the form just below and tell me a little about your community and your challenge. We will find a time to talk, and from there I will suggest a path that fits your people, your timeline and your budget.
Testimonials
Notes and letters from the schools and teams Busayo has walked beside, kept just as they arrived. Tap any one to read it.
Real thank-you notes from schools across Alberta. More arrive with every visit.
Reach out
Whether you are planning an event, building a partnership or simply reaching out, you are welcome here. Choose the form that fits your reason for writing, or reach me directly.
-
Email
olubusayodisu@gmail.com -
Location
Alberta, Canada -
Response
I reply within two business days.
For conversations regarding animated or kid friendly digital resources, please check with Mrs. Disu. For licensing a film, book or animation, check Our Story, Our Voice.
These forms are being connected to my inbox behind the scenes. If your note is time sensitive, email olubusayodisu@gmail.com directly and it will reach me right away.
Letters from Busayo
New stories, upcoming events and fresh classroom resources, a few times a year. Your first letter arrives with a free discussion guide.