award of excellence youth - Canadian Race Relations Foundation
Transcription
award of excellence youth - Canadian Race Relations Foundation
AWARD OF EXCELLENCE YOUTH Award of Excellence Equitas - International Centre for Human Rights Education - Speaking Rights: Bridging Divides and Building Youth Voices in Communities The Inspiration ~ Advancing Democracy, Peace and Social Justice through Education Equitas – International Centre for Human Rights Education (formerly The Canadian Human Rights Foundation) was founded in 1967 by a group of scholars and social activists. The mandate was to advance democracy, human development, peace and social justice through education programs. John Humphrey, one of the drafters of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, was a founding member. The Focus ~ Canada-wide and International Equitas develops innovative education programs in Canada and internationally. They provide human rights defenders and educators, government officials, children and youth with the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to promote human rights values and to combat inequality, exclusion and other forms of human rights abuse. In Canada they work with over 350 partners promoting respect for diversity, non-discrimination and children’s and youth rights. The Story ~ Support in Action “It’s easy to talk about youth rights, it’s something different to have youth reflect and act to promote respect!” says Darley Polony, youth worker at Dawson Community Centre. Equitas is working with youth workers across Canada empowering them to take on leadership roles “The Speaking Rights Program and the underlying values have allowed me to implement positive projects, giving a significant voice to my youth in Verdun, where we struggle with poverty and violence, especially being a young black woman.” explains Darley. Last spring, Darley received a minigrant from Equitas to support a photo project with her group of 8 young women from diverse groups. “We designed the project with the girls: they had to choose 5 women significant to them, take their picture, and ask them about what makes them beautiful. Since they wanted to go beyond appearances, they connected what makes these women so beautiful, with human right values!” In 2012, Equitas supported 12 youth engagement projects like Dawson Community Centre’s. Making a Difference in the Community ~ Promoting Positive Intercultural Relations One of Equitas’ core programs in Canada, Speaking Rights for youth 12 to18 years old, has had 5500 youth, 450 youth workers, and 200 organizations in 7 cities across Canada participate since 2010. Staff working with youth are promoting positive intercultural relations, dealing with discrimination, racism, bullying, and preventing and resolving conflicts in their communities. Community-based organizations are better equipped to promote respect for diversity, active participation, leadership, youth rights, sense of belonging, and community engagement youth programs. A Word of Praise “We believe that Equitas has been greatly contributing to the fight against racism and the protection of human rights in Montreal through its Speaking Rights Program for youth (…).Educating youth is an effective way of defending and promoting human rights leading to engaged citizens, respectful of the rights of others and open to differences.” Quebec Board of Black Educators- QBBE, Montreal. Sharing your Best Practice and Reaching Out ~ Youth and Communities Come Together Activities and projects in the Speaking Rights Toolkit reinforce self-esteem, respect for diversity, and a sense of belonging by challenging youth to look at their own attitudes and beliefs and work together to improve their communities. Since 2008, more than 200 community organizations and municipalities in Montreal, Vancouver, Surrey, Victoria, Lillooet and Winnipeg have reached out to over 5500 youth. Overcoming Challenges ~ Reaching Youth in Informal Settings Speaking Rights was developed after an extensive needs assessment involving over 200 youth and youth workers from across the country. Reaching youth in the informal community sector can be challenging: there may not be regularly organized youth activities, or youth tend to just ‘’drop-in’’ on an irregular basis, which can make it difficult to have long-term engagement of the same youth over time. We responded to this by designing a flexible, appealing and adaptable Toolkit. The Best Practice Tool ~ Speaking Rights Program and Toolkit The Speaking Rights Toolkit is an innovative education tool which supports and develops youth leadership skills and participation. It promotes: • Respect for diversity • Inclusion • Acceptance • Cooperation • Respect • Fairness • Responsibility. The Toolkit provides concrete opportunities for youth to express their opinions and take action in areas that are important to them. Youth workers are given training in using the Toolkit. Thelonius Oliver, youth worker at YMCA NDG is engaged with Speaking Rights since the needs assessment and was presenting his expierence at the launch of the Toolkit in 2010. Vision for the Future As part of Speaking Rights we hope to expand programming beyond BC, Manitoba and Quebec to offer training and program support to organizations from coast to coast. In addition to supporting more youth community action projects we also hope to share program results and best practices. Contact Information Ian Hamilton Equitas – International Centre for Human Rights Education Executive Director 666 Sherbrooke Street West, Suite 1100 Montréal Québec H3A 1E7 Tel: 514-954-0382 Fax: 514-954-0659 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.equitas.org 33