2013 AnnualReport

2nd Floor, 10575 114 St. NWEdmonton, AB T5H3J6

www.jhcentre.org

info@jhcentre.org

780.453.2638

Our Mission

Board of Directors

Executive Director

The John Humphrey Centre of Peace and Human Rights advances a culture of peace and human rights through educa-tional programs and activities, community collaboration and relationship-building guided by the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Joan Cowling, PresidentChristine Rapp, Vice PresidentRobert Gardner, TreasurerLewis Cardinal, SecretaryAndy KnightDominique ClémentGurchuran Singh BhatiaRaffath SayeedRenny KhanRoxanne UlanickiSalma Lakhani

Renée Vaugeois

Table of Contents

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Free2BeYOUth

Circle Alberta Retreat

JHC Peacebuilders

Global Youth Assembly

Rights in Play

Artistic Justice

Gall Conference

#YEGrights

Volunteer Information & Statistics

RBC Movers, Shakers and Change Makers

08 Rights Respecting Schools

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Volunteer Information &Statistics

This past year, the JHC created a volunteer program and procedures policy to begin incorpo-rating volunteers into our organization operations in a more cohesive manner. With a new screening and application process, the JHC now has over 80 volunteers joined on our Volun-teer Call Out list, and over 20 active volunteers helping out at JHC events and programs. JHC

volunteers have contributed over 976 hours of volunteering since December 2012. Volunteers have been helpful with programming, office administration, and event preparation which have helped staff complete projects much quicker! Volunteers have also been critical in supporting our annual casino fundraising and main programs, like the 2013 Global Youth Assembly, Young Peace Builders Camp, and Rights in Play.

The JHC also began working with the Serving Communities Internship Program (SCiP) which al-lowed us to welcome 19 office interns to our team throughout the year. Interns were a great addi-tion to programs that require staff support as well as organizational support through research or event planning assistance. Some examples of SCiP intern positions include our Education Programs Intern, Gall Conference Coordinator, Research Assistants, and the GYA Logistics Intern.

The JHC also hosted a Volunteer Appreciation Party in the fall to thank volunteers for their time and dedication. We enjoyed a simple night filled with crafts, live music, and a potluck dinner!

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Free2BeYOUth

With the support of Servus Credit Union and the Alberta Human Rights Education and Multiculturalism Fund, the John Humphrey Centre, in partnership with (IN)spired, was able to launch the Free2BeYOUth inclusion initiative. Placing traditionally marginalized students in leadership roles, youth are given opportunities to critically reflect on bar-

riers to inclusion within their schools and broader communities as they advocate for the dignity of each and every individual in society. Together, youth are encouraged to explore critical issues that affect marginalized groups, such as those with disabilities, LGBTQ individuals, Aboriginal youth, and immigrants and refugees. On Friday, October 25th, 17 youth along with 5 teachers from 5 dif-ferent junior and senior high schools from across the province gathered at MacEwan University to receive their initial training for the F2BY program. For our pilot year, H.E. Beriault Catholic Junior High School, Jasper Place High School, Tofield School, McCoy High School, Strathcona High School and Holy Trinity Catholic High School joined the movement to bring meaningful change to their schools. Each month of the school year is dedicated to addressing various issues of marginalization within these schools, with plans to have these schools present their achievements of progressing towards a more inclusive school community at the JHC’s Ignite Change Now! Youth Forum.

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#YEGrights

In April, over 70 students came together at the Northlands Expo Centre to discuss issues of human rights. With a keen focus building bridges across communities in Edmonton, the JHC brought together young speakers from diverse backgrounds, abilities and orientations to discuss our experiences and reflect on the inclusiveness of Edmonton as a human rights city. We have heard

great reports from students who left transformed from the experience - all the reason why we put our heart and soul to bringing all voices forward. Thanks to the support of the Edmonton Commu-nity Foundation for enabling us to make this inaugural event a reality!

Children need to be heard more and we need more opportunities, just like the ones the John Humphrey Centre gives us.

I learned about my human rights and how to get involved in my community.

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Gall Conference 2013

In celebration of the 65th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the John Hum-phrey Centre held the second annual Gall Conference and Human Rights Awards on December 10, 2013 for International Human Rights Day. The Gall Conference, in honour of founding mem-ber Gerald L. Gall O.C., was planned with the intent of assessing and discussing the state of eco-

nomic rights in Canada. Despite economic rights being a central aspect to building strong, inclu-sive communities, oftentimes, they are left from the discussion. Addressing poverty and racism are heavily connected to our ability to embed economic rights as a priority and integrate them in the discussion. In 2013, the Gall Conference brought over 100 people together including high school students, academics, bureaucrats, elected officials and community groups to reflect on the state of economic rights but also consider possibilities for collaborative change. The Conference was heavy in content and dialogue leaving participants with a sense of urgency about issues in Canada but a of hope given our collective efforts.

The Human Rights Awards extended the Conference dialogue with Howard Sapers, federal ombud-sperson for Corrections, providing a real and touching image of our penitentiaries today. His heart-felt talk reminded us that how we treat our prisoners is a sign of how strong we are as a country and that we have a lot of work to do. The sharing of the six human rights awards for the evening brought the event to a strong close reminding us that through our individual efforts, we make great strides collectively in human rights. We were honoured to recognize the work of Dennis Edney, Amin Amir, Mackenzie Martin, GRIT (Getting Ready for Inclusion Today), Butterfly Moon Project, and Jim Gurnett.

Thank you to the City of Edmonton, University of Alberta Office of Safe Disclosure and Human Rights, Bank of Montreal, and Retrofit Learning for making these events an incredible success and continuing our efforts to build Edmonton as a Human Rights City.

Building Peace

Supported by the Inspirit Foundation, the JHC Peacebuilders united 15 diverse youth, aged 18-30, in an exploration of Edmonton’s faith diversity through the months of January to April 2013. They were given the unique opportunity to tour eight of Edmonton’s diverse faith cen-tres and were taught the central aspects of each faith from its members. They learned that

Edmonton’s diverse faith communities value each other’s religions and believe in tolerating each other’s differences. They also began to realize that a central underlying theme unifies the world’s major faiths; all eight faith centres the Peacebuilders visited emphasized the importance of treat-ing others with the utmost respect, kindness and compassion. Inspired by what they had learned during their visits to faith centres, the Peacebuilders worked together throughout the summer to coordinate a two day peace camp for children ages 10-12.

In commemoration of the International Day of Peace, the camp, titled Young Peace Builders, was held on September 19th and 20th. Attended by 55 grade five/six students from three of Edmonton’s schools, Young Peace Builders encouraged youth to treat others with compassion, despite their differences, and promoted the benefits of working together to build better communities. Children engaged in a variety of activities to explore their common humanity, collaborated on a ‘We are Peace’ quilt, formed tangible goals related to topics such as bullying, stereotypes, discrimination and cultural conflict and formed plans for making their schools more compassionate. As the chil-dren expressed a desire to build a better world together and demonstrated the understanding that treating others with compassion, kindness and respect can be seen as the first steps in doing so, it became evident that the they both believed in and understood the Peacebuilders’ message of com-passion and appreciation. JHC would like to thank Reach Edmonton and the Inspirit Foundation to helping us build a foundation for peace-building in Edmonton!

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Having Megan run artistic justice is really re-freshing. This class is only one lunch hour a

week (30 mins) yet it is one of my favourites. Its not like the mandatory subjects that were forced to sit through. Artistic Justice makes me think about issues that people tend to ignore. We discuss human rights and problems of the world and its just a nice change from the regu-lar classes. Its so important to me that I chose to be a part of artistic justice. It made me real-ize so many things. Up until grade ten I had no desire to care about anything except my reali-ties, and my issues. Artistic justice opened up my mind. It also revealed my artistic side. I’m very thankful for this class!

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Artistic Justice

Artistic Justice was a collaborative project between the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights, artist Maigan van der Giessen and McNally High School in Edmonton Alberta. The program involved a twelve week arts exploration of human rights and social justice issues, facilitated by the artist in order to tell a story- through art - about an issue

that the youth were passionate about. The three youth that participated in the program were very interested in the prominence of media advertising in the daily lives of so many, especially under-privileged communities, while there remained a lack of access to basic human rights such as health care and medical supplies. It became our task to figure out how to tell this through art.

Global Youth Assembly

The fourth bi-ennial Global Youth Assembly (GYA) took place in Edmonton from August 7th to 10th, 2013. With the theme of Human Rights. Health. Ignite Change Now, the GYA exposed delegates to a variety of topics related to human rights and health and encouraged them to broaden their perspectives on the many interconnections between these crucial topics. 150

delegates from across Canada united at the GYA and had the unique opportunity to meet other so-cially engaged youth, passionate community leaders and inspirational GYA speakers and workshop presenters. They enjoyed hearing the presentations of a variety of enthusiastic and passionate speakers, including Emmanuel Jal, Devon Harris, Nina Kohari, Dr. David Swann and Abdullah Saleh, were inspired by their peers during the RBC Movers Shakers and Change Makers presentations and Open Mic sessions, spent an afternoon of discussion and action planning to tackle issues they are passionate about, engaged in a variety of thought provoking workshops, took part in a Social Justice Walk through Edmonton’s inner city and much more! Various delegates have expressed mo-tivation to volunteer at inner city organizations, create a drama program for newcomer children, engage in political advocacy, form social justice groups at their high school and ensure that global health takes priority on the international stage. It is incredibly important to connect youth in their efforts to make this world a better place and we are excited to have made such an impact this year! We would like to thank the RBC Foundation, Canadian Commission for UNESCO, the University of Alberta and the City of Edmonton for their support of the GYA.

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Rights in Play

This year marked another successful year for Rights in Play. With 26 confirmed sessions just within the span of July to August 2013, we were able to reach 1,015 youth. From September to December 2013, the JHC reached another 367 youth. Sessions were and will be implemented in elementary, junior and senior high schools as well as youth organizations and youth camps

throughout the year, including:

1 session with Camp Wohelo1 session with Chimo Youth Retreat Centre4 sessions with the Old Strathcona Youth Society12 sessions with Camp Kasota West1 session with Camp Fyrefly7 sessions with YMCA Daycamps (Jamie Platz, Don Wheaton, Castle Downs, William Lutsky)1 session with Cape Horn Elementary1 session with McNally High2 sessions with Our Lady of the Prairies Catholic Elementary1 session with H.E. Beriault Catholic Junior High2 sessions with Evansdale Elementary1 session with Ecole St. Stanislaus

Reaching 1401 youth this year, the total revenue for the RiP program in 2013 is $4,750. Thus, the evident demand for RiP sessions will allow the JHC to continue educating youth on human rights and peace through experiential and transformative learning opportunities.

RBC Movers, Shakers and Change Makers

JHC is proud to partner with the RBC Foundation to facilitate the RBC Movers Shakers and Change Makers program. Ten dynamic youth projects have been selected to take part in this innovative year-long program to gain valuable leadership and project management skills. At the Global Youth Assembly in August, the youth presented their projects to the GYA audience

where they received feedback from a panel of judges. Based on audience votes, three projects re-ceived funding of $1,500, $1, 000 and $500: Sunrise of Life – Street Kid Picnic Project, Safe Spaces Retreat for Young Women and Drinking Water Quality in Sri Lanka, respectively. Throughout the remainder of the year, the youth involved have continued to meet through monthly webinar ses-sions to gain knowledge and skills to enhance their projects, share ideas and discuss the impor-tance of human rights in fostering positive community change. Webinars on conflict resolution and anti-oppression have already took place, with more to come on topics such as time management, facilitating dialogue, coaching/mentoring and more! We are excited to continuing working with these youth to support them in reaching their project goals!

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Circle Alberta Retreat

On November 15-17, 2013, eighty two Albertans from across the province came together to share, discuss and reflect on current work related to the rights of Indigenous Peoples. The retreat, planned and hosted by the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights, was meant to be a space for connection and building new relationships between

Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Peoples and foster a renewed commitment to addressing the need for building stronger communities but also the critical issues that affect our communities, and most importantly, our children. Along with the dialogue and networking, feedback was sought from the participants to provide to the Ministry of Human Services in their efforts to develop Alberta’s Chil-dren’s Charter. It was a unique experience with conversations that mattered.

A special thanks to all that made this retreat a possibility – we believe the ripples will continue well beyond Goldeye Centre! Thanks so Rocky Mountain House Native Friendship Centre, Alberta Cul-ture and Union 52 Benevolent Society. Also special thanks to Theresa Strawberry, Robert Whitecalf, Kim Ghostkeeper, and Mary Jefferies for facilitating such a meaningful and constructive experience.

Rights Respecting Schools

The John Humphrey Centre was honoured this year in becoming one of Canada’s Lead Agen-cies for the UNICEF Canada Rights Respecting School (RRS) Program. Over the past two years, Northmount and Evansdale Schools in Edmonton made incredible strides with Evansdale be-coming the First RRS in Alberta. The Honourable David Blair Mason Q.C., Chief of the Com-

mission and Tribunals of the Alberta Human Rights Commission officially presented the plaque to Evansdale in April. With funding support from the Alberta Human Rights Education and Multicul-turalism Fund, we are looking forward to being able to work with an increasing number of schools in Alberta to bring children’s rights to the centre of programming and policy.

With RRS, we are also looking forward to an expanded presence of the JHC through work with three schools in Vancouver and Coquitlam. Each of these certified Rights Respecting Schools will be sup-ported by the JHC on their journey. Renée Vaugeois was honoured to travel to meet these schools in September and build plans for a solid and fruitful relationship. Plans are currently underway to build a community of practise via peer learning webinars over the next year.

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