| ABOUT
OUR NAME
Equitas (ek-wi-tãs) (from the
Latin for Justice, Equity and Fairness
At Equitas, we
are proud of our achievements between
1967 and 2005 as the Canadian Human
Rights Foundation. From programming
in Canada in our early years to our
current programs that span the globe,
we have assisted thousands of human
rights workers to become more effective
monitors, advocates and educators.
Why the new name?
Our new name, Equitas - International
Centre for Human Rights Education,
better communicates our mission and
the true nature and scope of our work:
Human rights education
in Canada and abroad based on the
principles elaborated in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights.
Equitas, is inspired
from the Latin word for justice, equity,
fairness and represents the goal to
which we aspire. Our new name clarifies
that our organization's unique contribution
to achieving this goal is in the field
of education and that the geographic
scope of our activities is global.
Why change our name after
38 years?
For a number of years, the Board of
Directors as well as the staff have
raised questions about the organization's
name and concerns that it did not
accurately reflect our mission and
the nature and scope of our work.
In particular, we recognized that
Canadian Human Rights Foundation did
not let people know that this is an
organization that focuses on education.
Furthermore, experience showed us
that the term Foundation was misleading.
While not all foundations administer
grants programs, for many people the
word foundation implies an organization
that can offer funding, not one that
needs to seek out funding to run its
activities. Consequently, the Strategic
Plan adopted in 2003 included exploration
of a name change as one of its stated
objectives. The process began in 2004
and gained momentum in 2005.
In looking for a new name, the following
criteria were important:
- to communicate a clear message
about our mission and the work we
do;
- to be easily understood in both
French and English;
- to help the public connect to
the organization and want to find
out more; and
- to build on the history of the
organization and be able to stand
the test of time
Building on a tradition of
excellence
The change in name will not change
the nature of our programs and partnerships,
nor does it affect our status as a
non-profit non-governmental organization.
As Equitas, our mission
remains to build a global culture
of human rights through education.
Our experienced team will continue
the tradition of excellence in participatory
methodologies and innovative program
design that has assisted literally
thousands of human rights activists
to become more effective monitors,
advocates and educators. We look forward
to continuing to strengthen existing
partnerships and continuing to explore
new and exciting opportunities with
like-minded organizations and members
of our alumni networks. November 23,
2005
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