115 international human rights delegates have arrived in Montreal to attend a one-of-a-kind training opportunity offered by Equitas - International Centre for Human Rights Education. Frontline human rights activists from approximately 60 countries will learn from each other and develop new strategies to promote equality, justice and respect for human dignity. (more)

• Equitas’ Canadian program recognized by the Canadian Race Relations Foundation
  
  Equitas’ Play it Fair! Program received an honourable mention from the Canadian Race Relations Foundation’s Award of Excellence in anti-racism in Canada. The Award of Excellence recognizes organizations and their programs to combat racism and racial discrimination whether in the workplace, the community or in an academic setting.
  
  The nominated initiative, Play It Fair!, is an innovative program that is combating racist attitudes and transforming interaction between children and youth in summer day camps in five centres across Canada (Montreal, New Brunswick, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver). It is designed to promote cultural diversity and to fight discrimination and racism through human rights education using a toolkit of fun and interactive games and activities developed by Equitas. For more information on this program, click here.

• Available now: Play it Fair, a human rights toolkit
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Play it Fair! Toolkit launched in Vancouver

On June 5th 2008, Equitas and local partners from the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation launched the National Edition of the Play it Fair! Toolkit.  The Toolkit is the cornerstone of Equitas’ innovative program that is teaching children across the country about human rights and responsibilities. 

The launch was attended by Olympic Snowboarder Alexa Loo, Korina Houghton, Chair of the Vancouver Park Board and Walter Schultz, Manager of Business Development for the TD Commercial Bank, who spoke of their support for program and joined with children and staff from local community centers to experience games from the Play it Fair! Toolkit.  

Play it Fair! was initiated  in 2004 in collaboration with the City of Montreal through its Direction de la diversité sociale and the Ministère de l'immigration et des communautés culturelles du Québec. Thanks to the TD Bank Financial Group, the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation and Canadian Heritage, the program was expanded to Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, Dieppe, Fredericton and Moncton. In 2008, approximately 250 camps will participate in the program and up to 2,000 camp staff and 50,000 children are expected to be reached.  

The Toolkit uses games adapted for the summer camp environment to promote values such as inclusion, respect and peaceful conflict resolution as well as to fight discrimination.  Designed by Equitas and comprised of over 60 interactive activities and games for children aged 6-12, the Toolkit will be integrated into summer day camp programs offered by municipal and community based partners across Canada. The Toolkit will help camp staff and children to promote positive values and address issues such as racism, name calling, bullying and exclusion.