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| On May 11, 2009, Equitas was awarded the Anne Greenup Prize at this year's Prix Québécois de la citoyenneté at the National Assembly in Quebec City. The Anne Greenup prize recognizes contributions in the fight against racism by a non-profit organization. |
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Ian Hamilton and Yolande James, Minister of Immigration and Cultural Communities |
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The prize was presented by Yolande James, Minister of Immigration and Cultural Communities. During the ceremony, Equitas was praised for its contribution to the development of an open, modern and inclusive society.
The prize was given in recognition of the success of the Play it Fair! program in Montreal. Developed in collaboration with the City of Montreal, the program is designed for youth attending summer day camps. Through games and fun activities, this educational program works to fight racism, to promote diversity and encourage children to reflect upon issues related to discrimination, inclusion, respect, cooperation and peaceful conflict-resolution.
In the summer of 2008, the program was in use in 145 day camps and reached over 40,000 youths. Camp counsellors confirmed that the games in the Play it Fair! toolkit contributed to sensitize the children to respect others. They noticed a decrease in verbal abuse, violence and intimidation and a marked improvement in team-spirit and participation.
Equitas extends its thanks to the City of Montreal, its partner in this program. Equitas also wishes to thank the funders of the Play it Fair! program: The TD Bank Financial Group, The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation, Heritage Canada, the City of Montreal through its Direction de la diversité sociale, the Ministère de l'immigration et des communautés culturelles du Québec, the Fondation du Grand Montréal and Telus.
More on the Play it Fair! program |
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Equitas Annual Cocktail – A Sold-out Affair
For the second year in a row, it was a capacity crowd for Equitas’ Annual Cocktail on March 19th. It was wonderful to see many loyal friends return and a large number of new faces who turned out to show their concern for human rights and support for Equitas. With over 200 guests attending, the 4th Annual Cocktail raised over $24,000 to support Equitas’ programming in Canada and around the world. |
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Ian Hamilton, Executive Director, Jameel Jaffer, and Rob Yalden, President of the Board of Directors (from left to right) |
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The keynote speaker for the evening was Jameel Jaffer, Director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s National Security Project and an active member of the Equitas Board of Directors. Mr. Jaffer was introduced by Alexandre Trudeau. Having recently co-authored the widely acclaimed book “Administration of Torture”, Mr. Jaffer was ideally placed to explore the connection between security and the protection of human rights: “The democratic freedoms that we have been too ready to give up [in times of crisis and in the name of security] are freedoms that lead to more informed citizens and to more accountable leaders….These freedoms are what make democracies worth defending.” In their remarks, Mr. Jaffer and Mr. Trudeau underscored the critical role of human rights defenders – the people benefiting from Equitas’ programs - in speaking out and defending those whose freedoms are being threatened.
Equitas would like to thank all the event sponsors and volunteers who made the event such a success. We recognize in particular our platinum sponsors: BCE Enterprises, Ernst & Young and Osler, Hoskin, Harcourt. Furthermore we are grateful to Claudia’s Catering for once again providing our guests with delicious food and for donating a significant portion of their services. We look forward to an even greater success next year! (more) |
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