The Safe Harbour Youth Ambassador Diversity Program reflects the value of community partnerships. Youth Ambassador is an opportunity for communities to speak openly with youth about diversity, providing them with the knowledge and tools they need to effectively respond to racism and hate while transforming them into leaders in their schools and communities.
To help deliver the program across BC, we have partnered with 13 ‘Community Organizers’ - social service providers, neighbourhood houses, and committees who focus on serving immigrants, refugees, First Nations and other diverse community members. AMSSA uses a collaborative model for engaging Community Organizers on programs such as Youth Ambassador; these further their mandate and respond to the needs of their community members while championing the promotion of multiculturalism, anti-racism and human rights.
AMSSA works closely with the following group of 13 Community Organizers in a range of rural and urban communities across BC:
Youth Ambassador Community Organizers
Campbell River
Campbell River Multicultural and Immigrant Services Association (CRMISA)
Tara Jordan
202-437 10th Avenue, Campbell River, BC V9W 4E4
#250.830.0171
tara.jordan@crmisa.ca
www.misa.crcn.net
Community Outreach
Campbell River Multicultural and Immigrant Services Association is building on their experiences with the pilot and engaging their Youth Ambassadors in their Youth for Diversity project, which aims to have youth learn and practice inclusive leadership skills, learn how to respond to, and prevent racism and discrimination, and celebrate diversity in their community.
Collingwood, Vancouver
Collingwood Neighbourhood House
Sanjeev Karwal
5288 Joyce Street, Vancouver, BC, V5R 6C9
#604.412.3844
skarwal@cnh.bc.ca
www.cnh.bc.ca
Community Outreach
Sanjeev Karwal, Youth Services Coordinator / Youth Worker with Collingwood Neighbourhood House, is working closely with Robert Best, a Youth and Family Support Worker at Windermere High School, to recruit Youth Ambassadors. The YA teams then deliver the Children’s Safe Harbour workshops in elementary schools and youth programs in the Joyce-Collingwood area.
Cowichan Valley
Cowichan Intercultural Society (CIS)
Linda Hill
101-255 Ingram Street, Duncan, BC, V9L 1P3
#250.748.3112
lindahill@shaw.ca
www.cviias.com
Community Outreach
Dr. Linda Hill with Cowichan Valley Intercultural Society has conducted eight one-hour training sessions with a diverse group of high school students. The Youth Ambassadors facilitated workshops in an elementary school in March 2008.
Cranbrook
Community Connections Society of Southeast BC
Mila Siguenza
32-13 Avenue, South Cranbrook, BC, V1C 2V3
#250.426.2943
mila-cwrs@shaw.ca
Community Outreach
Gwen Noble and Mila Siguenza with Community Connections Society of Southeast BC are building on their existing connections with schools in Cranbrook and surrounding communities and recruiting Youth Ambassadors from leadership groups. Their agency focuses on raising cultural awareness and sensitivity, as well as promoting inclusive practices.
Kelowna
Kelowna Community Resources Society (KRCS)
Doreen Rosvold
255 Lawrence Avenue, Kelowna, BC, V1Y 6L2
#250.763.8058 x232
doreen@kcr.ca
www.kcr.ca
Community Outreach
Kelowna Community Resources has worked with school district 23 and planned Harmony Day on February 11th. The district invited Doreen Rosvold to join their planning committee and she worked to incorporate the children’s diversity workshops into the Harmony Day festivities. Doreen has also connected with senior High School Students from a Kelowna Catholic School to become the community’s first trained Youth Ambassadors for diversity.
Nanaimo
Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society (CVIMS)
Terre Flower
114-285 Prideaux Street, Nanaimo, BC, V9R 2N2
#250.753.6911 x3
tflower@cvims.org
www.cvims.org
Community Outreach
Terre Flower has worked with a group of Adult Mentors to train a team of enthusiastic Youth Ambassadors, helping to guide their workshops in local schools and community settings. Participating in the Safe Harbour Youth Ambassador Diversity program furthers their agency’s vision of ensuring that immigrants and diverse peoples flourish in their community and builds on their many years of building the foundation for Safe Harbour in Nanaimo.
Penticton
Penticton & District Multicultural Society
Maiya Robbie
245 Warren Avenue, Penticton, BC, V2A 7G8
#250.492.6299
maiya.pdms@shaw.ca
www.cloud9design.ca/pdms
Community Outreach
South Okanagan Immigrant Services has contacted local middle and high schools to establish interest in the program. They have also built relationships with local youth clubs and developed a poster campaign to market Youth Ambassador to high schoolers.
Powell River
Powell River Anti-racism Multicultural Initiative (PRAMI), Powell River Employment Program Society
Sara Blum
103-4511 Marine Avenue, Powell River, BC, V8A 2K5
#604.414.0008
prami@prepsociety.org
Community Outreach
Janet Newbury brings her boundless energy to the Powell River Anti-Racism Multicultural Initiative, whose Community Cultural Liaison introduced the program to School District 47. PRAMI is building on connections established as a Critical Incident Response Model (CIRM) community, part of the Attorney General’s Settlement and Multiculturalism Division. Their aim is to continue providing education on multiculturalism and anti-racism to the Powell River community.
Prince Rupert
Prince Rupert Anti-Racism Committee
Louisa Sanchez
519 7th Avenue East, Prince Rupert, BC, V8J 2J4
#250.624.6986
lsanchez@citytel.net
Community Outreach
Louisa Sanchez, a School Trustee and coordinator with the Prince Rupert Anti-Racism Committee, is working closely with First Nations Support Workers, business people, and educators in Prince Rupert to build support for the program and recruit and train Youth Ambassadors.
Surrey/Delta
DIVERSEcity
Karen Atwal
1107-7330 137th Street, Surrey, BC, V3W 1A3
#604.597.0205
katwal@dcrs.ca
www.sdiss.org
Community Outreach
Karen Atwal, Program Coordinator for the Unity in Diversity project, has included Youth Ambassador Train-the-Trainer workshops in her work with youth - who are developing and acting in their own anti-racism plays. Youth have been recruited from Brunsview High School, North Delta Secondary School, Surrey Alliance, Club Utopia, and a Surrey Alternate High School.
South Vancouver
South Vancouver Neighbourhood House
Diane Doyle
6470 Victoria Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5P 3X7
#604.324.6212
diane@southvan.org
www.southvan.org
Community Outreach
South Vancouver Neighbourhood House won a City of Vancouver Diversity Award in May 2008 for Youth Ambassador. They have recruited Youth Ambassadors and potential Diversity Stars from their current programs: Homework Havens, Cultural Buddy, and Youth Action. They work with Community School Team Coordinators at John Oliver, David Thompson, and Killarney Secondary schools, as well as students in MacKenzie, Douglas, MacCorkindale, Moberly, Fleming, and Cook Elementary Schools.
Terrace
Skeena Diversity Society
Sasa Loggin
P.O. Box 665, Terrace, BC, V8G 4B8
#250.635.8761
sasa@ravenicreative.com
www.skeenadiversity.com
Community Outreach
Skeena Diversity Society has the active support of Colleen Austin, an Aboriginal High School teacher, and Greer Kaiser, a Grade 12 teacher who teaches Social Justice 12. They are both committed to bringing the program to their students.
Victoria
Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria
Anna Escher
930 Balmoral Road, Victoria, BC, V8T 1A8
#250.388.4728 x112
youth@icavictoria.org
www.icavictoria.org
Community Outreach
The Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria has implemented Youth Ambassador training sessions within their Youth BYOB - Break Your Own Barriers initiative, a community diversity project. Anna Escher, along with her practicum student Cindy, are facilitating trainings for YAs. ICA is encouraging youth to initiate their own projects and link them with other youth groups and organizations. To date, feedback in the community and the youth response has been extremely positive.
