Six Manitoba students and two educators are being recognized for their outstanding efforts to improve their communities as global citizens. The students each completed Take Action Projects for their Global Issues: Citizenship and Sustainability classes that went above and beyond, earning each of them $250 to support their future studies.  

When the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled a ringette tournament and fundraiser for pediatric cancer research to benefit Kiera’s Krusade, Jessica Hossack found another way to help. The Selkirk student organized a candy cane sale called Kandy Kanes for Keira, raising over $1,000 for charity.  

In Winnipeg, students took on projects addressing issues they see in their communities. Sunshine Levasseur organized a week of action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, 2 Spirited + Trans individuals in Canada at St. James Collegiate. The awareness and education campaign coincided with a student-led fundraiser for Drag the Red Winnipeg, a First Nations community organization that searches for missing loved ones in the Red River.  

Sunshine Levasseur spoke passionately about how the loss of MMIWG2ST people impacts whole communities, as well as families and loved ones: “Indigenous women are part of our communities. They are our first leaders, teachers, and knowledge keepers. Our women are so important. We need justice.”

Our other award winners for the 2021-22 school year are: 

	Cynthia Tran from Sisler High School, who created connections between CancerCare Manitoba and The Main Street Project to provide cancer screening and self-screening education to homeless populations in Winnipeg.  “Through the research that I completed for this project, I learned a great deal about my community, and the organizations working to make it better.”
	Anne Gonzales from Daniel McIntyre Collegiate, who organized a fundraiser at their school to collect gently used winter clothing to donate to Koats for Kids. “Only through collective effort can we do this, so I want to encourage myself and you guys to commit to thinking and acting towards global citizenship.”
	Paige Sokoloski from Springfield Collegiate Institute, who created a community vegetable garden as a resource and gathering space for their community of Oakbank.  “Even though my class is concluding, my dream was to become more inclusive as a town. I educated myself on current issues that encompass the town of Oakbank, realizing that my garden could become a space that allows produce to all families, along with my personal goals.”
	Divya Sharma from Fort Richmond Collegiate, who documented a day in the life of someone in Rajpura, India to share a real and relatable perspective from another culture and country.  “It was an important experience for me, because as immigrants to Canada it’s very easy to recognize how important each culture is, and through that I was able to connect my Canadian culture to my Indian culture, and at the end of the day what I learned was that no matter who we are, what culture we come from, what our lifestyle is, we’re all human at the end of the day, and we’re all under the same blanket, or in other words the same shawl.”

We also recognized two educators whose work has empowered the next generation of global leaders. They recieved a $100 donation to a charity of their choice. 

Leah Morrish teaches grade 7 at South Pointe School, and has integrated the Sustainable Development Goals throughout the curriculum, while supporting extracurricular clubs and activities to engage students in social and environmental justice issues.

“I’m honoured to be given this award on behalf of MCIC. Teaching global citizenship to my students is so important to me. It creates active change makers; young learners who see themselves as leaders, who are not afraid to speak up and know their voice matters. Learning goes beyond the classroom, it is real life and it is important,” Morrish shared.

Kaitlin Link worked with her grade 9 and 12 students at Murdoch MacKay Collegiate to develop a sense of global citizenship through projects on human rights, climate change, and sustainability. Her support of student community service and fundraising projects help students learn about building a better world from inside and outside the classroom.  

The contributions of these students and educators to their local and global community makes them exemplary global citizens, and MCIC is proud to recognize and celebrate their work.