Recognizing Global Citizenship by Students and Educators

James Lesyk and Ndidi Wamy have become familiar faces at nine Pembina Trails schools this year, making the rounds from Vincent Massey Collegiate (Winnipeg) to other schools in their division, educating fellow students about food insecurity and collecting donations of non-perishable food for Harvest Manitoba.  

By the end of the year, the pair had helped bring in 1712 pounds of food, enough for an estimated 1338 meals. Now their hard work is being recognized as they take home one of three Outstanding Take Action Project Awards presented by the Manitoba Council for International Cooperation (MCIC).  

Right: Ndidi and James stand next to a van full of food donated to Harvest Manitoba.

Mitchell, Manitoba student Peyton Kehler is also being celebrated with an Outstanding Take Action Project award. Peyton organized Shoot to Inspire, a basketball camp designed to build a community of female atheletes in basketball. 

“I desperately wanted female role models in my life who understood my struggles, especially in the athletics community. My goal was to create a safe place for girls who feel like I once did,” Peyton said. Her first camp attracted 20 girls and 12 coaches who worked together over two days, building confidence and “rewriting the narrative” on opportunities for girls in sports. A week-long second camp is planned for the summer.

The third Outstanding Take Action Project award recognized Ayesha Khan and Brooke McNeill of Saint John’s Ravenscourt, who wrote “Periods are Red,” a book that aims to educate younger students about menstruation and related stigmas. They presented their book to students in grades 4-8, reaching about 80 students with their presentations before the book was placed in the school’s library collection.  

“I have learned that our education system needs to talk about it and not make it an uncomfortable environment by placing kids in a room to watch a video, placing boys and girls in the same room, and just talking about periods,” Brooke shared. 

Left: Brooke McNeill's cover for Periods are Red, just one of her hand-drawn illustrations for the book.

Alongside the students, three educators are receiving Global Citizenship Awards from MCIC for their work highlighting international topics and expanding horizons.

Border Land School Division Superintendent Krista Curry helped organize MCIC's first Generating Momentum Youth Conference since 2019, gathering 80 students in Altona. She's also led strong efforts in her division to improve sustainability and equity - including bringing students into committee meetings to hear their ideas for a more sustainable school division.

Morden Collegiate teacher Darryl Toews has spent years engaging on global topics with his students in Global Issues. His leadership and openness to talk about difficult global subjects earned him recognition as one of this year's Global Citizenship Award winners.

Linden Meadows’ Kimberly Bryson was the final Global Citizenship award winner for 2024. A relative newcomer to MCIC's programming, Kim has been an outstanding advocate for global issues and sustainability in her school, promoting and engaging with the Sustainable Development Goals in her classroom and through extracurriculars. 

Right: Darryl Toews and Kimberly Bryson receive their Global Citizenship Awards at MCIC's 2024 AGM