Canada Without Poverty is pleased to announce the appointment of four new members to its Board of Directors: Derek Cook of Calgary (for an At-Large seat), George Lessard of Yellowknife (for the NT seat), Wayne MacNaughton of Halifax (for the NS seat) and Brenda Thompson of Annapolis Royal, NS (for an At-Large seat).
Derek Cook grew up in a poor household in rural Ontario and experienced first-hand the impacts of exclusion that results from a lack of access to the resources of society. Learning of the value of social justice, Derek has dedicated the past 20 years to social change – including assisting in the drafting of a living wage policy for the City of Calgary and organizing the group Poverty Talks which engaged over 500 low-income Calgarians in the development of a local poverty strategy. Derek is currently the Executive Director of the Calgary Poverty Reduction Initiative, a community-based effort to reduce poverty in the municipality.
George Lessard is a bilingual communication and media specialist that has travelled the world helping others learn how to use both traditional mass media and new digital media. George grew up in a working class family in Montreal, and since then has lived in some of the poorest and remote parts of Canada following his studies in journalism. He also trained many of the founding members of the first wave of community radio in Québec. Currently he distributes relevant information on social and environmental justice in the circumpolar region via Northern Clips. Experiencing poverty first hand has taught him that there are many ways to survive and many wonderful successes to not only learn about, but to help others learn about.
Wayne MacNaughton has had personal experience trying to make ends meet on social assistance. A firm believer in the motto of the disability rights movement – "nothing about us without us" – Wayne recognizes that solutions to poverty require engagement of the low income population. He has shared his message over the past few years as a Volunteer Inspirational Speaker with the United Way of Halifax Regional Municipality. Wayne is a bilingual community activist. 'He is a member of the Community Advocates Network in Nova Scotia, a founding member of the Community Society to End Poverty in Nova Scotia, and has been involved with the human rights network ATD Fourth World.
Brenda Thompson experienced life on welfare as a single mother, resolving to be resourceful and stand up for herself. This experience led to the publication of the book The Single Mothers Survival Guide in 1988, and the article The Violence of Welfare and Single Mothers on Social Assistance in Nova Scotia. Brenda has a BA in Women's Studies and an MA in Sociology. She has spent the past six years as the Chair of the Board of the Women's Place Resource Centre, and is currently helping others find jobs in a high unemployment area of Nova Scotia.
Founded in 1971 as the National Anti-Poverty Organization, Canada Without Poverty is a registered charity (#13091 6638 RR0001) seeks to eradicate poverty in Canada for the benefit of all, by educating Canadians about the human and financial cost of poverty, and by identifying public policy solutions. Canada Without Poverty is governed by people who have experienced poverty.
Executive Director / Directeur executif
CANADA WITHOUT POVERTY / CANADA SANS PAUVRETÉ
Working in alliance with the CWP Advocacy Network / Travaillant en alliance avec le Réseau de revendication CSP
Honorary Directors / Directeurs honoraires
Right (Très) Hon. Joe Clark
Hon. Louise Arbour
Hon. Monique Bégin
Hon. Ed Broadbent
Ovide Mercredi
Ottawa office / Bureau d'Ottawa: @UnderOneRoof, 251 Bank Street, 2nd Floor, Ottawa, ON K2P 1X3; (613) 789-0096 (1-800-810-1076)
Vancouver office / Bureau de Vancouver: (604) 628-0525
Dignity for All: The Campaign for a Poverty-free Canada / Dignité pour tous: Campagne pour un Canada sans pauvreté
Help support our work! / Aidez-nous!
CanadaHelps (donate on-line and receive an immediate tax receipt / Faites un don en ligne et recevez immédiatement un reçu pour les impôts)
***Please note that a 3.9% administration fee is applied to any donation processed by CanadaHelps. For a donation of $99 or less, it is more efficient for us for the donation to be processed by CanadaHelps. For a donation of $100 or greater, we recommend making it by cheque to Canada Without Poverty.
Today, poverty prevails as the gravest human rights challenge in the world. Combating poverty, deprivation and exclusion is not a matter of charity, and it does not depend on how rich a country is. By tackling poverty as a matter of human rights obligation, the world will have a better chance of abolishing this scourge in our lifetime. Poverty eradication is an achievable goal.
Hon. Louise Arbour, Honorary Director and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, on the occasion of International Human Rights Day 2006
Human rights only become meaningful when they gain political content...they are rights that require active participation from those who hold them.
Lynn Hunt, human rights historian
No comments:
Post a Comment