The AWID International Forum took place in Bangkok, Thailand from December 2-5, 2024. Both a global community event and a space of radical personal transformation, the Forum brings together feminist, women’s rights, gender justice, 2SLBTQIA+ rights,…
Image: Real Humanitarian's February 2024 Expedition - volunteer doing face-painting with students This story is one of ACGC's five-part series on Albertans 'paying it forward' in their work to make the world a more just, fair, and sustainable place for…
Image: Pamir Canadian Multiculturalism Council cultural event This story is one of ACGC's five-part series on Albertans 'paying it forward' in their work to make the world a more just, fair, and sustainable place for all. This story centers around the…
Image: Nafasi Opportunity Society sewing program This story is one of ACGC's five-part series on Albertans 'paying it forward' in their work to make the world a more just, fair, and sustainable place for all. This story centers around the work of Nafasi…
Image: Dr. Love Nwigwe and dancers This story is one of ACGC's five-part series on Albertans 'paying it forward' in their work to make the world a more just, fair, and sustainable place for all. This story centers around the work of the International…
Image: Development and Peace - Caritas Canada Logo This story is one of ACGC's five-part series on Albertans 'paying it forward' in their work to make the world a more just, fair, and sustainable place for all. This story centers around the work of Development…
“Our freedom is non-negotiable. Our joy is non-negotiable.” - Adebayo Katiiti Image: Rarica Now logo ---- This is the final entry in ACGC’s series on Albertans combating gender inequality at home and around the world. Featured here is Adebayo Katiiti,…
Trigger warning: sexual assault, child sexual abuse “Only in supporting the voices and actions of survivors and impacted communities will real change take place.” - Alisa Tukkimaki As part of ACGC’s series on Albertans combatting gender inequality,…
“We are really heartened by the degree to which it’s obvious Canadians care about the fate of Afghans.” - Sarah Keeler This is the next story in the 5-part series detailing the work of Albertans on combating gender inequality both locally and internationally.…
“Religion has an important role to play in promoting and maintaining peace.” - Shaka Ceesay Image: Pictured above are participants sewing garments in FIIDI's Empowering Women through Lifelong Vocational Training project. ---- The next story in ACGC’s…
“We’re not the changemakers; we empower them.” - Wendy Fehr Image: CAUSE Canada's FIT-Funded project in Sierra Leone. Pictured above is Wendy with the project target community and local CAUSE Canada staff. ---- The first story in ACGC’s 5-part…
Background: Josephine Mary David moved to Calgary, Alberta from India in the summer of 2022 and, after a period of self-reflection, began focusing on her passions, specifically within the sector of international cooperation and development. Her search…
Meet Karla, Somtochukwu, and Favour! Over 10 days this spring, six youth participated in the 2023 Global Connect program, visiting several international cooperation and social justice organizations and gaining professional development experience. They…
Meet Esther, Precious, and Harveen! Over 10 days this spring, six youth participated in the 2023 Global Connect program, visiting several international cooperation and social justice organizations and gaining professional development experience. They…
Anna Ponce, Calgary high school Social Studies teacher Anne Ponce is a high school teacher based in Calgary, Alberta. For many years, Anna has participated in opportunities offered by ACGC for educators, including ACGC’s annual conference, teachers’…
Colleges and Institutes Canada’s (CICan) hybrid annual conference is the largest event of its kind in Canada, fostering connections between post-secondary institutions from across the country and around the world. Held in Halifax on 25-27 April 2022,…
For International Development Week, in partnership with the Alberta Council for Global Cooperation, Islamic Relief Canada shared a video message to highlight some key people in their community doing some inspirational work. This video is a message for…
Author: Amanda Warnock, ACT Alberta On November 22-23, 2021, representatives from ACT Alberta were fortunate to tune in to a high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the appraisal of the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking…
Stephanie Perrin (she/her) is a cisgender woman working at University of Calgary International in Mohkinstsis on Treaty 7 territory. Recently, I spoke about gender equality on a panel assessing the achievements and challenges of the United Nations Sustainable…
A world without period poverty and stigma is possible. The need hasn’t stopped during the pandemic, and neither can we. To achieve our joint goal by 2030, it’s time to step up action and investment in menstrual health and hygiene in Alberta and…
Mehnaz Rehmani and Avash Puri, Student Advocates for Public Health (SAPH) If you have ever been caught in a public washroom stall that had run out of toilet paper, you can relate to the urgent distress of not having an essential hygiene product, like…
CAUSE Canada CAUSE Canada supports girls in Sierra Leone to address their menstrual health needs so they can stay in school. At just fourteen years old, Amie* had already been pregnant and out of school for almost four years. Amie lives in Sierra Leone,…
Days for Girls Canada Stepping into a booth at a sewing and crafts show in Edmonton seven years ago, Louise Colonnier had no idea that a new chapter of her life was about to begin. She was at the exhibition as a member of the Edmonton Weavers’ Guild…
Ruth Pads The road to gender equality is fraught with obstacles, but on one such front, things are looking up. An innovative, sustainable menstrual health solution is coming soon, thanks to social entrepreneurs Nicole Sanchez and Anka Chan. Their new…
All Cycles Edmonton The past year has made the ubiquity of period poverty in Canada abundantly clear to people who had never experienced it before. It has also made the need more acute for those already besieged. Edmonton local Celena Campbell had…
Soroptimist International of Central Alberta “There should be free access to pads and tampons just the same way that we have free access to toilet paper in washrooms. It's just, it's needed. It's time.” -Sherri Smith, President of Soroptimist International…
Through providing training on making reusable menstrual pads (RUMPS), AIDS Education Group for Youth (AEGY), in Kamuli, Uganda, are helping to promote gender equality and access to education for girls. Through support from the Mennonite Central Committee,…
Since childhood, Glendy Paola Agustín Jiguan has been a defender of gender equality, human rights, and Mother Earth. Glendy’s activism stems from being a woman from a historically marginalized group – the Maya Mam of Guatemala. She is aware of the…
By day, Celeste Lampa is an Architectural Technologist. By night, she is a stand up comedian. Around the clock, she is a mom figuring out how to fit comedy into her very busy life. In December 2020, ACGC and the Global Education Program, University of…
I first learned of the International Youth Internship Summer 2018, when I served as a Social Media and Content Coordinator at the Alberta Council on Global Cooperation. Bow Valley College, an ACGC partner, is leading the initiative in Alberta. To endorse…
Blaire Koswin and Mahrukh Kaimkhani have been involved with ACGC's SDG Youth Hub and founded the Green Deer Sustainability Hub. Blaire and Mahrukh discuss the founding of Green Deer and the work they have undertaken to promote sustainable lifestyles…
CALGARY, AB - Ukraine joined countries around the world in implementing quarantine measures last spring to help combat the spread of COVID-19. As the days under quarantine increased, so did reports of gender-based violence. Alinea, an international development…
Albertans across the province are finally settling into our long-awaited and ever-fleeting summer. We are ever-so-carefully enjoying the services opening up, getting into nature, and building up our energy for what will inevitably be a challenging fall.…
Operation Eyesight has been working for the last 57 years with local government and partner hospitals to eliminate avoidable blindness. With COVID-19 spreading across the globe, Operation Eyesight quickly shifted their outreach activity to address these…
Listen to Story PlanNET is an international network of evaluation, training and performance management consultants that work to support organizations, such as Atzin Mexico, to improve livelihoods, protect the environment, and secure peaceful relationships.…
Since the 2015 earthquake, the people of Nepal are considerably vulnerable to disaster. With a population of nearly 30 million, Nepal is one of the least developed and most densely populated regions of the world. In the devastating Gorkha earthquake…
Medicine Hat-based organization, Canadian Humanitarian, has been working since 2003 towards breaking the cycle of poverty for children so that they can reach their full potential. They believe that by giving children opportunities to grow intellectually,…
Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan (CW4WAfghan) is working to develop adaptable COVID-19 responses that address both the immediate public health concerns arising from the virus spread, the associated social and economic impacts, and their links…
Team work to wash hands Change for Children works across Latin America and Africa to address the root causes of poverty and to find long-term solutions for sustainable development. In Bosawas, a biosphere reserve in the northern parts of Nicaragua,…
Since its inception in 2008, The Keiskamma Canada Foundation has partnered with the Keiskamma Trust, a grassroots organization in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. With support from Keiskamma Canada, The Keiskamma Trust continues its important work in…
The Sihle-Sizwe Vineyard Foundation aims to empower women and children in both Edmonton and Zimbabwe. In Edmonton, they focus on empowering immigrant youth through engagement in programs and education. Programs include youth mentorship, marimba classes…
This year marked the twenty- fifth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action which happened in 1995. This conference was very important for gender equality and empowerment…
Fafali Mawufor has been involved with ACGC's SDG Youth Hub, as well as Alcove, an organization focused on women's addiction recovery. Fafali tells the story of her involvement with Alcove and what she has learned about systemic barriers faced by women…
Story by Sean Sander During the summer of 2015, Lasha Zenashe and I, among other Albertan youth, were granted the opportunity to travel to rural South Africa to visit a village on the Eastern coast. The trip was organized by the Alberta Council for Global…
Consumers have been able to purchase vape products in Canada since 2004, so why are we just starting to see it as an issue now? It might be because previous to 2018, vape products sold in Canada were not legally allowed to contain nicotine. However,…
The heat. That was the first thing I noticed stepping into the New York summer haze. The heat was also tangible within the blocks of barricaded streets surrounding the United Nations Headquarters. Heat that hung in the air, not because of the sun or…
In 2016, the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights engaged in a collaborative pilot project with five schools in Edmonton called Advancing Reconciliation in Education. Students from grades 5 to 12 had the opportunity to learn from Indigenous…
Agrium is a major producer and marketer of agricultural products and services in North America, South America, Australia, and Egypt. Agrium supplies growers with key crop inputs and services used on more than 50 different crops around the world, helping…
Trouvant l’inspiration de « Sortons jouer dans la Nature », un plan d’action pour rapprocher les jeunes de la Nature au Canada par le Conseil canadien des parcs, Chúk Odenigbo et Samantha Matters ont fait équipe avec l’illustrateur Alex Kwizera…
Download PDF Ruth: Mama, I just can’t see the blackboard at school, and I already sit right in front of it. I’m 12 years old and still can’t read or write. Ruth’s thoughts: Teacher Elizabeth keeps saying I must repeat my classes and that…
Inspired by The Nature Playbook — a call to action created by The Canadian Parks Council that aims to connect young people with nature — Chúk Odenigbo and Samantha Matters have teamed up with illustrator Alex Kwizera to create The Forces of Nature:…
Abygail Berg, Melissa Bui and Christen Oakes are design students from the University of Alberta who for the past two years have been using design to understand and address the intersections of poverty and social inclusion in Edmonton. Contact Abygail,…
Marie-Audrey Girard is a Canadian lawyer working in the field of international law and human rights. She is currently working for the Transitional Justice Clinic of the Institute for International Criminal Investigations and has previously worked for…
Infrastructure is the backbone of our towns and cities. It is central to attracting investment and ensuring that existing businesses can grow and thrive. It helps ensure that communities are prepared to face challenges today and into the future. Above…
When I mention that I study Industrial Design, it’s often met with a “what does that entail?” kind of question. As I enter my final year at the University of Alberta, I’m starting to see how multifaceted a career in design can be. Recently, I…
Jamie Courtorielle has held all kinds of titles and resisted even more labels. When we first met in 2010 through our connections to iHuman Youth Society, he was using the arts, along with his undeniable wit and charisma, to raise awareness about issues…
Born in Managua, Nicaragua, Ricardo Miranda is a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta representing the electoral district of Calgary-Cross. In 2016, Miranda was appointed the Minister of Culture and Tourism. I chatted with Ricardo about the…
Download PDF Every proposal that comes across my desk, and every proposal that comes across the desk of our ministers and MLAs, has to meet a very specific test: it has to make life better for people. As we work to lead Alberta out of the recession,…
On a warm afternoon in the middle of May, employees of the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in Alberta and Saskatchewan were brainstorming ways to reduce their environmental impact. MCC is a global non-profit organization that supports relief, development,…
Artwork By Donald Alcindor, Djecelia Jean Baptiste, Michou Joissaint, Fedno Lubin, and Bruno Rene Haiti is home to an estimated 300,000 rest-avek children. Restavek, which literally means “stay with,” is a term that refers to poor, rural children…
Sombrilla International Development Society is an Alberta-based organization that partners with communities in Latin America to empower them to assert their democratic, economic, cultural, and social rights. See us on the Together Alberta Map Download…
A Poem by Nermeen YoussefIllustrated by Amanda Ozga Download High School Poetry Lesson Plan Download Poem...
My name is Mohsina. I was born into a middle-class family in Takhar Province, Afghanistan.When I was five years old, I was enrolled in a government school and, luckily, I was allowed to finish my primary education. Download PDF In Takhar, there are two…
Listen to Story PlanNET is an international network of evaluation, training and performance management consultants that work to support organizations, such as Atzin Mexico, to improve livelihoods, protect the environment, and secure peaceful relationships.…