Message from the Founders
o u r
2017 was a year of powerful partnerships.
opportunities for impact. Over the coming
launching in January will offer more than 1,000
Connected North expanded to serve Indigenous
decade,
Sustainable
grants to support youth on their journeys from
students at more than 30 schools in Canada’s
Development Goals will guide much of the
being inspired, getting informed, and becoming
remote north. Youth for Change launched a
world’s focus on reducing inequality and
role models through their active involvement.
5th year of support for Arab innovators. The
fostering peace and inclusion. While the
Explore150
showcased
political leaders of the day may slow progress
emerging artists and wishes for Canada’s
in one country or region, we know that young
next 150 years. And schools around the world
leaders will increasingly leverage their influence
participated in #Decarbonize, reflecting on the
and innovative ideas to overcome barriers and
impact of Climate Change in their communities
spark momentum. As we embark on a new year
and bringing their calls for action to the United
of programming, we’re particularly excited to
Nations climate summit in Bonn, Germany.
be able to bring financial resources to under-
#Wish150
project
Over the last 18 years, we’ve evolved our programming
nationally
and
globally
to
responding to the changing nature of youth engagement and the pressing issues and
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the
United
Nations
v i s i o n :
As we think back to our founding in 1999, we remember how powerful it was to have our first successful grant application approved, and we look forward to unleashing that uplifting momentum for many others in the year ahead.
represented youth who need them the most. The Samuel Connected North Youth Leadership Fund is supporting youth ambitions in Canada’s most remote communities, and a new initiative
Jennifer Corriero Executive Director
Michael Furdyk Director of Innovation
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We reflected on the stories of young people working to create change in their communities. In December of 2017 at TIFF Bell Lightbox we held the first screening of Rising Voices, a documentary film capturing stories of change across Canada. In 2018, our plan is to share the film with audiences around the world and welcome interest in holding screenings in communities and schools. Interested in hosting a screening in your school or community? Get in touch! We’d love to collaborate with you to spark dialogue and action towards a better world!
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We offered high definition video conferencing experiences for Indigenous students in remote Canadian communities. We are grateful to the additional commitments of support from the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation and the Governments of Canada, Nunavut and Ontario to support expansion of Connected North programming. Our team continues to grow with new offices in Saskatoon, Yellowknife, Whitehorse, Vancouver and Montreal bringing us closer to the communities we serve. We also worked to support the Winnipeg Art Gallery, Vancouver Aquarium, and Art Gallery of Ontario as content partners, and are grateful to the RBC Foundation and Scotiabank for their renewed support.
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YOUTH LEADERSHIP FUND
We invested in the ideas and learning opportunities of young Indigenous leaders through the new Samuel Connected North Youth Leadership Fund. The fund supports community projects, travel, learning experiences, and cultural content production across Canada, and made nearly 50 grants between $500 and $2,500 in 2017.
H T T P : // W W W . C O N N E C T E D N O R T H . O R G
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We imagined and creatively expressed visions for the future as part of Canada’s 150th anniversary of confederation. Our Explore150 initiative held #Wish150 events in every province and territory, bringing together artists to share diverse stories and collecting wishes for a more inclusive future. The platform’s data is now available as Open Data to promote natural, cultural, and historic exploration. In 2018, we’ll build on this work to launch a new interactive portal aimed at increasing understanding of Indigenous communities, traditional territories, and treaties in partnership with Canadian Roots Exchange and Bold Realities.
H T T P : // W W W . W I S H 1 5 0 . C A
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We furthered collaboration with Adobe around their Project 1324 community, recruiting and engaging youth advisors from New Zealand, Brazil, Bonaire, Germany, Sri Lanka, and South Africa in thinking about the future of creatives, and hosting a project co-design summit alongside TEDxTeen in New York City.
H T T P : // P R O J E C T 1 3 2 4 . C O M
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We amplified student voice on climate policy. At COP23 in Bonn, students and educators who participated in the #Decarbonize collaboration came together and shared their work on their world stage. They were called upon by UNESCO, Greenpeace and UNFCCC to share perspectives and calls to action, and brought their learning to life - the city even took art from the Global Gallery collection onto busses and signs to drive public engagement in the deliberations. Our partnership with the Centre for Global Education continues to grow with many Global Encounters in store for the coming months.
H T T P : // D E C A R B O N I Z E . M E
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We worked to understand how to support youth employment in unique contexts. We are part of coalitions led by Education Development Center working to strengthen youth employment in Rwanda and Djibouti, and our team conducted site visits to both countries to ensure a deep understanding of needs. Working closely with coalition partner Souktel, 2018 will see the launch of unique digital offerings to meet local needs supported by strong teams of implementing partners on the ground in each country.
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We spotlighted the implications of climate change on communities. We supported the development of Sila and the Land, our first children’s book written by three young Indigenous authors about the importance of the land and our responsibility to protect it for future generations. With GreenLearning Canada’s Climate Action 150 program, we facilitated Climate Change in My Backyard, helping students across the country learn from Indigenous youth about the importance of protecting our shared environment.
H T T P : // W W W . C L I M A T E A C T I O N 1 5 0 . C A
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We expanded Education for Social Innovation to bring real-world issues into classrooms across the globe. We supported professional learning in 7 European countries, 6 Ontario districts, and 12 US States, presenting outcomes at a plenary session during the International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement.
H T T P : // W W W .T I G E D . O R G
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We explored new ideas to protect the world’s oceans and marine habitats. Through our growing partnership with Ocean Wise, we led The Great Ocean Hackathon in August at the Vancouver Aquarium and the Microsoft Garage, engaging 20 youth in developing innovative approaches to tackling some of the biggest challenges facing Oceans and waterways.
H T T P : // B R I D G E . O C E A N . O R G
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We linked schools across Canada to celebrate Global Dignity Day. Students heard stories from young innovators and activists, and a traditional song and mural from GhÚch Tlâ Community School in Carcross/Tagish First Nation. Partners included Right to Play, the Centre for Global Education, YMCA Canada, and Canadian Commission for UNESCO.
H T T P : // G L O B A L D I G N I T Y. C A
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Special thanks to our friends and partners at Cisco, who have gone above and beyond in 2017 to grow support for Connected North programming. Their Next 150 initiative is working to raise $150,000 in support of this goal, and there’s still time to contribute!
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We deepened the impact of our Sprout Ideas Camps through the launch of a new Sprout Fellowship supported by Ontario’s Ministry of Economic Development. 25 fellows were recruited and provided with micro-financing, a month of in-depth support and workspace through our collaboration with IDRC at OCAD University, and capacity building over a six month fellowship period from Deloitte employee volunteers and other experts in the field.
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We evolved our Sprout Ideas Camp model to support action on the Sustainable Development Goals in a variety of contexts. At the International School of Brussels, we designed and led a 3-day version as part of their Learning by Design Summit. Here in Ontario, we offered one day “Bootcamps” to introduce young people to the design thinking process and spark further collaboration. In 2018, we’ll be partnering with organizations to support youth in designing their ideas for community impact and offering over 1,000 mini-grants to make their projects a reality!
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We grew employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for sustainable youth livelihoods through EQWIP HUBs. Our digital learning platform serves thousands of learners across the program operations in Tanzania, Indonesia, Ghana, Peru, Bolivia and Senegal, and unique tools like a multilingual discussion board and digital badges help to encourage and recognize community participation. Led by our partners Canada World Youth and Youth Challenge International, EQWIP HUBs is now recruiting the next cohorts of Canadian volunteers to support this important work!
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We supported youth as they develop ICT-based social innovations across the Arab world. This year marked the 5th phase of collaboration with the Library of Alexandria. Youth for Change offered individuals from 10 Arab countries with the opportunity to expand their ideas to address community issues relating to education, the environment, and employment.
H T T P : // W W W . B I B A L E X . O R G / Y F C
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We hosted SHAPE North America 2017 as one of several organizing partners, with the Toronto Hub of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community. Over 200 young leaders from across the globe gathered in Ottawa and Toronto to discuss inclusive growth, and were greeted by Prime Minister Trudeau.
H T T P : // W W W . G L O B A L S H A P E R S . O R G
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We participated in Youth Leadership and Social Change, a SauvĂŠ Series lecture with the Samuel Centre for Social Connectedness. This discussion moderated by Kim Samuel brought together Kluane Adamek, Sabrina Sassi, and Jennifer Corriero sharing stories of change and lessons learned for future initiatives.
H T T P : // S O C I A L C O N N E C T E D N E S S . O R G
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