Dreams on Rezwan’s boat school

SAMAD, 12

GOOD AT: Fishing.

FAVOURITE SUBJECT: Bangla and listening to stories like ‘The Elephant and the Fox’.

DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE: To be a policeman.

OMOR, 10

GOOD AT: Football! Messi is my idol.

FAVOURITE SUBJECT: BGS (Bangladesh & global studies), because we look at maps and learn about the world.

DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE: To be an engineer and build roads here in the village.

SIGMA, 13

GOOD AT: Various games.

FAVOURITE SUBJECT: Natural science, where I learn about animals, plants and the environment.

DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE: To be a doctor and help people living in poverty.

RASEL, 11

GOOD AT: Playing football. My favourite team is Argentina!

FAVOURITE SUBJECT: Natural science.

DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE: To own a large clothing factory.

SHIMLA, 15

GOOD AT: Cooking, particularly fish.

FAVOURITE SUBJECT: Bangla.

DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE: To be a doctor.

RATUL, 12

GOOD AT: Studying and doing my homework.

FAVOURITE SUBJECT: BGS (Bangladesh & global studies), where I learn about climate change.

DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE: To be a policeman.

KEYA, 13

GOOD AT: Dancing.

RIMA, 11

GOOD AT: Going to the best school in the world!

FAVOURITE SUBJECT: Bangla.

DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE: To become a doctor and treat everyone in the village for free.

FAVOURITE SUBJECT: Natural science, because we learn a lot about environmental issues.

DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE: To be like our teacher; she’s so good and I really like her!

Why is Cindy a nominee?

Cindy Blackstock has been nominated for her 30-year struggle for Indigenous children’s equal rights to good schools and health, to be with their families and feel pride in their language and culture.

The Challenge

Hundreds of thousands of Indigenous children in Canada are treated worse than other children due to their background. Indigenous peoples lived here for tens of thousands of years before European settlers arrived. For over 100 years, children were taken from their families to schools where they would be forced to forget their language and their culture. Many became ill, and thousands of children died. To this day, Indigenous families are split up, and the children are poorer, have worse schools and health care.

The Work

Cindy works tirelessly to combat discrimination against Indigenous children, raise awareness and pursue legal cases. Indigenous children and other Canadian children write letters to the government and demonstrate for children’s rights. Cindy faces government opposition, but she will never give up.

Results And Vision

Cindy has helped ensure that 165,000 First Nations children get better schools and other resources needed for a secure childhood. Other Indigenous children have also seen their rights strengthened. The government has apologised and must give Indigenous children everything they need to thrive. Together with elders, leaders and young people, Cindy and her organization continue to fight for children’s rights.