Be Part of Something Big: Giving Tuesday - December 1, 2020

Giving Tuesday was added to the calendar in 2012, as a global day of giving that falls annually after Black Friday and Cyber Monday. GIV3 and CanadaHelps are co-founders of Giving Tuesday in Canada.  You’re probably already aware of making donations to charities through Canada Helps which offers a very convenient platform to link donors with registered Canadian charities.  This registered charity’s goal of increasing the level of charitable giving has borne great success. However, are you familiar with GIV3 and the story behind it? I wasn’t so I turned once again to my research assistant, Google.

As GIV3’s website indicates, “GIV3 is a privately registered Canadian charity which does not solicit donations from Canadians but it encourages everyone to be more giving through volunteering and donating to registered charities of their choice. The GIV3 movement stands on three pillars: Giving, Inspiring others, and Volunteering. Its mission is to engage Canadian charities and the public in activities to encourage these pillars. Watch this 2-minute video to learn how one granny’s birthday gift started a movement and inspired a generation to care, connect, and contribute to their communities.

Retailers bombard shoppers with bargains available on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Similarly, as Giving Tuesday approaches, an increasing number of social agencies also request your contributions to support your neighbor. You have the pleas of Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday all competing for your dollars. The first two designated days encourage shopping while the third option suggests donating to a charity of your choice. Giving Tuesday encourages a donation of time, resources and talents to address community needs.

Giving Tuesday has already proved increasingly successful since its inception in 2012. Canada Helps announced that more than $21.9 M was donated to charities on Giving Tuesday last year. However, this year the COVID Crisis is upping the need for generous donors. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, charities are facing increased demands for their services while finding their resources dwindling and their usual fundraising activities curtailed or cancelled.

You can make a much-needed difference. Celebrate Giving Tuesday. Contribute to a charity of your choice and be part of something big!   -Sister Nancy Wales, csj

Indspire Awards:Celebrating Indigenous Achievement

Canada’s National Indigenous Peoples Day, formerly called National Aboriginal Day, is held annually on June 21 to celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures, and outstanding achievements of the nation’s Aboriginal peoples.  www.timeanddate.com/holidays/canada/national-aboriginal-day

The 2020 Indspire Awards ceremony, filmed earlier in Ottawa at the Ontario National Arts Centre will be broadcast on APTN, CBC, CBC Radio, and CBC GEM on Sunday, June 21, 2020, at 8:00 pm / 8:30 pm NT. Celebrating its 27th year, the Indspire Awards continues to bestow the highest honour on Indigenous Peoples. Over the years, 373 First Nations, Inuit, and Metis have been recognized for their outstanding achievements.

Eleven awards of the 2020 recipients have made significant contributions in the fields of education, art, culture, business, health, law, sports, and public service within Canadian society. These honourees exemplify Indigenous excellence. Their personal stories and careers inspire, uplift, and educate us about the tremendous contributions Indigenous people make to our country.

Three Youth Award winners are also being honoured for their accomplishments, serving as role models to other First Nations, Inuit, and Métis youth in their communities and across Canada. 

Jeanette Corbiere is the recipient of this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award. For more than fifty years, she has championed causes that have resonated across Canada and beyond.  She lost her Indigenous status according to Section 12 of the Indian Act when she married her non-Indigenous husband in 1970.  She challenged this decision at the Supreme Court of Canada in 1973 under the reasoning that it discriminated by gender.  Although unsuccessful, her action led the way for subsequent challenges and was finally overturned in 1985.

“In all they do, these individuals are deeply inspirational, and as leaders in their respective fields, they are motivating young Indigenous people to strive for success.” Roberta Jamieson, President, and CEO of Indspire and Executive Producer of the Indspire Awards. 

From past experience, Sunday’s programming promises to be a celebration of culture showcasing the diversity of Indigenous peoples in Canada including performances by Canada’s biggest names in Indigenous entertainment.

Each of us has the opportunity to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day by tuning in to the 2020 Indspire Awards (APTN, CBC, CBC Radio and CBC GEM). We will witness the superb contributions that Indigenous people are making across our country. https://indspire.ca/events/indspire-awards

- Submitted by Sister Nancy Wales, csj

Blue Community Update

EARTH DAY EVENTS

Earthrise Screening Party with Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee

“Earthrise" tells the story of the first image captured of the Earth from space in 1968. This iconic image had a powerful impact on the Apollo 8 astronauts and the world. Told 50 years later, "Earthrise" compels us to remember this shift and to reflect on the Earth as a shared home. There will be time after the screening for a live discussion with Emmanuel and a moderated Q&A with the audience.

When: Apr 22, 2020 3:00 PM

Register: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HyUfD50sQ_CUbycTEw6bwQ

New 90 minute film: OUR WATER

Four friends kayaked around Lake Superior to help raise awareness of the pristine waters and landscapes they behold. Sharing stories and values of what makes our backyard to important to us and those that live with it. Ryan Busch will be live on Facebook to answer questions.

When: April 22, 2020 from 7:00-8:30 pm EST Watch the film and engage with the makers at: https://www.fourthewater.com/

ENCOURAGING NEWS

Council of Canadians Announcement In an email from Vi Bui (Blue Communities Coordinator for the Council of Canadians) announced:

I’m writing today to bring to you some good news. A few weeks ago, Vancouver City Council voted to become the second largest Blue Community in Canada… That means that one in four residents in British Columbia live in a community that has committed to protecting water as a human right, banning bottled water, and saying no to privatization of water and wastewater services.

See more here.

When youth carry the weight of the world

These young activists have proven to their communities and the world that there is no time like the present to make a change.

• 11 year-old Stella Bowles wanted to swim in the river near her home in Bridgewater, N.S. but it was contaminated. She took action. After a couple months, Bridgewater officials announced they would be funding $15.7-million to clean the rivers and remove the 600 straight pipes that were contaminating the waters.

• In her final year of high school, Emma-Jane Burian from Burnaby, B.C. plans climate justice strikes on the first Friday of every month.

• Known as a water protector, Makaśa Looking Horse is from Six Nations of the Grand River Territory and fights for water rights – especially against Nestlé’s bottled water permits.

  Read the full story

Watch on Netflix/In the News

• Canadian actor Ellen Page brings attention to the injustices and injuries caused by environmental racism in her home province, in this urgent documentary on Indigenous and African Nova Scotian women fighting to protect their communities, their land, and their futures. From the TIFF website.

• The CSJ Blue Community project sponsored the documentary, There’s Something in the Water, for a Peterborough community screening. Now you can watch it on Netflix whenever you like.

• In related news, this CBC article updates us about the recent closure of a mill that polluted Pictou Landing for decades. This story is featured in the above documentary There’s Something in the Water. Read the full story

• While not specific to water issues, the privatization of long-term health care has dire consequences for the quality of care for society’s most vulnerable. Read the full story that is also playing out across Canada during this COVID-19 virus crisis.

PROJECT UPDATES

Public Health & the Right to Clean Water – a new blog post. The recent spread of COVID-19 across the world shows the gaps in our collective preparedness and many systemic and social inequalities. For instance, how do people wash and disinfect their hands without access to clean and affordable water? Read more