And The Winners Were... The Canadian Race Relations Foundation Announces The Winners Of The 2001 Awards Of Excellence. By Canscene Winners of the 2001 Awards of Excellence shared $20,000 in prize money for their innovation and excellence in race relations, it was announced at the Canadian Race Relations Foundation's (CRRF) biennial Award of Excellence ceremony in Vancouver last month. Awards were given to Ville de Saint-Laurent (Quebec), Young People's Press (Ontario); and Students And Teachers Opposing Prejudice (S.T.O.P.) Program, Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School (Alberta). The presentation to the winners was made by The Honourable Lincoln Alexander, Chair of CRRF. who said: "This is a group of outstanding individuals who daily demonstrate their commitment to establishing equity for all citizens of this country," said the former Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. He called on Canadians to be "more vigilant to uphold our collective values of human rights and equality." While he called the state of racism in Canada "unsettling", Alexander reflected on the breadth and quality of the Award of Excellence nominees and the positive impact their organizations have made in communities across the country. From the first award in 1999 to this second award, nominations nearly doubled from 40 to 78 organizations. And the winners were...... The top prize of $10,000 and the Award of Excellence trophy was presented to Ville de Saint-Laurent. In responding to the changing face of its community - from predominately French and English to a populace of nearly 50% newcomers from countries around the world -the City undertook an ambitious project to develop and implement a city-wide inter-cultural policy. Within one year of the project launch in 2000, the goal of restoring people's confidence in living in harmony without losing their identity was well on its way. Ville de Saint-Laurent has adopted a city slogan which exemplifies its commitment and achievement - "In Saint-Laurent, we proudly display our intercultural colours." The town will invest the money back into the community by increasing financial assistance to organizations which foster positive race relations. The Award of Distinction went to the runners-up -- Red Deer, Alberta's Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School program, S.T.O.P. (Students And Teachers Opposing Prejudice), and Toronto-based Young People's Press, a national, non-profit news agency for youth, by youth. The Award of Distinction winners each receive $5,000 in prize money. S.T.O.P. combats all forms of discrimination in the school through student-initiated programs. Founded in 1987, the S.T.O.P. program plays an invaluable role both in reducing racial tensions in their school and in keeping race relations in the forefront of young people's minds around the province. S.T.O.P. was named "Freedom Fighter of the Month" last year by the California band "Rage Against the Machine," prompting inquiries from students around the world. STOP plans to invest the prize money in establishing a designated space in the soon-to-be renovated school. It will serve as a welcoming environment to share ideas regarding cultural, social and political issues. Young People's Press was created in 1995 in response to a lack of media outlets for young people aged 14-24. Since then, its stories have been published in more than 200 newspapers across Canada. At least 50% of the youth involved are Aboriginal or members of the racial minorities. In addition to the news agency service, YPP also has an electronic magazine called Equality Today. Its series of Writers Circles to train youth writers is currently taking place across the country. Several of the youth writers from YPP have gone on to gainful employment in the media. YPP plans to use the CRRF Award of Distinction prize money to develop further issues of Equality Today. The Canadian Race Relations Foundation (www.crr.ca) was founded as part of the Japanese Canadian Redress Agreement and opened its doors in November 1997. It operates at arm's length from the federal government and works at the forefront of efforts to combat racism and all forms of racial discrimination in Canada. Republished from Canscene: A free Canadian news and information service to help citizens understand multiculturalism in Canada. www.members.home.net/canscene/ This website: Copyright © 2000 Studio Q Int'l Inc / Urban Mozaik Magazine. All rights reserved. This website/publication, in whole or in part, may not be reproduced without written permission from the publisher or the previous publisher of original republished materials.