During the month of May, we acknowledge the long and rich history of Asian Canadians and their contributions to Canada.
Many Saskatchewan residents are of Asian heritage including, but not limited to Afghani, Bangladeshi, Chinese, Indian, Iranian, Iraqi, Japanese, Karen, Korean, Laotian, Nepalese, Pakistani, Filipino, and Vietnamese. Canadaâs cultural diversity strengthens the country socially, politically and economically in innumerable ways.
Asian Heritage Month is an ideal occasion for all to celebrate the rich values, beliefs and cultural expressions of various Asian cultures.
March 21 Campaign –Â Racism: Recognize it. Reject it! #MarchOutRacism
March 21 Background
March 21: International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
March 21 is designated by the United Nations (UN) as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Itâs a day observed all around the world to focus attention on the problems of racism and the need to promote racial harmony. The UN made this designation in 1966 to mark a tragic event that took place on March 21, 1960 in Sharpeville, South Africa when 69 peaceful demonstrators were killed during a protest against apartheid. Learn more about March 21
March 21 Campaign
Racism: Recognize it. Reject it!
#MarchOutRacism
Download the free Activity Kit
MCoS is running a provincial educational anti-racism campaign linked to the activity kit we created that features content about how to recognize and reject racism. We have also launched a social media campaign to accompany this campaign using #MarchOutRacism.
During March we invite members, partners, schools, workplaces, faith groups and the public to use the activity kit in creative ways and record the event with photos and video and post to social media using #MarchOutRacism. Learn about March 21 Campaign and Activity Kit
March 21 Events
Join events taking place around Saskatchewan focused on the recognition and elimination of racial discrimination. March 21 Events
Register for 2019 FREE ArrĂȘt/Stop Racism Facilitator Training and WorkshopsÂ
2019 ArrĂȘt/Stop Racism Facilitator Training
In order to have facilitators for the anti-racism youth leadership workshops, MCoS is offering anti-racism facilitator training.
All workshops are FREE and from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Yorkton
Society for the Involvement of Good Neighbors (SIGN), SIIT Classroom, 345 Broadway Street W. Yorkton, SK
February 6, 2019 and Registration by January 31, 2019
Swift Current
Lyric Theater 227 Central Avenue North Swift Current, SKÂ
March 6, 2019 and Registration by February 27, 2019
North Battleford
Don Ross Community Centre, 891- 99th St, North Battleford SK (Building entrance door #4)Â
March 20, 2019 and Registration by March 13, 2019
The Multicultural Council of Saskatchewan (MCoS) is offering an opportunity for high school students to participate in an anti-racism leadership workshop.
All workshops are FREE and from 9:00 a.m. â 3:00 p.m.
Fort Qu’Appelle
Treaty Four Governance Centre, Teepee â Â 740 Sioux Avenue South, Fort QuâAppelle, SK
February 7 and Registration by January 31, 2019
Swift Current
Swift Current Comprehensive High School, 1100-11th Ave NE, Swift Current, SK
March 7, 2019 and Registration by February 27, 2019
North Battleford
Don Ross Community Centre, 891- 99th St, North Battleford SK (Building entrance door #4)Â
March 21. 2019 and Registration by March 13, 2019
00brandonwu@me.comhttps://mcos.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/mcos_official_logo_dark.pngbrandonwu@me.com2019-01-11 16:40:472019-01-11 16:40:47Register for 2019 FREE ArrĂȘt/Stop Racism Facilitator Training and Workshops
The MCoS recognition committee, comprised of board and community members, assesses all nominees on their contributions to multiculturalism in Saskatchewan through all five streams of multicultural work â Cultural Continuity, Celebration of Diversity, Anti-Racism, Intercultural Connections, and Integration – and decides the recipients. Â
The Saskatchewan Government and General Employeesâ Union (SGEU) once again partnered with the Multicultural Council of Saskatchewan to sponsor the Multicultural Youth Leadership Award. SGEU President, Bob Bymoen, brought remarks and introduced the award. Â
This yearâs Multicultural Youth Leadership Award nominees are Nour Albaradan who stands out for her strong and effective involvement in school in the short time she has been in Canada, and Jiazhi Ding who is an International student at the University of Saskatchewan. He has stood up for the rights of Falun Gong and Black Lives Matter, as well as supported newcomers. Â
The recipient of the 2018 Multicultural Youth Leadership Award is Nour Albaradan. She received an award of $500 from MCoS and SGEU.Â
Nour has used her experience, voice, and passion to contribute meaningfully to the recognition and celebration of multiculturalism in Saskatchewan. Nour is proud of her Syrian heritage, so she is happy to share her culture, language, delicious food, and refugee experiences with others. Nour is always willing to let her voice be heard for equity and against discrimination, which requires extra practice in her new language. Her willingness to share her story and experiences in order to foster deeper learning and true understanding makes her an intercultural role model. Nour was part of Sheldonâs first Mindful Creative Writing class, where her openness and dedication to understanding, created an environment of inclusion that allowed other students to learn from her story and become confident in sharing their own stories. Nourâs contributions to her new Canadian home have been truly astounding! She uses her powerful voice to create awareness and connection. She is a multicultural superhero who does not allow anything to stop her. (Read: Nour Albaradan Full Bio)
Muna De Ciman, MCoS Director and Chair of the Recognition Committee, introduced the Betty Szuchewycz Award. In partnership with the Saskatchewan Government Employeesâ Union, Muna presented the nominees and recipient of the 2018 Betty Szuchewycz Award.  Â
The committee received four Betty Szuchewycz Award nominees. Barb Dedi stands out for her extensive local work with individuals and groups to bridge gaps between communities. Hasanthi Galhenage is the director of the Cathedral Area Co-operative Daycare. She uses her leadership role to cultivate a learning environment that celebrates commonalities and differences. Paul Kardynal has been a champion for new immigrants to Canada and Ukrainian Canadians in the Battlefords and northwest Saskatchewan for over 30 years. Yaseen Khan is very committed to taking initiatives to create awareness of cultural diversity in the workplace. He has shown leadership in accommodating multifaith practices at SaskTel. Â
The 2018 Betty Szuchewycz Award recipient is Barb Dedi. She selected Spring Free From Racism for a donation of $500 from MCoS and SGEU.
Barb demonstrates her life-long commitment to multiculturalism in Saskatchewan through extensive local work with individuals, groups and organizations in Regina, as well as involvement with provincial, national and international organizations focusing on human rights, employment equity, labour, racism, and psychiatry issues. Barb is a cultural continuity role model as she promotes ethnocultural organizations to strengthen the diversity in Regina and Canada. Barbâs dedication to recognizing and rejecting racism are readily evident. She is the President of Spring Free From Racism Saskatchewan Association on Human Rights Inc. and has been active in this provincial organization for close to 40 years of its 50-year history. Barbâs life is a story of intercultural connections; she welcomes and creates opportunities for people to share their story, their journey and their intercultural experiences. She supports organizations to develop a deeper understanding of what cultural diversity means and to create a respectful and fair community where everyone is welcome. As a force for integration, ensuring all people are seen as contributors, Barb has been an activist in the labour movement and political realm for human rights, equity and womenâs committees. Barbâs impressive work has been noted with awards and nominations, including the Saskatchewan Volunteer Medal, SGEU and YWCA. Through her forty years of leadership, she has fostered new leaders who take significant roles in their own ethnocultural communities, lead workshops, coordinate pavilions to celebrate their culture and our diversity, and address racism and discrimination. (Read: Barb Dedi Full Bio)Â
Celebrate Saskatchewan Multicultural WeekÂ
We celebrate Saskatchewan Multicultural Week to recognize that in 1974, Saskatchewan was the first province to enact multiculturalism legislation. Responsibility for the Act resides with the Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport.  Learn more & view the Act: http://mcos.ca/saskatchewan-multicultural-week/ Â
We also celebrate through the campaign: Who’s Your Multicultural Superhero? Tell us and Celebrate Saskatchewan Multicultural Week all November. Use #MulticulturalSuperhero on social media. This campaign outlines successful examples of leaders being able to inspire others through their values, beliefs and actions. Learn more about the campaign: http://mcos.ca/multiculturalsuperhero
Current status: Open (closes December 9, 2018)
Department of Canadian Heritage
This engagement on anti-racism is open to all Canadians and we want to hear from you! We invite you to lend your voice, views and experiences. Your input is essential to ensure our work to address racism reflects your experiences and your suggestions.
A new national anti-racism strategyRacism divides communities, breeds fear and fuels animosity. Addressing racism and discrimination is a longstanding commitment of Canadians who see our countryâs diversity as a source of strength. Canada is strong, not in spite of our differences, but because of them. Unfortunately, Canada is not immune to racism and discrimination â challenges remain when it comes to fully embracing diversity, openness and cooperation.
It is vital that Canada stands up to discrimination perpetrated against any individual or group of people on the basis of their religion and/or ethnicity and this is why the Government of Canada has committed to engage the public on a new federal anti-racism strategy. We are exploring racism as it relates to employment and income supports, social participation (for example, access to arts, sport and leisure) and justice. We are asking people across the country to inform this new strategy in meaningful, relevant, and solutions-focused discussions based on these topics.
Notice
These pages contain references to racism and discrimination, including online survey questions designed to collect personal experiences and beliefs on a voluntary basis. Materials may bring up past experiences of discomfort, anxiety, and/or trauma. Please engage with this content only when you feel prepared.
If you feel you have experienced discrimination or harassment based on one or more of the grounds protected under the Canadian Human Rights Act â including race, national or ethnic origin, colour and religion â you may be able to file a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission.
In-person sessions are also being held with community members, leaders, experts (particularly those with lived experience), academics, and stakeholders across Canada. These meetings will not be open to the public in order to ensure that participants are able to have focused, meaningful and safe conversations on subjects that, for many, include reflecting on harmful experiences.
Thank you for your interest. We look forward to your contribution.
Who can participate
Weâre interested in hearing from all Canadians, especially those who have direct experience with racism and discrimination and those who offer intersectional perspectives.
Key themes for discussion
To focus on those issues where racism and discrimination most directly touch peopleâs lives, as well as those policy areas that most closely overlap with the Government of Canadaâs jurisdiction, the following themes will guide the engagement:
Employment and income supports
Social participation (for example, sport, art, leisure)
Apply for the Multicultural Education Initiatives (MEI) Grant
Deadline is October 31, 2018
MCoS offers $200 â $400 Multicultural Education Initiative (MEI) grants to schools and school boards in Saskatchewan to benefit students through classroom and professional development projects that support anti-racism, reconciliation, diversity and cultural education outcomes and promote the understanding, respect, appreciation, acceptance and celebration of all people as equally valuable in our society. We support 25 to 50 educational projects each year. Learn more and apply:Â http://mcos.ca/multicultural-education-initiatives/
00brandonwu@me.comhttps://mcos.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/mcos_official_logo_dark.pngbrandonwu@me.com2018-09-04 11:03:182018-09-04 11:03:18Need some funding for your multicultural project or event?
2022 Multifaith Calendar now available for purchase!
The 2022 MFC marks the 36th year of publication and features the theme:âŻResilience. In this 2022 Multifaith Calendar, we celebrateâŻRESILIENCEâŻand the hope that keeps us afloat, even during the most difficult times.Â
Here are just some of the benefits and uses of Multifaith Calendars:
A source of accurate dates and descriptions of approx 430 events, including observances from 14 world religions.
An excellent fundraising vehicle for all organizations, including non-profit/charitable groups.
Bulk order discounts and wholesale opportunities available.
Valuable tool for human resource professionals in diverse workplaces to keep themselves aware of holiday observances of staff from different faith communities.
Makes an attractive gift for clients and for staffâa gift that reinforces your companyâs commitment to diversity.
00brandonwu@me.comhttps://mcos.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/mcos_official_logo_dark.pngbrandonwu@me.com2018-08-16 15:58:452021-09-16 13:04:382022 Multifaith Calendar now available for purchase!
Cultural collaborations through mindful creative writing course
âWe live in a world that is divided. We build judgements and create stereotypes about people we do not know. Even though we often live, work and learn beside each other – we do not really know each other. When we know each other and really listen to each otherâs stories or experience, we can then come to learn from each other,â explains educator Kyla McIntyre, laying down the reasoning for the Sheldon-Williams Collegiate Mindful Creative Writing course, designed to shift this narrative.
There are 14 students in this class. They come from many different cultures and languages. Some are newcomers and some are born in Canada. Some speak fluent English and others are just
Sheldon-Williams Collegiate Mindful Creative Writing Course. Student and Poet Mays Al Jamous shares her work with the class.
beginning. This course actively encourages students of different backgrounds to come together to share their stories of experience with each other. One of the main goals of this course is to support belonging and inclusion, facilitating intercultural connections. Throughout this course, students learned about their own stories and were given tools to share them with others. Instead of learning about culture and diversity from books and the internet, students learn from each other and create relationships. The process of creative writing and practicing mindfulness each day forms a community of learners.
A Multicultural Education Initiatives grant from MCoS partially supports spoken word artist Cat Abenstein to work with this class. She is a weekly presence and supports students through all phases of their writing from drafting, editing, sharing and even performing in front of the school. Cat uses her professional artist experience to support students to truly find and share their voices.
Grade 11 student, Amie LeGrand, reflects upon the impact of the mindful creative writing course: âIn creative writing, we talk about the culture of everyone in the class and get to know each other and what they have experienced. We talk about the uncomfortable topics and write about them in poems, songs and speeches – this opens our minds. The work that I have seen from my classmates is astounding. To have such students at Sheldon just shows how multicultural we are as a school and that we are more unified than we realize… Iâve learned that fear or uncertainty creates prejudice and this leads to the act of discrimination, by learning about each other this is where we can end discrimination.â
During the schoolâs March 21 celebration, students share the work they have created in class and this ripples through the school community to create true inclusion and belonging. Students have an opportunity to hear stories of experience from cultures they likely would not otherwise hear. These students also share their work at a school celebration attended by over 500 students. The media is invited to this event as well and then their stories are shared worldwide. Some of the poems were recorded for CBC and then played over the radio. In addition, many students have shared work created in this class at other events such as reconciliation events, a Settlement Support Workers in Schools (SSWIS) conference and an English as an Additional Language (EAL) teacherâs conference. In addition, in 2017, the students published a book with Saskatchewan Council for International Cooperation (SCIC) – so the work that is developed in the course becomes part of the community.
Student Poetry
Sheldon-Williams Collegiate – Mindful Creative Writing Course Poets featured below. L-R: Amie LeGrand, Mays Al Jamous and Sunny Sun.
Do you want to know Mays Al Jamous? By Amie LeGrand
What should I tell you about her?
The girl who has beautiful almond skin?
How would I describe her?
Would you like to get to know her?
Her kindness is known and shared to all
With her smile that makes everyone’s heart bounce with joy and delight.
She has bravery in her.
She may be soft spoken but what lays within her is a dangerous fire.
She has seen death by gunfire when people tried to hide and take cover.
She heard bombs and high-pitched screams when air fleets targeted her home streets.
Her experience and story of her life there has wise words with a ray of light for guidance and hope.
She now lives in Canada, eh!
With Saskatchewan’s flat grounds and minus fifty below weather.
Does she truly love the snowy weather?
Who the hell knows.
She will always miss Syria
Memories filled with love
She dreams of her bright future with a medical degree
And her children playing by her family tree Now that her country is now free
Now that I’ve told you about her
Would you like to know more
From the one, the only, Mays Al Jamous?
Being a Refugee
By Mays Al Jamous
Every person has a different experience
I can only share my experience
I am from Syria
I am a refugee
Refugees are
People who leave their countries
People who don’t have homes
People who face difficult choices
Refugees feel
Frightened
Confused
Lonely
Refugees hope
People will understand their feelings
People will not judge them at first sight
People will treat them like human beings
This refugee has
Dreams and hopes like you do
Feelings and heart like you do
Family and friends like you do
This refugee wishes
There would be no racism
There would be no discrimination
There would be no hate
This refugee is asking you to
Be Understanding
Be Unafraid
Be Loving
Every person has a different experience
I shared my experience
I am Mays from Syria
I am a strong refugee
Newcomer Issues
By: Sunny Sun
Many people have asked me the same question
What is it like to be a newcomer?
This is an ordinary question, however, itâs complicated to answer
Canada is a wonderful place
Multiple cultures make Canada more attractive
However, there will always be some issues and challenges in our lives
I believe newcomers to Canada will be perplexed by plentiful issues
In the first few days, weeks, months, even years
Everyone gets shocked by things that are new to them
Our worldview collapses and shatters into pieces
We learn new social contracts
Things that we were familiar with are gone
New paradigms are formed
Ideologies that we were taught get inverted
Things that were right, now become wrong
The origin of these problems
Leads us to the main point
ENGLISH
I have heard people say that English
Is the reason why newcomers get isolated
I am in total agreement with this
I believe 99.99 percent of conflicts or issues are related to English
The process of learning a new language is a long journey for everyone
Without English, you canât communicate and you wonât receive any information
Sometimes not having enough English
Makes me feel like I am in a cage
It locks me inside and separates the world from me
Another problem that I think lots of newcomers will face
Is wanting to stay with people who speak their first language
This is something really common and thereâs nothing wrong with it
Meeting new people is difficult
No one wants to be pushed out of their comfort zone
But one day you will have to make a friend who is a Canadian
The quicker you meet new people
The quicker your English will improve
The quicker you will feel belonging
Your friends might correct your mistakes
But donât be shy, take advantage
Isnât that what friends are for?
Making friends stops the suffering, the endless loneliness
Everyone will be proud of you
You will be proud of yourself
Sheldon-Williams Collegiate Mindful Creative Writing Course Video
Sheldon-Williams Collegiate in Regina, SK offers a Mindful Creative Writing Course. The program focuses on bringing youth from different backgrounds together to share their stories. Students use mindfulness to better understand themselves and the world around them. One of the main goals of the Mindful Creative Writing course is to help students gain a better understanding and make connections across different cultures.
Annually we recognize Canada’s anniversary. It is a perfect time to commit to the TRC Calls to Action and affirm our values of being welcoming and inclusive to all by taking the Welcome Home 150 Pledge – #WelcomeHome150
For more information: http://mcos.ca/welcome-150-pledge
00brandonwu@me.comhttps://mcos.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/mcos_official_logo_dark.pngbrandonwu@me.com2018-06-05 12:23:052018-06-05 12:23:05June is National Indigenous History Month
00brandonwu@me.comhttps://mcos.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/mcos_official_logo_dark.pngbrandonwu@me.com2018-05-01 07:00:152018-05-01 07:00:15May is Asian Heritage Month
celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures and outstanding achievements of First Nations, Inuit and MĂ©tis peoples in Canada. 
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