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Ottawa, October 17, 2018 – Today thousands of Canadian students and young leaders gathered in celebration of the international day to empower youth with dignity, Global Dignity Day. Joining over 600,000 of their peers in 70 countries, students celebrated the twelfth anniversary of Global Dignity Day internationally.

This year’s national event, hosted on Parliament Hill by the Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism, connected eight schools from coast-to-coast-to-coast through a live video-conference.

The theme for Global Dignity Day this year is kindness. The organization is inviting youth across Canada to share their acts of kindness on Twitter and Facebook with the hashtag #GlobalDignityDay. “Canada is one of the most welcoming countries in the world. We are stronger because of our diversity and it’s in this spirit that we recognize Global Dignity Day today,” said Minister Rodriguez. “I invite everyone to celebrate Canada’s spirit of dignity, inclusion and kindness with young Canadians – today and every day.”

Highlights of today’s event included dignity stories and performances from former child soldier, award-winning rapper and songwriter, Emmanuel Jal and Waukomaun Pawis, an acclaimed Ojibwe videographer and multimedia artist from Wasauksing First Nation. Video stories were also shared from Global Dignity Co-Founder, HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway; as well as National Role Models Komal Minhas, an Indo-Canadian entrepreneur, content creator, and investor and Drew Cumpson, the founder of H&D Consulting and an ambassador for accessibility, the LGBT community and creating change.

In Canada, Global Dignity is honoured with the support of Champions and Role Models of all stripes suchas: the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada; Tom Mulcair; former Leader of the NDP; Rona Ambrose, former Leader of the Official Opposition; Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party; TakingITGlobal Founder Jennifer Corriero; and Inuit filmmakers Curtis Konek and Innosar Issakiark, to name a few.

“This year Global Dignity is aiming to build on Canada’s culture of kindness by empowering young people to be kinder to themselves and others online,” said Giovanna Mingarelli, Canadian Chair of Global Dignity and member of the Board of Directors internationally.

“This kindness is the fabric that unites us as individuals, classrooms, communities and as a country.” Since it’s co-founding by HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway in 2006, Global Dignity has reached over 2 million youth by offering teachers, students, parents and partners the inspiration and support they need to organize dignity workshops, assemblies and forums.

Global Dignity aims to inspire respect, self-esteem, and openness to diversity in young people, as well as promote the idea that every human being has the universal right to lead a dignified life. A livestream of the videoconference can be viewed at www.globaldignity.ca .

For more information:

Olivia Bechthold
Executive Director
Global Dignity Canada
Olivia@globaldignity.ca
(613) 539-5489

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Ottawa, October 12, 2016 – Today, thousands of Canadian students and young leaders gathered in celebration of the international day to empower youth with dignity, Global Dignity Day. Joining 500,000 of their peers in more than 60 countries, students celebrated the tenth anniversary of Global Dignity Day internationally.

This year’s national event, hosted on Parliament Hill by NDP Leader Tom Mulcair, and sponsored by the Samuel Family Foundation, linked eight sites and two thousand students from Nunavut to Nova Scotia, with one international site, through a live videoconference.

The sites include: Parliament Hill in Ottawa; Queen Elizabeth High School in Edmonton, Alberta; Bimose Tribal Council in Kenora, Ontario; Jean Augustine Secondary School in Toronto, Ontario; John Analukjuak High School in Arviat, Nunavut; Hillcrest Academy in Shelburne, Nova Scotia; Sa Halli Secondary in Kamloops, British Columbia; and Soldotna Prep School in Soldotna, Alaska, USA.

A livestream of the videoconference can be viewed at www.globaldignity.ca.

Highlights of today’s event included an opening flag song from students of Kiiijick Elementary School, Treaty 3; a throat singing performance from Arviat, Nunavut; and a dignity story from Lindsay DuPré, the Indigenous Youth Engagement Coordinator at TakingITGlobal.

In Canada, Global Dignity is honoured with the support of Champions and Role Models of all stripes, including: Canada’s Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau; the Hon. Rona Ambrose, Leader of the Official Opposition; Leader of the New Democratic Party, Tom Mulcair and Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada; Anishinabe leader from Kitigan-Zibi, Caitlin Tolley; Inuit film makers Curtis Konek and Innosar Issakiark, to name a few.

Partners of Global Dignity include: TakingITGlobal, the Queen Elizabeth Centre for Global Education, the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, YMCA Canada, Right To Play, the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community, The Heroa Project, Kind Canada and Equal Voice.

Established in 2005, by HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, Operation HOPE Founder, Chairman and CEO John Hope Bryant and Professor Pekka Himanen, Global Dignity is linked to the 2020 process of the World Economic Forum, in which leaders from politics, business, academia, and civil society join efforts to improve the state of the world.

Global Dignity is an independent, non-profit, non-political organization with the aim to instill a positive, inclusive and interconnected sense of value in young people that will guide them as they grow, as well as promote the idea that every human being has the universal right to lead a dignified life. Visit our website at: www.globaldignity.ca.

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For more information:
Olivia Bechthold
Director of National Engagement,
Global Dignity Canada
media@globaldignity.ca
(613) 539-5489

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Ottawa, October 11, 2016 – Tomorrow, thousands of Canadian students and young leaders will gather in celebration of the international day to empower youth with dignity, Global Dignity Day.

Hosted on Parliament Hill, the national event will link seven schools and students from Nunavut to Nova Scotia, through a live videoconference.

These students will join 500,000 of their peers in more than 60 countries to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Global Dignity Day internationally.

Who: Students and teachers across seven schools in Canada

What: The national celebration of Global Dignity Day’s tenth anniversary

When: October 12, 2016, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Where: Parliament of Canada – Room C-120, 1 Wellington Street, Ottawa

Why: To empower individuals with the concept that every human being has the universal right to lead a dignified life

Established in 2005 by HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, Operation HOPE Founder John Hope Bryant and respected Finnish professor Pekka Himanen, Global Dignity is an independent, non-profit, non-political organization focused on empowering young people with dignity. It aims to inspire respect, self-esteem and tolerance of diversity, as well as promote the idea that every human being has the universal right to lead a dignified life. Visit our website at: www.globaldignity.ca.

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For more information:
Olivia Bechthold
Director of National Engagement
Global Dignity Canada
media@globaldignity.ca
(613) 539-5489

Ottawa, October 21, 2015 – Today, thousands of students across Canada joined 400,000 of their peers, in over 60 countries, in celebration of the international day to empower youth with dignity, Global Dignity Day.

This year’s celebration of Global Dignity Day in Canada, hosted by 1125@Carleton, at Carleton University, connected students and young leaders from Kitiganzibi High School and Carleton University, with 2,000 students from coast-to-coast through a live international videoconference.

The videoconference livestream can be viewed here.

Highlights of today’s event included a throat singing performance from Arviat, Nunavut, and dignity stories from Rwandan Genocide survivor and public speaker, Emery Rutagonya, and Global Dignity Canada’s National Role Model, Ashley Callingbull (recently named Mrs. Universe).

“I think [Global Dignity Day] is so important because we should always be proud of who we are,” Mrs. Callingbull said in a video released today for Global Dignity Canada.

“The only thing that’s important is how we feel about ourselves, and the life we lead.”

Approximately two minutes in length, the video is now available online and can be shared in classrooms and youth centres across the country. See Mrs. Callingbull’s full video here: http://bit.ly/1M68jz1.

Global Dignity is an independent, non-profit, non-political organization focused on empowering young people with dignity. Established in 2005 by HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, Operation HOPE Founder John Hope Bryant and respected Finnish professor Pekka Himanen, it aims to inspire respect, self-esteem and tolerance of diversity, as well as promote the idea that every human being has the universal right to lead a dignified life. Visit our website at: www.globaldignity.ca.

For more information:

Olivia Bechthold
National Events Champion
media@globaldignity.ca
(613) 539-5489