Press Release

October 20, 2021 – Today thousands of students and young leaders in Canada gathered to celebrate Global Dignity Day alongside one million of their peers in 80 countries. The keynote speakers of the day included Global Dignity Co-Founder, HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and Co-Founder of the Malala Fund, Mr. Ziauddin Yusafzai and Inuk Role Model, Katelynn Herchak.

“At its core, dignity is about the value of every human life. It is the key to building understanding across the things that might seem to divide us. The colour of our skin, our gender, sexual orientation, religion or where we come from,” said Crown Prince Haakon of Norway in a video message.

This year’s global event, hosted by TakingITGlobal and the Queen Elizabeth Center for Global Education, linked participants from 10 sites in nine countries through a live video-conference.

The participating sites included:

• AlixPartners, London, United Kingdom
• TakingITGlobal, Toronto, Canada
• Agrupamento de Escolas Dr Alberto Iria, Olhão, Portugal
• Dr. Binnaz Ege Dr. Rıdvan Ege Anatolian High School, Ankara, Turkey
• Colegio Humanístico Costarricense Campus Nicoya, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
• Colégio Magno, São Paulo, Brazil
• Colegio San Nicolás & The Global School, Buenos Aires, Argentina
• St. Austin’s Academy, Nairobi, Kenya
• Government Model Secondary School Jikwoyi, Abuja, Nigeria
• Queen Elizabeth High School, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

“We can’t achieve the worthy goal of securing every human being’s dignity without respecting their identity,” said Co-founder of the Malala Fund, Mr. Ziauddin Yusafzai. “It is our governments’ responsibility to introduce and implement laws that guarantee every citizen’s right to equal dignity irrespective of their class, colour, faith, ethnicity and gender. More importantly, as a community we can’t protect the dignity of our fellow human beings without building a strong culture of kindness and compassion.”

The theme of the event focused on identity and kindness, with an effort to invite students to build inclusive global communities rooted in kindness. This theme builds on Global Dignity’s ongoing #UniteKindness campaign, which aggregates and showcases kindness campaigns around the world.

Since the launch of the #UniteKindness campaign in May of 2020, over 2 million acts of kindness have been aggregated across 40 kindness campaigns. It also includes special projects such as Time to Pause by acclaimed photographer and member of Global Dignity’s International Council of Advisors, Alistair Morrison; and KindWorlds and Quest, designed and executed by LembasWorks.

“Kindness is the cultural fabric that enables greater dignity,” said Global Dignity Board Chair and Canadian Country Chair, Giovanna Mingarelli. “This campaign shows us how easy it is to love oneself, others and the world in really simple ways, from donating food to voting on election day.”

The event featured influencers and the work of creative change makers, including: international singer, song writer, Morris Hayes; internationally acclaimed entertainment for impact innovators, LembasWorks Co-Founder & Founder of Quest, Tara Baswani; visual artist, writer, filmmaker and curator, Assinajaq Weetaluktuk; artist and youth role model with Inclusion in Northern Research, Theodore (Ted) Thompson; Global Dignity International Council of Advisors, human rights activist and Ms World America, Cassandra Wallace; Executive Director of the Centre for Global Education, Terry Godwaldt; and Co-founder of TakingITGlobal, Jennifer Corriero, to name a few.

“We all have gifts and we as Indigenous youth inherently carry inter-generational strength, resiliency and knowledge,” said Katelynn Herchak, an Inuk role model with expertise in justice studies, Indigenous knowledge, governance and decolonization.

Generous event sponsors included: TakingItGlobal, the Centre for Global Education, Global Groove for Peace, LembasWorks, Pondstone Digital Marketing, M&C Consulting, Hello Friday Marketing and Communications, Ard Financial Group, and MC2, Inc. AlixPartners also kindly offered their office space to host the Global Dignity Board Chair.

Co-founded at the World Economic Forum by HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, Operation HOPE Founder, Chairman and CEO John Hope Bryant and author and philosopher Pekka Himanen, Global Dignity teaches the concept of dignity—every person’s equal and inherent value—to promote inclusion, equality and a greater sense of our shared humanity. Since 2006, the organization has reached over 4 million young people around the globe.

More information and details of the international celebration live stream can be found at: www.globaldignity.ca.

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement to mark Global Dignity Day in Canada:

“Today, students and young people in Canada are marking Global Dignity Day. On this day, we reaffirm that everyone – regardless of who they are or where they come from – deserves a fair and equal chance at success, and acknowledge that together, we still have a lot of work to do in achieving a fairer and more inclusive world.

“This year, the Global Dignity movement’s #UniteKindness campaign aims to connect young people around the world through positive actions during the global COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign is also a reminder to be kind to one’s self and to others. Demonstrating that by being there for others and by showing compassion, and recognizing everyone’s worth, we can appreciate that everybody deserves dignity – no matter their identity, beliefs, or circumstances.

» Read the full statement on pm.gc.ca

Today students and young leaders from Canada, the United States, Finland, Kenya, the Philippines, Bangladesh and Pakistan, gathered to celebrate Global Dignity Day with a good old-fashioned virtual Acadian kitchen party.

More than one hundred locations of students participated in the event via the YouTube live-stream.

“The voices of our living ecosystems led by future generations rising together in a quest for shared dialogue and harmony; this, to me, is the sound of global dignity and today, we start to orchestrate it together, as one family,”

Tara Baswani

“Our international Canadian kitchen party celebrated three things: music, food and dignity,” said Terry Godwaldt, Global Dignity National Event Chair, Executive Director for The Center for Global Education and lead singer of the east coast Fiddle Street Band. “These are three life forces that flow through every human. Sustaining us, nourishing us and binding all of humanity as a family.”

Read the full article on NorthernInclusion.ca

Today students and young leaders from Canada, the United States, Kenya, the Philippines, Bangladesh and Pakistan, gathered to celebrate Global Dignity Day with a good old fashioned virtual Acadian kitchen party. Approximately 30,000 students participated in the event via the YouTube live-stream.

“Our international Canadian kitchen party celebrated three things: music, food and dignity,” said Terry Godwaldt, Global Dignity National Event Chair, Executive Director for The Center for Global Education and lead singer of the east coast Fiddle Street Band . “These are three life forces that flow through every human. Sustaining us, nourishing us and binding all of humanity as a family.”

The event linked six elementary and high school sites with influencers and creative change makers via Zoom from the comfort of their kitchens. Participants were invited to play homemade instruments and learn the traditional Canadian Voyageur folk song En roulant from world class musicians.

“I am so delighted to take part in my very first Canadian kitchen party!” said singer songwriter, Morris Hayes, former musical director for the late artist, Prince, and founder of Global Groove for Peace. “This event brings dignity and peace to the world through a globally-infused, modern symphony, masterfully orchestrated by youth across continents.”

The event featured an opening Indigenous prayer of thanksgiving and a performance of The Voice of Freedom by University of Alberta Ph.D. student, Anna Wilson. Global Dignity’s National Role Model and Indigenous Cultural Ambassador, Amy Lacroix, shared her dignity story about cultural inclusion, sacred traditions and the great value of understanding one’s roots.

“I come from a lineage of Sixties Scoop, residential school and foster care survivors,” said Ms. Lacroix. “Learning about my heritage led me to understand where I came from, and how the dignity a person feels can be closely connected to identity. Meeting my family gave me pride in myself knowing that I come from an outstanding nation, and that who I am deserves dignity.”

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. The organization supports 3 million youth in 80 countries.

“The voices of our living ecosystems led by future generations rising together in a quest for shared dialogue and harmony; this, to me, is the sound of global dignity and today, we start to orchestrated it together, as one family,” said Tara Baswani, internationally acclaimed performing artist, composer, Co-Founder of entertainment for impact agency, LembasWorks and entertainment innovator for Cirque du Soleil.

October 21, 2020 – Today Global Dignity Canada is delighted to announce the launch of the 7 Days of Kindness social media campaign.This campaign, launched in honor of Global Dignity Day today, builds on the organization’s existing Unite Kindness initiative, designed for youth striving for a kinder world amidst the uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to data from Imaginable Futures and UNICEF last month, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted more than 91 per cent of students worldwide – around 1.5 billion children and young people at its peak in 2020.

Unite Kindness aggregates and showcases kindness campaigns from around the world all in one place. The goal is to make it easy for children and youth to join the extraordinary global kindness movement underway — alive in everyday acts of kindness, communities, workplaces, public spaces, on TV, the internet — and everywhere in between.

Since the launch of the Unite Kindness campaign, over 500,000 acts of kindness have been aggregated across 20 kindness campaigns, with a goal of reaching one million acts of kindness by the end of the year. It is being led internationally by Global Dignity’s Canadian Chair and International Board Member, Giovanna Mingarelli.

“I’m delighted to see the hundreds of thousands of acts of kindness people around the world are sharing everyday,” said Ms. Mingarelli . “ Kindness is an expression of love. This campaign shows us how easy it is to love oneself, others and the world in really simple ways, from painting a rock to voting on election day.”

To participate in Global Dignity Canada’s 7 Days of Kindness campaign, young people are invited to submit a photo or video of an act of kindness, a creative work, or ways they take care of their own physical or emotional wellbeing on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #UniteKindness. These actions could include helping a sibling with homework, playing a sport, painting a rock for the “Kindness Rocks” initiative, or donating food to a local soup kitchen.

The campaign will feature influencers and creative change makers, including: international singer, song writer, Morris Hayes; internationally acclaimed entertainment innovators and LembasWorks Co-Founders Tara Baswani and Remi Lemieux; LembasWorks youth artist Zoe Monast; Athletica Rewards Founder, Angella Goran; Indigenous Cultural Ambassador, Amy Lacroix; and Perttu Polonen, futurist, musician and author, to name a few.

“It’s important to put love and kindness into action: that’s what building inclusive communities is all about!” said Olivia Bechthold, the Executive Director of Global Dignity in Canada.

The 7 Days of Kindness campaign will culminate on October 28th during Global Dignity Canada’s national Global Dignity Day celebrations – a live streamed pan-Canadian kitchen party.

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. The organization supports 3 million youth in 80 countries.

More information and details of the national celebration live stream can be found at www.globaldignity.ca.