December 3rd, 2011 | Comments are closed I had the opportunity to attend the Imagine Canada National Summit for Charities this past week, courtesy of a sponsorship by the Maytree Foundation. At the outset, I am incredibly grateful to Maytree for agreeing to assist in my attendance; without which I would not have had the privilege of attending.
A few brief thoughts:
- While it was great to reconnect with the many old faces present in the room, developing new relationships with the young/emerging leaders in the not for profit sector from across the country was incredibly invigorating. I’ve forgotten how passionate that leaders in the not for profit world can be; especially with respect to the general population.
- Whoever chose the speakers at the conference knew what they were doing. I was especially appreciated the talks by Alan Gregg, Naheed Nenshi (Mayor of Calgary, who I am comfortable calling Canada’s urban mayor) and Shawn Atleo (National Chief to the Assembly of First Nations, and by leaps and bounds the most thoughtful speaker). I have made a Bundlr of the content of each speech as observed by the Twitterverse, but will do a followup critique of the speeches later.
- From my conversations, I truly believe there is a major disconnect between what the leaders of the non profit sector want as solutions to the problems that ail the sector and the practical solutions that reality makes available. Finding a way to bridge that gap is a problem that I feel will be the responsibility of the newer generation.
- The working groups that I participated in were very productive; so much so that I look forward to seeing the next steps. I truly hope that next steps are taken; I would not want to see the recommendations proposed fall by the wayside.
March 29th, 2011 | Comments are closed Oh, awesome:
Perhaps I shouldn’t be pushing people who want something but have been taught not to push themselves. Somewhere along the way, it seems, I forgot that it’s none of my business if people choose to accept what they’ve got, to forget their dreams and to not seek to help those around them achieve what matters to them.
Not sure if you’ll forgive me, but no, I’m not going to believe that only a few people are permitted to be gatekeepers or creators or generous leaders. I have no intention of apologizing for believing in people, for insisting that we all use this moment and these assets to create some art and improve the world around us.
To do anything less than that is a crime.
Yes.
March 19th, 2011 | Comments are closed Excerpts from Closing Remarks
Delivered at Young Canadians Peace Dialogue on Sri Lanka
Romesh Hettiarachchi | March 14, 2011
Over the past few months, the Young Canadians Peace Dialogue on Sri Lanka has given participants a greater insight into the opportunities and challenges facing Sri Lanka today. In particular, our last session, “Making Peace Personal” highlighted the importance of possessing a life-long dedication to acheiving a fair and just peace in Sri Lanka.
Today, the Organizers of the Dialogue invite you to share in the same commitment exemplified by our speakers by being part of our legacy project, BuildChange.
» More on Creating a Just Peace
March 5th, 2011 | Over the past few years, much ink has spilled regarding the failures of multiculturalism in Canada. Whether it be the reasonable accommodation of Sikhs to wear ceremonial daggers under strict guidelines or the ability for Muslim students to wear the hijab during soccer games, the national conversation regarding the ability for immigrants to integrate into Canada is vociferous, particularly if those immigrants happen to be Muslim. Many concerns of these critics were voiced by British Prime Minister David Cameron, during a much publicized speech delivered to the Munich Security Conference over a month ago.
» More on In Defence of Multi-Culturalism
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