Press Releases

UNA-Canada Launches Timely 'Integration & Belonging' Initiative

Ottawa, 14 May 2004 - The United Nations Association in Canada (UNA-Canada) is pleased to announce the launch of "Integration & Belonging" - a project that seeks to engage new and emerging community leaders and youth in a series of workshops in five cities across Canada. The project begins its community consultations in September 2004 and will visit Calgary, Kingston, Montreal, Saskatoon, and St. John's. Integration & Belonging is an initiative that will identify and build the social capital of citizens to withstand internal and external threats to the cohesiveness of Canadian society.

'Through community-based organizations and local authorities, this project aims to identify the perceptions and realities of minority groups and the larger population regarding social cohesion and community dynamics during times of increased threat, such as September 11 and SARS', explains Kate White, Executive Director.

This uniquely Canadian initiative will develop an innovative model that will be used to define, understand and promote "integration" and "belonging" in order to strengthen community ties. Throughout the next few months, UNA-Canada will conduct local consultations and youth workshops to gather best practices and lessons learned to be integrated into a national model for community action.

UNA-Canada is a 13,000 people strong, membership-based, charitable organization supporting a network of fourteen volunteer branches and a professional staff team based in Ottawa. The organization is also home to the Canadian Corporate Leadership Council of the UN which seeks to support Canadian leadership in corporate social responsibility. Celebrating its 60th anniversary next year- along with the UN itself, its mandate is to engage Canadians in the work of the UN and critical global issues which affect us all.

Contact: Rida Abboud, Project Officer, 613.232.5751 ext. 233, rida@unac.org

For further information on the project, click here.