CMCCF Youth Social Justice Awards

What is this?

The CMCCF Social Justice Youth Award is granted to an individual or a group who are making positive change for communities, either locally or beyond!

The award celebrates the remarkable achievements of young people between the ages of 15 and 21 from diverse cultural backgrounds who are leading with bravery, curiosity, intelligence, and empathy.

We wish to recognize those who are making small, incremental, and often invisible changes in areas that matter to them, such as arts, culture, faith, and community, while also creating safe and comfortable spaces within their own cultural communities.

These young leaders are deeply committed to social justice and community building, and are creating more equitable, diverse, and inclusive communities where everyone feels a sense of belonging. They are not just creating change in their communities but also within their own families, with their friends and neighbours, and in new cultural communities.

We believe that by recognizing and celebrating these young people, we can inspire others to get involved in creating positive change in their own communities, and to build a better world for all, not through government or institutions, but through the power of families and cultural communities.

Have you contributed to Social Justice in your community?

Social justice is a complex and multifaceted concept that involves addressing power imbalances and works towards a more equitable distribution of resources and opportunities for all individuals and communities. It is important to understand that social justice is not just about creating equal opportunities, but also about recognizing and addressing the ways in which systems and structures may perpetuate oppression and marginalization.

Though complex and difficult, it is important to acknowledge that everyone has a role to play in working towards social justice. It requires critical self-reflection and a willingness to learn and grow. It also involves being open to hearing and understanding the perspectives of marginalized communities, and acting to make changes in one’s own life and in the broader community.

It’s also important to recognize that social justice is not a one-time event, but a constant work in progress, and it’s ongoing. It’s a process that requires individuals and communities to continuously reflect, learn, and adapt in order to create a more just and equitable society.

Who is sponsoring this award?

The Coalition of Manitoba Cultural Communities for Families Inc. is a diverse, collaborative network of individuals and community-based organizations united to promote the well-being of Manitoba cultural communities.

The inaugural awards in 2024 saw an incredibly diverse range of young people apply. 

Please follow the link below to learn more about the 2024 winner and candidates of merit. 

CMCCF Youth Social Justice Awards 2024 

2024 CMCCF Youth Social Justice Awards

Purpose

The Purpose of These Peace-First: CollaborationNet Pages These pages exist to share what we have learned. Over the past year, Peace-First: CollaborationNet has operated as a time-limited demonstration initiative, which is a space to test ideas, host conversations, and discover what might grow when peace is placed at the center. Conversations took root in informal Peace-First Hubs across Winnipeg, Thompson, Brandon, and Portage la Prairie, with related gatherings in Vancouver and Toronto. Toronto now helps convene national roundtable conversations, linking local dialogue with a broader Canadian exchange. What began as small, local discussions has become more connected — not through expansion or centralization, but through coherence. Across regions, shared themes, tensions, and hopes are emerging. This webpage documents that journey. It gathers reflections, materials, and learning from Hub conversations so others can understand what has been explored and carry it forward. From the beginning, Peace-First was designed as a seed-planting initiative, formally concluding March 31, 2026. Its focus has been to explore how individuals and cultural communities understand inner peace, collective vision, community cohesion, and cultural dignity and visibility. The Hubs are volunteer-led spaces where community connectors and members gather to listen, reflect, and imagine what a peaceful geographic and cultural community might look like in practice. Along the way, we developed background papers, reflection documents, and practical toolkits shaped by lived experience in Manitoba and beyond. This page now serves as a living repository within the Peace-First Library, offering capacity-building tools, framing papers, hub guidance, and shared learning that communities can adapt to their own realities. The purpose is not to centralize authority, but to make learning accessible. Peace-First Hubs are community-led and partner-supported — grounded in relationship, not hierarchy. Supported by ACOMI, ECCM, Palaver Hut, MIA, cultural community members across the country, and allies such as MANSO, Mediation Services, CanU Canada, and PCHS, this work moves through partnership rather than control. This initiative has been made possible through the principal financial support of the Department of Canadian Heritage, with a supportive role played by The Winnipeg Foundation. Their investment has allowed these conversations, materials, and connections to take shape. These materials are not instructions to replicate. They are tools to adapt. This page is more than documentation. It is an invitation. Peace-First is not about imposing a uniform model. It is about strengthening conditions for dialogue, cohesion, and shared responsibility before a crisis. If this resonates, we invite you to explore further, join a national roundtable call, or consider what it would mean to host or support a conversation in your own community. Join a national roundtable call. Complete the survey. The seeds have been planted. What grows next depends on all of us.

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