About International Development Week 2014
International Development Week (IDW) is a celebration of the many achievements of Canadians in promoting international development both in Canada and globally. IDW 2014 marks the 24th year of the week led by Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada (DFATD).
This year, IDW will take place from February 2-8, 2014 and you are invited to be part of the celebration! Throughout the week you are encouraged to learn more about international development, become engaged, and share your experiences with friends, family, colleagues and your community. You can learn more about IDW 2014 here.
OCIC International Development Week Activities
OCIC Global Changemaker 2014 Awards
OCIC’s Global Changemaker Awards are celebrated during IDW each year to honour outstanding youth who have demonstrated active engagement with communities and civil society organizations in the promotion of international cooperation and social justice.
OCIC is very excited to introduce you to our Global Changemakers 2014. Each day during IDW we will share individual print and video profiles highlighting some of the ways six inspiring young Ontarians are making a difference, locally and globally. On Friday, February 7, 2014 we will be recognizing them at the Toronto IDW Wrap-Up Party, and invite you to join us!
To learn more about the OCIC 2014 Global Changemakers, click here.
What does “making a difference” mean to you?
For OCIC, “making a difference” means working collaboratively for global social justice, human dignity and participation for all.
We’d like to know what “making a difference” means to you? Tell us here, and you’ll be entered into a draw to win a $500 gift card to Ten Thousand Villages!
This $500 gift card was generously donated by Ten Thousand Villages, a fair trade, not-for-profit retailer working to improve the livelihood of artisans in developing countries by bringing their handmade goods to the North American market.
OCIC IDW 2014 Participatory Theatre Workshop Series
February 3-6, 2014
London, Peterborough & Toronto
Throughout IDW 2014, OCIC and Simon Malbogat will engage youth and youth-serving audiences across Ontario through two-hour participatory theatre workshops focused on making a difference. Organized in partnership with OCIC members Save a Family Plan, the Kawartha World Issues Centre, Jamaican Self-Help and Humber College, the workshop series is intended to promote dialogue, and to demonstrate the integral link between creative thought and critical reflection – skills necessary for global citizenship development and education.
With the use of theatre facilitation participants will explore alternatives and critically evaluate topics such as human rights, poverty, apathy and equality. The workshops will be interactive, engaging all voices through various creative and relational activities that facilitate sharing of ideas and creating narratives.
Simon Malbogat, Artistic Director of the Mixed Company Theatre, has been a key player in Canada’s popular theatre scene for over 25 years. He has studied with the greatest contemporary popular theatre practitioners (Augusto Boal, Jerzy Grotowski, Eugenio Barba) and blended Forum Theatre with the Sweet Medicine Teachings (SMT) of the Deer Tribe Metis Medicine Society for an innovative theatre and teaching approach.
Simon has directed and acted in over 50 new Canadian works, many of which many are now seen as important benchmarks in the development of Canadian theatre. He has played key roles in numerous plays by Chalmer’s award winners including Rex Deverell (Swimming For Shore) and David Fennario’s (On The Job, Nothing to Lose, Banana Boots – winner of the Montreal Gazette’s Best New Play; Joe Beef – winner of the Pauline Julienne Award). Simon’s teaching credits include University of Toronto, York University, Humber College, George Brown College, Queens University and Brock University. Simon has created Forum plays and has held workshops throughout Europe, North America, South America, India and Turkey.
Registration for this workshop series is managed by partnering OCIC member organizations.
OCIC “Pathways to International Cooperation” Career Panel
February 4, 2014
1:35 pm – 3:20 pm
Humber College
International Development Post-Graduate Certificate Program
Pathways to careers in international cooperation are many and diverse. In this Career Panel, OCIC invites four development sector professionals to share highlights of their professional journey, and to offer tips on how to secure meaningful employment.
Panelists include:
• Jessica Dubelaar – Public Engagement Officer – Ontario, Cuso International
• Faisal Islam – Manager – Monitoring & Evaluation, Canadian Feed The Children
• Esteban Lasso – Executive Director, Transforming Faces Worldwide
• Jane Orion Smith – General Secretary, Canadian Friends Service Committee
OCIC Disability Inclusion in Project Design & Implementation Panel
February 5, 2014
11:45 am – 2:30 pm
Humber College
International Development Post-Graduate Certificate Program
One billion people today live with a disability and 80% of them live in developing countries, yet most international development programs still do not implement explicit disability inclusion.
This workshop will introduce current understandings of disability, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the World Report on Disability, the Right to Read campaign, and ways disability inclusion can be implemented in international development and global health programs.
Panelists include:
• Caroline Abbotts – Program Officer, Christian Blind Mission (CBM) Canada
• Yin Brown – Disability Advocate
• Kimberly Gibbons – Executive Director, OCIC
• Marianne McQuillan – Manager, Fund Development & Communications, World Blind Union
• Penny Parnes – International Centre for Disability and Rehabilitation, University of Toronto
• Vangelis Nikias – CRPD Project Manager, Council of Canadians with Disabilities
White Ribbon, OCIC and the ICN Present: “Inspiring New Ideas of Manhood”
February 6, 2014
Online – Webinar
12:00pm – 1:00pm EST
Join White Ribbon, the Ontario Council for International Cooperation (OCIC) and the Inter-Council Network (ICN) for an International Development Week 2014 webinar focused on raising awareness on the reasons for involving men and boys in efforts to prevent and reduce violence against women and girls, and introducing effective ways in which to engage men and boys from diverse backgrounds in violence prevention.
Violence by men and boys against women and children is one of the most serious human rights violations in the world. The World Health Organization calls violence against women a pandemic. Research has demonstrated that amongst young boys, ideas of masculinity become the most compelling force for risk-taking behaviour, violence, unsafe sexual practices and misogyny. In fact, this has larger implications not only for women and girls but also for their own health and relationships with other men and boys.
While most men and boys may never use violence against women and girls, their silence both perpetuates and tolerates it. And while all men and boys may not be part of the problem, all men and boys can be part of the solution.
White Ribbon is the world’s largest movement of men and boys working to end violence against women and girls, promote gender equity, healthy relationships and a new vision of masculinity. This webinar with Jeff Perera will explore concepts of masculinity and leadership roles that young men can play in promoting gender equality in their communities and countries and how international organizations can promote and support young men in this role.
Jeff Perera is a Community Engagement Manager for the White Ribbon. He speaks to people from all walks of life on how society’s unattainable concepts of masculinity are affecting men and boys as well as impacting women and girls. Jeff also started Higher Unlearning, an online space to explore how ideas of gender and masculinity play out in everyday life. He is the director of the annual discussion-focused ‘What Makes a Man’ White Ribbon Conference, named to Racism Free Ontario’s Top 100 Person of Colour list spotlighting anti-racism activists and delivered a 2010 TEDx talk on the impact gender roles and gendered words have on us as a people.
All are welcome. To register for this webinar, click here. Registration will close Wednesday February 5, 2014 at 3:00 pm. Please note that the webinar is scheduled at Eastern Standard Time.
IDW 2014 Wrap-Up Party!
February 7th, 2014
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Centre for Social Innovation – Annex (720 Bathurst St., Toronto)
OCIC, in collaboration with Canada World Youth, CESO, Cuso International and Youth Challenge International, invite you to wrap-up IDW 2014 with a crowd of planet loving volunteers, NGO professionals, award-winning Global Changemakers, friends and family at this IDW 2014 “Making a Difference”-themed Toronto Development Drinks party!
There will be opportunities for speed networking, learning more about the evenings’ hosts, and to celebrate the efforts of OCIC’s six young Global Changemaker 2014 award recipients. Hors’ d’oeuvres will be on offer, and a cash bar will be open.
Canada World Youth offers world-renowned international volunteer programs to youth from Canada and abroad who, through their participation in community-driven development projects, acquire the leadership skills that allow them to become agents of change.
CESO is one of Canada’s leading volunteer-based development organizations. Since 1967, through partnership and the dedication of our volunteers who are highly skilled and experienced in their professions, we have completed more than 46,000 assignments focused on improving the economic and social well-being of peoples across Canada and in more than 120 countries.
Cuso International is an international development organization that works to reduce poverty and inequality through the efforts of skilled volunteers. Each year, we place hundreds of professionals in developing countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America. These volunteers share their knowledge, skills and experience to collaborate on health, education, social justice and sustainability projects that have real development impact and create lasting social change.
Youth Challenge International is a leading global youth development organization that promotes youth innovation to drive positive change. Building on over 25 years of experience, YCI’s programs are designed to meet the needs of youth affected by poverty through four integrated sectors: livelihoods, health, leadership and the environment. We engage youth in creating solutions to the challenges they face. YCI incorporates youth development, volunteerism and partnership into all that we do.
All are welcome. As space is limited, please RSVP here. To see the promotional poster for more information, click here.
Practitioner Roundtable on Gender Analysis Field Tools
The Ontario Gender and Development Network (OGADN) & OCIC are pleased to present a Practitioner Roundtable on Gender Analysis Field Tools. Gender roles are a determining factor in the distribution of resources, both economic and political, the allocation of rights and freedoms, and access to services such as education and health care. The focus of international and local development work on gender equality is an acknowledgement of the divergent realities that women and men face around the world and at home.
Building on the existing strengths of Canadian organizations, and through creating opportunities to share challenges, successes and resources, the goal of OGADN is to increase the knowledge and capacity of members to effectively promote gender equality in their programming and policy work. To this end, OGDAN and OCIC will host a discussion to raise awareness on current gender analysis field tools and approaches as a part of IDW 2014. The discussion will run from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm, followed by a light lunch and opportunity for networking.
Registration is now full. Thank you!
