2010-07-06
Two NGO leaders each awarded $60,000 Carold Institute Alan Thomas Fellowships to advance the understanding of social movements in Canada
Posted by Juliet Huntly
The Carold Institute announced today that two outstanding leaders in the non-governmental sector have been awarded this year’s Carold Institute Alan Thomas Fellowships.
Paula Carr has worked in the community services sector for over 30 years in Ontario, Saskatchewan and British Columbia. She is currently the Executive Director of the Collingwood Neighbourhood House, a non-profit centre delivering a wide variety of community-based services ranging from childcare and recreation to settlement services in a highly multicultural Vancouver neighbourhood. For 25 years, CNH has been a leader in integrated service delivery and organizational development. In 2007, CNH was recognized internationally with the European BMW Award for Intercultural Learning.
Paula has been awarded a $60,000 Alan Thomas Fellowship to study the methodologies of creating socially inclusive environments and developing intercultural leadership that have distinguished the Collingwood Neighbourhood House, in order to develop resources for work in similar contexts.
Michel Venne is the Executive Director and founder of the Institut du Nouveau Monde (INM), a non-partisan organization whose mission is to promote citizen participation and to stimulate innovative public discourse in Quebec. INM was established in 2004 and was awarded the Prix Claire-Bonenfant in 2005 by the Quebec government for promoting democratic values and citizenship education. Each summer, the INM organizes a citizenship school for young people and also hosts dialogues between ordinary citizens and recognized leaders. Each year, it also publishes L’État de Québec (a report on the state of Québec) and offers a number of programs designed to provide information, stimulate debate and mobilize citizens.
Michel has been awarded a $60,000 Alan Thomas Fellowship to examine the role of citizen participation in the creation and implementation of social innovation, with a particular focus on the work of the Institut du Nouveau Monde (INM), its citizenship schools and its citizen forums.
These projects will advance the objectives of the Fellowship, which is designed to:
- Strengthen networks among civil society leaders and social movements
- Add to the understanding of related issues of policy and practice
- Capture practitioners’ knowledge
- Generate activities that will have a multiplier effect
The Alan Thomas Fellowship is awarded annually to senior leaders in the NGO sector, to provide for a period of reflection and an opportunity to share the fruits of their experience and knowledge more widely. The Fellowship is one year’s duration and past Fellows continue to be connected to the Carold Institute, disseminating the results of their projects and mentoring others in their various fields. Normally the Carold Institute awards one Fellowship each year. However, given the few other opportunities for NGO leaders to take sabbaticals, and the exceptional quality of this year’s large applicant pool, the Board decided for the second year in a row, to give two awards.