Vancouver Foundation

The First Word … p a g e 2 I V a n c o u v e r F o u n d a t i o n l 2 0 1 7 Photo: Tiffany Cooper Photography Kevin McCort President and CEO Vancouver Foundation Jason McLean Chair, Board of Directors Vancouver Foundation FURTHERING BELONGING AND INCLUSION AS WE CONSIDER OUR THEME of belonging and inclusion, we are reminded of a moment from April 2017. Vancouver Foundation invited federal Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Ahmed Hussen to speak with our Fresh Voices Initiative advisory team, a group of 20 young people who came to Canada as immigrants or refugees. e minister asked the group what he could do to help them eventually become Canadian and they were so eager to participate. We often think of new Canadians in terms of what we give them, but we were struck that day by what they could give us. ey truly want to belong and contribute to this country. Belonging and inclusion are core to our vision at Vancouver Foundation. Whether you're a new Canadian, Indigenous, young or old, we want to ensure we reflect the vibrant society that we are part of. We're not alone. We work with dozens of organizations to advance social inclusion. rough our Neighbourhood Small Grants program we work with Neighbourhood Houses across the Lower Mainland. rough our grants for reconciliation projects we have helped empower educators to add Indigenous perspectives and history to their curricula. Whether we are working to advance the interests of children in foster care, increase accessibility for those with disabilities, or empower immigrant and refugee youth, we constantly seek opportunities to further belonging and inclusion. Our own studies show how important a sense of belonging is to general health and well-being, and that goes beyond the level of the individual. We believe that empowerment through inclusion is an effective way to tackle serious social problems and build societal cohesion. e work of Fresh Voices is a great example. Today, the group is spearheading an effort to give Permanent Residents – new Canadians who pay municipal taxes, send their children to local schools, and sit on parent advisory councils – that most basic civic right: the right to vote. rough a public education campaign and meetings with public officials at all levels of government, the group seeks to give a voice to new Canadians. Vancouver Foundation can open doors to decision-makers, we can help amplify voices and function as an ally to groups that often find themselves marginalized or excluded. Inclusion is fundamentally ingrained in our work, and we are proud to see the idea embraced by many of the organizations we work with. at includes our civic partner, the City of Vancouver, which launched the Mayor's Engaged City Task Force in order to further inclusion. ose youth at the roundtable back in the spring proved that when we reach out to include diverse voices and perspectives, we're advancing not only the interests of people who are traditionally excluded. We're also advancing our own.

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