CANADA
Nominations for excellence awards needed
Communities have until the end of summer to nominate someone worthy for the Children and Youth Awards of Excellence, now in its second year.
The Representative for Children and Youth supports children, youth and families who need help in dealing with the child welfare system, and advocates for changes to the system itself, says their website, found at www.rcybc.ca on which nominators can look up award criteria, link to nomination forms, and keep an eye on the nomination deadline countdown. There are six categories and six potential awards each year, depending on winning nominations.
Children and Youths Representative, Mary Ellen Turpin will recognize the winners in the fall in ceremonies in the winners communities province-wide. The 2009 judging panel has not yet been determined, but the 2008 judging panel consisting of Sandy Cooke, former executive director of Covenant House in Vancouver and the current vice chair of the Federation of BC Youth In Care Networks; Janet Austin, CEO of the YWCA Vancouver and Chief Betty Patric of the Lake Babine Nation, speaks to its excellence.
The nominees do not have to be high profile. Whether quietly heroic behind the scenes, or well known for their works, the common theme is their commitment to the welfare of BCs children and youth. The awards give opportunity to laud the people who may not otherwise get recognized for making a difference.
The winners of the award, both individuals and organizations, will be ones who demonstrate innovations, respect, professional excellence, and commitment to continued improvement within the child and youth service field. The child and youth offices say this is only their second year for the award process so they have no set expectations in terms of the number of nominations that will come in, but they have had hundreds of visits to their awards website this year and a large volume of calls to their office enquiring about this years awards.
The truth is oftentimes we under appreciate the people we see every day, no matter how much good they are doing, mostly because they are so familiar to us. B.C.s representative for children and youth, Mary Ellen Turpin would like to encourage all of B.C.s communities residents including Harrison and Agassiz and surrounding areas to look around their own neighbourhood at people they probably know very well, looking for greatness in service.
Often it's the work of a few that provide benefits to many. I would encourage British Columbians to take a look at the child-serving organizations – and individuals – within their communities with a view to the impacts they have had and the people who have been committed to making a difference in the lives of children and youth, she says.
The awards are more than just a pat on the back. They, in addition to recognizing individuals making a difference, bring attention to the work that still needs to be done in the field and encourages every one to make a difference where they can.
Turpin explains the importance of the awards, This will be our second year of hosting these awards and certainly the recipients last year were people who have made an enormous difference in the services available to children and youth. I would like to think that these awards spur on acts of greatness. But mostly I see them as recognition of careers and lives spent addressing and improving outcomes for young people.
Check out www.rcybc.ca for the nomination award criteria and recognize some of the communitys own youth and child workers in their field.
By Michelle Vandepol
9 August 2009
http://www.bclocalnews.com/fraser_valley/ahobserver/community/52549792.html
