Diversity Champion Awards 2019

PRUDE Inc. (Pride of Race, Unity & Dignity through Education) is holding its fifth annual event to recognize Saint John employers, organizations & individuals for their best practices in promoting Diversity, Inclusion and Equality. We know diversity matters!

2019 Diversity Champion Awards Winners

Small Business

Imperial Theatre

Education & Heritage

Michelle Scott

Immigrant Entrepreneur

Sankara

Corporate Business

Sitel

Youth Leader

Hampton Middle School WE Team

Community Leader

Dahlia Das

Thank You To Our Sponsors

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And Our Supporters

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2019 Diversity Champion Awards Nominees

Immigrant Intrepreneur

Sankara

Sankara is a social enterprise which operates an online multicultural marketplace to access authentic cultural grocery, delicious foods and world crafts from cultural restaurants and grocers, independent local chefs, and cultural artisans. Sankara has developed a unique Lunch Box service for adventurous foodies and provides catering services for groups and events. Sankara’s cultural events include ticketed Pop-Up Restaurants at Five & Dime where guests experience a featured chef’s unique cultural expression from food to music and language. To date there have been over 20 countries represented on Sankara’s marketplace through unique food and craft. We have curated 22 Pop-Up Restaurants.

Bollywood Dance Studio Inc.

Sankara is a social enterprise which operates an online multicultural marketplace to access authentic cultural grocery, delicious foods and world crafts from cultural restaurants and grocers, independent local chefs, and cultural artisans. Sankara has developed a unique Lunch Box service for adventurous foodies and provides catering services for groups and events. Sankara’s cultural events include ticketed Pop-Up Restaurants at Five & Dime where guests experience a featured chef’s unique cultural expression from food to music and language. To date there have been over 20 countries represented on Sankara’s marketplace through unique food and craft. We have curated 22 Pop-Up Restaurants.

Education & Heritage

Anglophone South School District

Anglophone South School District (ASD-S) is home to 23,000 K-12 students, encompassing the communities of southern New Brunswick from Sussex to the Fundy Isles. With seventy urban to rural schools ranging in size from five students to more than a thousand, ASD-S is committed to celebrating diversity, inclusivity, and excellence in education across our district. Their 3000+ employees, including 1700 educators, value local communities and work closely with families and partners to provide a safe and inclusive learning and working environment. ASD-S believes in the importance of mental, physical, and social/emotional health for our students and staff, and are committed to engaging both in diverse, relevant and contemporary learning experiences.

Jiaojiao Meng

Jiaojiao Meng is a proud Chinese who moved to Canada for studies at UNBSJ MBA program in 2014. Following graduation from UNBSJ, Jiaojiao was employed with YMCA Newcomer Connections. She works closely with adult youth, partner organizations, and employers from a number of Saint John industries. Jiaojiao’s role is to help build our community and empower youth to make a difference as seek growth opportunities. Jiaojiao has the privilege of working with the YMCA and New Brunswick Multicultural Council (NBMC) as the Youth Employability Project Coordinator while leading the Skills Launch Program in Saint John.

As a proud volunteer, Jiaojiao believes that commitment to Saint John and looking into the future means that all of Canada’s newcomers become a vital part of her personal journey.

Michelle Scott

After the first year of university at UNBSJ, Michelle Scott moved to complete her undergraduate degree in Alberta, where her family had moved to work. Later, she earned her MBA in International Business at University of Western Ontario, moving home in the early 90s. A love of travel, history, cultures and world food has led Michelle to make friends from many cultures. She counts herself lucky to work at in the MBA Program at UNBSJ where she interacts with international students every day in her strident development role. Over the years, she has spent countless additional hours helping students work through difficulties adjusting to life, study and work in Canada.

Touchstone Academy

Touchstone Academy is an independent, not-for-profit preschool and elementary school located in Rothesay. At Touchstone, learning is hands-on, individualized and student-centered. The staff are highly qualified and experienced educators who are committed to providing an extraordinary experience for their students. In addition to a broad, rigorous curriculum, students enjoy many field trips and excursions and a great deal of outdoor learning opportunities.

Over 300 families have enrolled their children at Touchstone since it was first opened by nine founding families in the year 2000. Angela Campbell was the first teacher at the school and is now the Principal. Julie Atkinson has served as the Admissions Officer since 2012. The school welcomes students from all backgrounds and parts of the world. Angela and Julie, and the entire Touchstone community of teachers, parents and students, are always delighted to offer a warm welcome and provide support to families as they settle in Saint John and the surrounding areas.

Corporate Business

Port Saint John

Port Saint is part of the critical transportation infrastructure of Canada and a cornerstone of the New Brunswick economy whose mission is to be the driver of sustainable economic growth in our region through innovation and collaboration.

Jim Quinn is the CEO of Port Saint John. Jim joined Port Saint John nearly a decade ago after a 30-year career in the federal government in Ottawa and elsewhere in Canada. Jim embraces diversity and shares the view that through embracing the experiences and thoughts of others our organization and community becomes richer and stronger.

Sitel

Sitel prides itself on being a truly global presence, not just because they have locations all over the world, but because Sitel embraces the cultures of its associates from all over the world. One of Sitel’s core values is Working Together which encompasses having fun, building relationships, leveraging collective genius, inspire others and giving back. By actively seeing to increase the diversity of their site, Sitel is living that core value. Being recognized for doing something that they believe is critical to be successful as a company is a wonderful honor and reinforces that the company is leading the way both corporately and culturally into the future.

Small Business

Catapult Coffee & Studio

Catapult Coffee & Studio strives to provide a supportive work environment for young people seeking to enter (or re-enter) the workforce. Many young people in our community face barriers to employment including mental health, criminal records, generational poverty etc. Others are new to Canada and need a chance to improve their English before joining the mainstream workforce, and several of our team members have cross-cultural experience that helps us create a welcoming environment for newcomers. Catapult seeks to support individuals through on-the-job mentorship and training, and by providing connections to additional supports outside of regular work hours.

Imperial Theatre

Imperial Theatre is an 874 seat proscenium theatre located in Saint John New Brunswick on Canada’s East Coast. Originally opened in 1913, Imperial Theatre is hailed as the most beautiful restored theatre in Canada. In operation for 26 years since the grand re-opening, Imperial Theatre is Saint John’s premier performance space.

Imperial Theatre’s mandate is to “enrich, engage and inspire our community through the performing arts.” Programming choices are based on assessment of past and current seasons, including criteria such as artistic excellence, presentation of varied genres and cultures, ticket sales, opportunities for engagement activities and balancing familiar work with challenges.

While Imperial Theatre started as a restoration project over 26 years ago, it is more than a building. It is the heart and soul of our community where we connect and include individuals from all walks of life to connect through diverse arts, culture and heritage.

Saint John Free Public Library

The three branches of the Saint John Free Public Library support our communities by providing opportunities for residents to enhance their knowledge and explore their creative capabilities. With access to almost 2 million items, the library provides further access to reliable information resources for consumer health, career, business, employment, as well as interactive language instruction. We also offer many programs and services for children: family-focused children’s programs lay the foundation for language and literacy development, inspire creativity, explore new technologies, and invite learning through play. Other programs invite adults to learn new skills or enjoy cultural events. Our programs may take place within our walls, through virtual visits, or in local senior’s centres, educational facilities, parks, and neighbourhoods. Designed to respond to the educational, informational, cultural, and recreational needs of residents, our programs and services are offered completely free of charge.

Community Leader

Teodora Caraignat

Teodora Caraignat is originally from Romania. `since a young age, Teodora knew she wanted to work with people, work hard, and learn as much as she could. Unable to attend University, she wanted an opportunity to learn and apply herself. She took a position in Bakery and was placed in a small food truck. Due to hard work, she was promoted to manager in the main factory. It was during her time here that she met her husband. After 7 years, she applied for a position as a junior accountant with another bakery. However, they soon realized that the opportunities for their children in Romania were limited and so they immigrated to Canada.

Initially it was very difficult and she felt limited in what she could do in her new community. However, she began volunteering. As a newcomer, she has found a way that she can be of service to many individuals and face the same struggles she did, and plans to continue to apply her skills for the betterment of others.

Dahlia Das

Dahlia Das first arrived in Saint John ten years ago form Kolkata, India and completed her MBA from UNBSJ. Now an IT Project Manager by profession and a part-time University Instructor, Dahlia is an ever-enthusiastic volunteer in her community. She has led and contributed to numerous non-profit organizations such as the Toastmasters club which help people develop their public speaking and leadership skills, the Project Management Institute (PMI)’s New Brunswick Chapter, Fresh Start Services for Women Inc., the “Love Anyway” Community, and the Indo-Canadian Society of Saint John where she is actively involved in organizing, sharing and participating in cultural programs. Dahlia is a talented dancer, eloquent speaker, and a passionate advocate of cross-cultural diversity, exchange and inclusion, through which she seeks to further enrich her beloved city, Saint John.

Youth Leader

Omar Morad

Omar Morad came to Canada from Palestine as a refugee under his uncle and aunt’s sponsorship because of the many problems faced in Lebanon and Syria. Omar did not speak English when he arrived and faced many instances of culture shock. He overcame these challenges as he began studying online and joined volunteer and youth programs.

Currently, he is an administrative assistant at the City of Saint John and is with a Diversity and Social Inclusion group at the YMCA, as well as a volunteer with many groups and organizations such as Stay and Grow, SJNC, PRUDE Inc., YMCA, and SJLIP.

Omar has established a team of young people to volunteer, is working on building relationships between newcomers and Saint Johners and every day works to support young newcomers.

Hampton Middle School WE Team

2018-2019 Hampton Middle School ME to WE team was comprised of 25 amazing grade 8 and one grade 6 student – who saw the need and answered that call to make a difference right here in Saint John, NB. Through partnering with PRUDE Inc., The Crescent Valley Resource Centre, The Canadian Teacher Federation, WE and WE Believe 2020 – their students met a family that came from Syria, taught them how to plant a garden as the family taught the students about life in Syria and how life is better here in Saint John, NB. Students making a difference, and a family impacting the lives of our young people, was the foundation for an amazing project that was the first of its kind in Canada.