Big things are happening…
It’s been a while since our last blog post, but rest assured, CLA and its dedicated network of social justice champions have been busier than ever over the past few months preparing the launch of our Student Chapter Program on ‘refugee rights’, and the expansion of our widely celebrated Dare to Dream program.
There is a lot of ground to cover in this blog post, so grab yourself a pumpkin spice latte and settle in; there are many ways for you to get involved and make a difference.
Student Chapters:
CLA’s Student Chapter presidents from 15 law schools across Canada will be traveling to Ottawa this weekend to attend our annual Student Conference, and to learn about our annual theme of “refugee rights”. The event is taking place on October 17th and 18th at the University of Ottawa, and is open to the public (limited seating available).
We are delighted to have experts Alex Neve, Secretary General of Amnesty International (keynote address on October 17), Peter Showler, Co-chair of the Advocacy Committee of the Canadian Association of Refugee Laws, Nicole LaViolette, Professor at the University of Ottawa, Arghavan Gerami, Managing Director of Gerami Law Professional Cooperation, and Jennifer Bond, Professor at the University of Ottawa, educating our students about access to justice for refugees in Canada and abroad. For more details about the event, please see our press release here. You can also see CLA’s Student Chapter report on Refugee Rights here.
CLA is also hosting a private event with a panel on “Careers in International Law and Social Justice” on October 18th at Hub Ottawa (71 Bank Street, 6th Floor). Our Student Chapter presidents will have the opportunity to hear from Jayne Stoyles, Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Social Justice, John McManus, Counsel for Justice Canada, Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Section, and Catherine McKenna, co-founder of CLA, Liberal Party of Canada Candidate for Ottawa-Centre, and Lecturer at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs.
Student Internships:
This past summer, CLA placed 19 student interns in organizations throughout the globe committed to social justice initiatives. Our students contributed to projects ranging from enforcing women’s rights, prosecuting crimes against humanity, representing low income clients at legal clinics, promoting environmental sustainability, and supporting the work of Aboriginal communities. You can read about our students’ experiences first hand in CLA’s blog here, or in our 2014 Reflections From the Field document on our website.
Details regarding CLA’s 2015 Summer Internship program will be posted soon. If you are a non-profit organization that works to support human rights, good governance and the rule of law, and are interested in hosting a summer intern, please email Sephra Smith, Director of Student Internships at ssmith@cla-ace.ca.
On behalf of CLA, I would like to thank our Student Program sponsors, E-L Financial Corp. Ltd. and the University of Ottawa, for your generous support of our Student Programs. Together, we are cultivating Canada’s next generation of leaders of law!
Dare to Dream:
We are thrilled to announce that the RBC Foundation has joined CLA as a national sponsor of our Dare to Dream program. As noted by Jasmina Zurovac, Director of Corporate Donations, in CLA’s September 15th press release, "RBC is committed to promoting the wellbeing of children and youth, and to building relationships of mutual understanding, trust and respect with Aboriginal communities. We are delighted to support this innovative program that strives to transform the way Aboriginal youth perceive the law and justice system in Canada."
Did I mention that Dare to Dream is expanding??!!??
In 2014-15 Dare to Dream will continue in Toronto (thanks to McMillan LLP and Olthuis Kleer Townshend LLP), Calgary and the Siksika Nation, and will launch for the first time ever in Ottawa and Saskatoon.
Ottawa
The Ottawa Dare to Dream training event for volunteer lawyers, paralegals and law students is taking place on October 20, 2014 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Wabano Centre. Our speakers include the Honourable Justice Leonard Mandamin of the Ottawa Federal Court, Qajaq Robinson from the Aboriginal Law Group at BLG, and a panel of education specialists and youth workers.
If you are interested in attending, please RSVP by October 17th at 1:00 p.m. by emailing Ashley King, Ottawa Dare to Dream Program Coordinator, at aking@cla-ace.ca. Please note that the event has been accredited by the Law Society of Upper Canada for 3 Professionalism, and 3 Substantive CPD hours.
The Ottawa program will be delivered throughout the school year to Aboriginal youth aged 11-14 in the Aboriginal Learning Centre at Rideau High School. A special thanks goes to our Ontario Dare to Dream partner, the Ontario Justice Education Network, and the Law Foundation of Ontario, who’s support made the expansion to Ottawa possible.
Saskatoon
In Saskatoon, CLA has partnered with the Law Foundation of Saskatchewan, Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations and the University of Saskatchewan’s Native Law Centre to bring Dare to Dream to St. Francis School.
If you are a Saskatoon lawyer or law student interested in supporting and empowering Aboriginal youth through justice education, please join us for the volunteer training event on October 24, 2014 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Station 20 West. The event will include cultural competency training by our keynote speaker, Mary McAuley of McAuley Law Firm, and a diverse panel of experts on engaging Aboriginal youth.
Please RSVP by October 22, 2015 at 5:00 p.m. by emailing Kurtis MacDonald, Saskatoon Dare to Dream Program Coordinator, at kmacdonald@cla-ace.ca.
If you are interested in getting involved in Dare to Dream in Toronto, please email Fallon Melander at spencef@lao.on.ca. In Calgary and the Siksika Nation, please email Dana Martin at themoderndana@gmail.com.
That’s it for now folks- be sure to check in again soon for further updates, including news about our exciting rebranding in 2015.