In 2012, Jamaica celebrated its 50th Anniversary of Independence and nationhood. Jamaica’s Golden Jubilee was marked by a series of celebrations in Jamaica and across the Jamaican Diaspora. In Canada, a not-for-profit organization, Jamaica 50 Celebration Inc., was established to plan and execute a year-long program of celebratory events and activities in Toronto and the Greater…
Issue Area: Diversity and Inclusion
Introduction How can we better understand the role volunteering plays in strengthening citizen engagement, social inclusion, and building resilient communities? Reflecting on some of the transitions within the voluntary sector and trends in volunteer engagement that have emerged over the past five years will help us map out where we want voluntary action to be…
Today, engaging ethnic Canadians is seen as a key strategy for major corporations, learning institutions, politicians, all levels of governments, and nonprofit community organizations. With the continuous rise in the number of Chinese and South Asian immigrants to the country, it is no longer enough to engage only the traditional Canadian populace. Involving ethnic populations…
Introduction Individuals born outside Canada make up a significant proportion of the Canadian population. According to the 2006 Census, the foreign-born accounted for 19.8% of the total population of Canada (Chui, Tran, & Maheux, 2007). Fortunately for those interested in diaspora philanthropy, the 2007 Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering, and Participating (CSGVP) provides significant insight…
First, let us define the term “digital diaspora” for context. We use “diaspora” here as a catchall to describe people who have arrived in Canada from other countries (and, aside from Native Canadians, that is just about everyone), usually fragile nations. Most often these people are or were refugees seeking political asylum or arrived through…
In January 2011 The Toronto Star published a story on G. Raymond Chang, a Jamaican-born financier who has recently become a remarkable and inspiring figure in Canada’s philanthropic scene (Wong, 2011). Chang arrived in 1967, just as the Canadian government began to open its doors to mass migration flows from Asian, African, and Caribbean countries….
The other day, after I paid for my purchase at a bookstore in Vancouver, BC, the young Anglo-Canadian sales clerk wished me a “Happy Chinese New Year” and commented on how we were ending the Year of the Tiger and entering the Year of the Rabbit (as of February 3, 2011). I was momentarily caught…
Organizations that provide settlement services for immigrants and ongoing support for immigrant communities play a vital role in Canadian society. These organizations provide benefits—including assistance with housing, language training, employment preparation, and social services for new immigrants, as well as ongoing programs designed to support disadvantaged communities and eliminate discrimination—that are now recognized as accruing…
Introduction There is a considerable, albeit inconclusive, literature on whether workers in the nonprofit sector are paid less than their counterparts in the private and public sectors. For example, a large national study in the U.S. showed positive and negative differentials for some occupations and industries, but no systematic differences that are sector wide (Leete,…
This article was developed from a presentation to the Annual General meeting of the Canadian Centre for Philanthropy on December 6, 1999 in Toronto. I am no expert in fundraising or ethnic marketing or any such specialized subject. This article is based on my experiences since arriving in Canada about 16 years ago. It draws on…