Our Supporters
The Safe Harbour: Respect for All program in British Columbia is currently funded through EmbraceBC and the Ministry of Advanced Education, Innovation and Technology, with support from the federal government.
Support Us!
Demand is growing for the Safe Harbour: Respect for All program.
Demonstrate your corporate citizenship and benefit from valuable marketing opportunities by taking advantage of a variety of partnership opportunities offered by AMSSA’s Safe Harbour: Respect for All program.
Promote your brand, products and services to a targeted market or wider public audience by integrating sponsorship of Safe Harbour events and initiatives into your overall marketing plan. If sponsorship does not suit your philanthropic or marketing objectives, AMSSA is able to customize a package tailored to your needs. Or, we may develop a new and innovative partnership based on your organization. These are some examples of where your organization could receive Safe Harbour branding exposure:
- Co-Branding with Safe Harbour across 35 BC communities
- Annual Safe Harbour Champion's Breakfast
- Provincial Respect for All PR Campaign
- Promotional Activities & Events
- Community Resource Tools & Support
- Diversity Workshops & Curriculum Development
For more information please contact Lindsay Marsh, Safe Harbour Coordinator, at 604-718-2776, nationalsafeharbour@amssa.org
Celebrity Respect for All Champions
AMSSA is pleased to welcome Carl Valentine, fomer professional soccer player, Vancouver Whitecaps Club Ambassador and Staff Coach, as our Celebrity Champion. Carl is showcased on our ad currently displayed on 75 Translink buses in Metro Vancouver. Please let us know if you spot it!
"I believe the Safe Harbour: Respect for All program is an initiative that will help create a better understanding of what we, as individuals, need to be doing to better ourselves in order to better society. There is a need to start building cohesive communities and we all have it in us to become loving and caring human beings that can support each other and make this world a better place" ~ Carl Valentine
We asked Carl to respond to this Q & A:
1) What are your thoughts about the value of respect in building bridges between diverse communities?
The value of respect in the process of building bridges between diverse communities is fundamental. Only once we can maintain a position of humility and remove the concept of division, can we create a place of sharing and receiving – a space for transformation.
2) What is one thing that B.C. residents can do to help their community be more welcoming of diversity?
In order to be more welcoming of diversity in the community, we must first become open to the possibility of sharing knowledge and culture for the betterment of society. In order to broaden our capacity as people, we must endeavor to understand each other in a way that extends deeper. We must honour others as we honour ourselves. I believe that we are all connected.
3) Who is your Diversity Hero and why?
Candice Johnson is my Diversity Hero. I would like to recognize her for her continued cultural bridging work within our community. Through representation of traditional indigenous song, story, and dance, Candice has created a space for open dialogue. Within this space she engages the community, and confronts discrimination by teaching others how to receive and be receiving of the differences of others.
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AMSSA is also pleased to welcome Anita Braha, Director of Vancity's Board of Directors.
"The Safe Harbour: Respect for All program is about embracing diversity which means understanding, mutual respect, and inclusion. I support this program because I believe it makes us better as a society. It helps us to fulfill our role and obligations as kind and caring human beings. Surely we now know that well loved and respected human beings have boundless ability to create and develop and build better communities and ultimately, a better world." ~ Anita Braha
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We asked Anita to respond to these questions:
1) What are your thoughts about the value of respect in building bridges between diverse communities?
In my view, respect is one of the most important bonds in building relationships. It engenders trust, upon which, great and constructive endeavours can be based. Our communities are stronger and richer when they enjoy respect and trust.
2) What is one thing that B.C. residents can do to help their community be more welcoming of diversity?
Open our hearts to the experiences of others; open our minds to the culture, knowledge and wisdom of others.
3) Who is your Diversity Hero and why? This could be anyone, well known or not, who has taken a stand against discrimination and hate in B.C. or Canada.
Rosemary Brown is one of my diversity heroes. She showed such courage and grace as the first Black woman MLA. She stood up for the disadvantaged and dispossessed. It is difficult to imagine what she must have endured in doing so, yet, this did not diminish her. Rather, I always think of her as strong, calm and gracious.
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Author and concerned citizen, Severn Cullis-Suzuki has been a long-time champion of Safe Harbour: Respect for All. Severn has spoken worldwide on the necessity of redefining our values, acting with the future in mind, and listening to children. She's an editor of and writer for Notes From Canada's Young Activists: A Generation Stands Up for Change. She currently lives on Haida Gwaii off BC's coast and sits on the board of directors of the David Suzuki Foundation.
Respect.
It is a simple, quiet word. It is also a profound concept, a necessary pillar of a healthy community. We need more of it in the world - respect for others, respect for the Earth, respect for ourselves. In our province of BC, one of the most culturally diverse places in the world, the only way of coexisting is with profound respect for each others’ differences.
My family always taught me that each of us has a responsibility to stand up for our beliefs. I think most people believe in respect. But we need to do more than just believe in it, we need to stand up for it. Especially for the children of BC’s diversity, youth growing up a multicultural reality.
Safe Harbour is a simple and profound idea. This quiet concept gives businesses, institutions and individuals the chance to stand up for respect, and be advocates for peace and justice in our communities. It’s a strong, peaceful way of standing up for diversity, a feature of our country that can make us all stronger.
~ Severn Cullis-Suzuki
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
