Lloyd Axworthy, UWinnipeg President & Vice-Chancellor, Farhanaz Majedi, student, Christine Champagne, student, Stuart Murray, Mr. Stuart Murray, President & CEO, Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Marilou McPhederan, Principal, UWinnipeg Global College
Mr. Stuart Murray, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR), and Dr. Lloyd Axworthy, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Winnipeg (UWinnipeg), signed a memorandum of understanding today that will see their organizations work jointly to fulfill their common goals of promoting human rights education and encouraging people to take action for human rights.
“The University of Winnipeg, and the Global College in particular, continue to be leaders in human rights and social justice education as they encourage their students to turn education into action to create a better world,” said Mr. Murray. “It is through trong partnerships such as this one, that we will be able to achieve our common objectives and move Winnipeg closer to becoming the human rights capital of Canada.”
“The goals of The University of Winnipeg and the Canadian Museum forHuman Rights are very similar – providing human rights education and empowering people to take action – it is a natural fit to be working together,” said Dr. Axworthy. “Forging strong ties utilizing our faculties and the CMHR expertise in human rights will enhance the learning experience for all that are engaged and involved to help build better societies that foster global citizenship and dialogue.”
This memorandum of understanding establishes a framework for future collaboration between UWinnipeg and the CMHR in order to undertake projects and develop programming that empowers people to change thought and take action for human rights. This includes the appointment of several CMHR employees as adjunct professors at Winnipeg and a collaborative project that will see the CMHR partner with the University in delivering a three-week summer institute on human rights issues, Adventures in Global Citizenship, in August 2011 that is geared towards first and second year students. Several CMHR researchers will serve as Instructors during this institute and the CMHR will facilitate the use of innovative technology including social media by participating
students.
These collaborative efforts will help bring greater awareness to human rights issues in Winnipeg and beyond and will help to increase access to human rights education, well before the CMHR opens its doors.
About the University of Winnipeg Global College
The University of Winnipeg Global College fosters global citizenship and engagement in human rights through interdisciplinary teaching, research, dialogue, and action in local and global communities. UWinnipeg is consistently ranked in the Top-10 in the country on an annual basis by both Maclean’s Magazine and the Globe & Mail newspaper. The University of Winnipeg is a leader in academic excellence, Indigenous education, environmental studies, business, and theatre & the arts. Find out more by visiting www.uwinnipeg.ca. Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/uwinnipeg and on Facebook
About the Canadian Museum for Human Rights
The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR), currently under construction in Winnipeg, Manitoba, was established to provide a place for Canadians, and the world, to explore and promote the subject of human rights and to encourage human rights action. Opening in 2013, the CMHR is the first national museum established in over 40 years, and the first national museum to be located outside the National Capital Region. For more information about the CMHR please visit http://humanrightsmuseum.ca/ or follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/cmhr_news and on Facebook:
For more information on the partnership between the University of Winnipeg and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights or for media inquiries, please contact:
Naniece Ibrahim
Communications Officer,The University of Winnipeg,
Tel.: 204 988-7130 n.ibrahim@uwinnipeg.ca
Angela Cassie
Director of Communications, Canadian Museum for Human Rights
Tel: 204 289-2000, Cell: 204 290-3651
angela.cassie@humanrightsmuseum.ca
