The Honourable Howard Pawley: 1934 - 2015

Blog written by Paul Lorilla

On December 30, 2015, The Honorable Howard Pawley passed away.  He was a lawyer, a professor, a provincial minister, the Premier of Manitoba and an Officer of the Order of Canada.  To me, I have always known him as Professor Pawley.

When I arrived at the University of Waterloo, there was only one class I wanted to attend, Professor Pawley’s Canadian Federalism: Past, Present and Future – the one that eventually shaped my path to become a public servant. He was so dedicated to this course that he would show up for a night class in front of 10-12 honours students while traveling to and from Windsor to Waterloo.  He was part of the University’s Stanley Knowles Visiting Professor in Canadian Studies and he had our attention from the moment he showed up on campus.  He was more than a professor, he entertained us with countless stories of his time as a Premier and discussions he had with Prime Minister Mulroney, various international leaders and diplomats, the life of a politician, the NAFTA debates and the Meech Lake Accord. Each class built a momentum that pitted our values and ideals about politics, policy and what it is to be Canadian. To this day, his class atmosphere produced one of the most valuable intellectual debates I have experienced and influenced the lens from which I view public service.  At Waterloo, he observed my passion for human rights, social justice, international development and indigenous issues.  He would often tell me that if there was one thing I could focus on and make a significant difference in the country, I should dedicate my time on indigenous policy – learn the history, build relationships, understand the culture and contribute to progressing our nation.

He is one of the most influential mentors in my life.  When I left Waterloo, he was my reference to attend Carleton University’s M.A. Program at School of Canadian Studies.  He suggested that I intern in various Government departments and one day, my passion may even lead to creating an organization that would help communities outside of Canada.  We did not agree on all things and surely debated his stance on various issues but rest assured, he cared for his students as evident in the way he kept emailing and asking about my family, my studies and my career progression. He was patient and respectful and was always a willing reference and an advisor if need be. He was also a visionary.

In 2003, I joined the federal public service.  I have dedicated more than a decade of my work on indigenous issues and currently a Senior Advisor, Aboriginal Affairs with the Department of Canadian Heritage. I am the Founder and Director of the Isa Mundo Foundation which was launched in 2005.  I know that all these endeavors were shaped in some way by Professor Pawley.  He always believed that I would find a way to contribute, his role was to support and inspire, which he did in countless ways.  In our last encounter, he reminded me to be a strong and compassionate public servant. To always consult, be inclusive and to stand for things I believed in.  I remember him telling me how Isa Mundo is a legacy I should be proud of and to continue the work despite the challenges and stress of directing a non-profit organization.  He said in the future, I will see generations of children and youth who benefited from our projects by providing opportunities to be able to contribute to their families, communities and nations. 

It took some time for me to digest the fact that I would no longer be able to contact Professor Pawley via email or see him in Ottawa from time to time. Upon his passing, I read accolades about his life’s work and I learned how respected and praised he was for his “ability to listen, to consult and to lead gently by consensus”.  As I read tributes for him, I am grateful that I was able to spend time and converse with Professor Pawley and so thankful for his friendship.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau summed it up best that Professor Pawley was "… a remarkable Canadian, widely respected for his championing of human rights, social justice, and economic development … his legacy will live on in the many advances our country has made toward achieving greater social justice for all."

Professor Pawley, through the Isa Mundo Foundation, I vow to continue to help those less fortunate in the world - as you have taught us all.  Rest in peace, you will be missed.

 

Photo courtesy of windorstar.com

Season's Greetings

It has been another successful year for the Isa Mundo Foundation. We would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone Happy Holidays and all the best in the coming year.

As each year passes - we are even more grateful to our supporters, volunteers and partners who have contributed to our past and present projects.

In 2015, we continued our work and focus in improving the Volcanes Primary School and the Isa Mundo Education Centre in the area.  By investing in teachers and providing modern learning tools - we have seen the difference our efforts have made this year.  There will be some exciting new projects launched at Volcanes in 2016 with Appnovation.

We also strengthened our partnership with Casa Connor and Pasitos de Luz by doing research on how to improve the facility being constructed by using solar panels.  We hope to complete this project in the coming year.

Appnovation meets Isa Mundo Foundation

Blog contributed by Brittany Neale, Development Specialist at Appnovation

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Appnovation uses open technologies to educate, empower, and engage developing communities to create sustainable economic and social change.

Appnovation was founded in 2007 as an open source development shop specializing in the creation of websites and mobile applications for a variety of locally­based companies and non­profits. Headquartered in Vancouver, with offices around the globe in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and the United States, we have set a company goal to begin to build a corporate legacy, using tech as a force for social good. This past February we launched our C​orporate Citizenship program, which seeks to build partnerships with civil society, the private sector, and institutions interested in creating sustainable development and change through technology. Citizenship to Appnovation is about a commitment to being an active community member, fulfilling our duties, obligations, and desires to act as a positive force and change maker. For Appnovation, this means a sense of responsibility to our local communities, and to the world as a whole.

Since its inception, Appnovation’s Corporate Citizenship program has found strong legs within the Vancouver community. With a number of worthy organizations operating in the city, we wanted to ensure that our Citizenship partners emulated our workplace culture and core values of growth, innovation, teamwork, customer satisfaction, and openness. The Isa Mundo Foundation stood out as an ideal candidate: believing that using our skills and expertise can act as a powerful force for those in need.

As an active Corporate Citizen, Appnovation is committed to implementing projects through two methods. First, we donate developer’s hours to non­profit partners for a variety of web­based and mobile projects; second, we work with our partners to seek funds for larger scale deployments that require the assistance of third party members.

After initial meetings of introduction and determining a values alignment, Appnovation is very excited to continue a dialogue with Isa Mundo around future projects and areas of collaboration. We feel very honoured to have the opportunity to work with such a reputable and respected organization. We are greatly looking forward to what the future holds for our teams and the individuals who can truly witness technology become a tool for social change. 

To learn more about our work, please visit us at Appnovation.com.

October 2015 - Mexico Project Site Visits

Isa Mundo Foundation will make its annual project site visits in the state of Jalisco this month. The team will land in Puerto Vallarta to visit ongoing projects that are making a difference in communities. Our focus in the area has largely been in the Volcanes community where we support an education initiative and attempting to develop and Life Skills Program at the Volcanes Primary School.

Paul Lorilla (Director and Chair, Education Projects) will visit the IMEC and school staff at Volcanes and asses how to continue improving education opportunities of students. Paul will also see the newly launched Volcanes Sewing School that has been developed to provide training to women in the community with the goal of increasing employment opportunities in the future.

Andrée Lacasse (Chair, Children & Youth Projects) has been invited to visit and participate in a life skills program class with a local teacher and her students. This is a great opportunity to learn and observe first hand a program being used that we can support and perhaps fund as a formal Isa Mundo Life Skills Program.

We also hope to visit the Casa Connor facility being constructed to see its progress and to learn how to better support this important project. We look forward to meeting our colleagues and friends in Jalisco and continue building strong partnerships with local non profit organizations in the area. 

IMEC in Nicaragua

We are pleased to announce that we started the launch of an IMEC in Granada, Nicaragua. This will be the second one we have supported in the country.

This IMEC is in partnership with Soccer Without Borders (SWB) and discussions began in 2014 when SWB contacted Isa Mundo Foundation and requested to become a partner in their Granada Education Project.  With the support of Electronics Recycling Association and UPS Shipping - we were able to send the first 7 laptops to Granada to assess how the IMEC can support the SWB's education project.  We will monitor the progress and begin discussions on how to improve and expand the IMEC permanently.

We are excited to partner with SWB as we expand the IMEC concept in Latin America. As SWB stated:

"We are thrilled to partner with the Isa Mundo Foundation to bring much-needed education and technology resources to our program in Granada, Nicaragua. Research shows that the expected lifetime income for girls in the developing world increases 15-20% with each additional year of secondary school completed. Unfortunately, in Nicaragua, the secondary school enrollment rate is just 45%. With support from Isa Mundo, the education program at Futbol Sin Fronteras Granada is prepared to rise to the challenge of making sure that all of our girls graduate secondary school, opening doors to more professional options for a brighter future."


To learn more about SWB's project click on the link to their Granada Education Program.

A Day in a Life of a Teacher

Blog contributed by Sasha Novell-Solacito, Teacher, Volcanes Community Education Project, Mexico

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My workday morning starts out with a very dusty and bumpy ride through the working class neighborhoods of Puerto Vallarta. As the school’s SUV approaches the gates, my smiling students run in flip-flopped feet to greet me. They help me carry my teacher bag, my thermos of tea and the morning breakfasts to the classroom and we immediately start the lesson. Our students come on the shift opposite of their public school schedule to learn English and computer skills, completely voluntarily.

I teach grades 2, 3 and 4, and by now, they know the drill. We warm up with a quick introduction, sing a few songs and dance around to get the wiggles out, and then work on the current units’ vocabulary and sentence pattern. As a small non-government funded, non-profit school we are blessed to have computers, internet and TV’s in each classroom and for many of the students, this is their first encounter with technology.


Even small things such as teaching aids, board games, and classroom decorations make our teaching and learning environment more fun, interactive and efficient. Our new toy for this coming school year – Scholastic’s Little Red Tool Box – contains magnetic letters and sight words that allow students to move, manipulate and build their own words and sentences. Thanks to donations like these from Isa Mundo Foundation, English class becomes a gateway into a new world.

From Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, muchas gracias Isa Mundo!

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Isa Mundo Foundation has been supporting the Volcanes Community Education Project since 2011. The first Isa Mundo Education Centre project in Mexico was launched in this school. 

IMEC in Granada, Nicaragua

In partnership with Soccer Without Borders (SWB), we are in the process of developing a second Isa Mundo Education Centre (IMEC) in Granada, Nicaragua. Isa Mundo has partnered with SWB in the past as their volunteers brought the first set of technological supplies to Empowerment International to create the first IMEC in Nicaragua. 

SWB has launched their Granada Education Program to facilitate positive secondary school outcomes and empower students to reach their full potential. One of the barriers to success is access to teachers, computers, internet and education software and tools. Isa Mundo has always been supportive of similar goals and we have committed to partner with SWB by providing much needed laptops to complement their program.  

Isa Mundo has been working with Mary McVeigh, the Co-Founder and Executive Director of SWB, to use their volunteers traveling to Nicaragua and bring the first batch of laptops to their school. We would like to thank UPS Store #501 in Vancouver for helping us with the shipping of these laptops and for supporting other projects in the future.

We will keep you all updated on the progress of the 2nd IMEC in Nicaragua. To learn more about SWB's education project click on the Granada Education Program.