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Students from Winnipeg Win the 2005 Racism. Stop it! National Video Competition

WINNIPEG, March 21, 2005 -- The Honourable Raymond Chan, Minister of State (Multiculturalism), honoured the 10 winning teams of the 9th annual Racism. Stop It! National Video Competition, at a ceremony held today at the Canadian Museum of Civilization.

A team from Balmoral Hall School, consisting of three students - Krupa Kotecha, Teresa Kennedy, and Alex Campbell - was recognized for its video, "Embrace It". A team from Arthur A. Leach School, consisting of five students - Sasa Janjic, Leanne Farough, Selma Medanhodzic, Erin Roach, and Minahal A. Asif - was honoured for its video, "The Bigot Awards."

"Our young people have the will and the courage to change things and to build a better world", said the Honourable Reg Alcock, President of the Treasury Board."I couldn't be more proud that the winning teams are from Winnipeg."

"These videos enable us to see the world through the eyes of Canada's youth," said Minister of State Chan.

"These young Canadians understand the pain of exclusion. They know that stereotyping can cause damage to both the individual and the community", added Minister of State Chan. "They recognize that racism is a barrier for many Canadians, and that respect and understanding are the only means to overcome this challenge."

Every year the Racism. Stop it! National Video Competition challenges youth aged 12 to 18 to take a stand against racism by creating videos that deliver strong anti-racism messages. The competition is sponsored by Panasonic Canada Inc. The videos are selected by a panel of judges who make their choices based on originality, audio/visual quality and the effectiveness of the Racism. Stop it! message.

The winning teams come from schools in Prince George, British Columbia; Winnipeg, Manitoba; Yellowknife, NWT; Toronto and Markham, Ontario; Chandler and Laval, Quebec, and; Halifax, Nova Scotia. The 2005 winning videos can be viewed at: www.march21.gc.ca.

The Racism. Stop it! National Video Competition was created to honour the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, March 21. This special day was declared by the United Nations in 1966 to commemorate the anti-apartheid demonstrators who were killed in Sharpeville, South Africa, 45 years ago. Canada was one of the first countries to support this International Day.

The Racism. Stop it! National Video Competition is funded and managed by the Multiculturalism Program of the Department of Canadian Heritage.

Information:

Roy Bornmann
Office of the Minister of State (Multiculturalism)
(819) 997-9900

Brigitte Gibson
Manager
Communications and Executive Services
Prairies and Northern Region
Canadian Heritage
(204) 983-7875


BACKGROUNDER

Racism. Stop it!
Winners of the 2005 National Video Competition


Nous sommes qui nous sommes
École Curé-Antoine-Labelle, Laval, Quebec
Carl Lebel - 17
Eve Desrochers - 16
Yan Gagnon-Labelle - 16
Laura Léger - 16

Leave Out Violence LOVE
c/o Moving Images Group

Sacred Heart School of Halifax,
Halifax, Nova Scotia

Andrew Abraham - 18
Ryan Gannon - 17

What is Racism?
Cedars Christian School, Prince George, BC
Tim Wood - 14
Colton Beeton - 13
Josh Burnham - 13
Daniel Giesbrecht -13
Craig Pudlas -13

Stereotypes
Sacred Heart School of Halifax,
Halifax, Nova Scotia

Melanie Hattie - 14
Desirée Adams - 16
Meaghean Richardson - 15
Kirsti Jangaard - 14
Hilary Lanyon - 15

Embrace it!
Balmoral Hall School, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Krupa Kotecha - 14
Teresa Kennedy - 14
Alex Campbell - 14

The Bigot Awards
Arthur A. Leach School, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Sasa Janjic - 14
Leanne Farough - 15
Selma Medanhodzic - 15
Erin Roach - 14
Minahal A. Asif - 14

Racism. Stop it!
Sir John Franklin High School, Yellowknife,
NWT

Julia McIntyre - 15
Nicole Krivan - 15

Stop Discrimination Cuz You Can
Markville Secondary School, Markham, Ontario
Roy Wong - 18
Ashleigh Clarke - 18
Wei-Jen Lee - 17

Picking Teams
Silver Springs Public School, Toronto, Ont.
Ashley Tsang - 13
Carrie Han - 13
Trevor Harvey - 13
Danusha Jebanesan - 13
Matthew Sun - 13

Pensez-y!
Polyvalente Mgr. Sévigny, Chandler, Quebec
Annie Pier Audet - 14
Vicky Pelletier - 14
Charlotte Levasseur-Paquin - 14

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Date created: 2005-03-21 Important Notices