Engaging Youth in International Justice in Canada
Project Objectives
The primary objective of this project is to provide students with an opportunity to increase their knowledge of international justice issues from a Canadian perspective, in particular the problem of impunity for serious international crimes such as crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes, and actively engage them in solution-building. The project provides youth with practical work experience, mentoring and contacts in their field, allows them to make an important contribution on these issues through their initiatives, and helps to develop future Canadian leaders committed to international justice.
Accomplishments to Date
From November 1, 2006 (start of the project) to date (April 2007), the CCIJ's youth project has engaged approximately 120 students from 10 academic institutions, representing 9 different faculties and departments. Students in the project are studying Law; Gender Issues; Communications; Development & Globalization; International Studies and Modern Languages; Human Rights; Psychology; Political Science; and Technology. The academic institutions involved include: University of Toronto; University of Ottawa; Carleton University; L'Université du Québec à Montréal; McGill University; McMaster University; University of Manitoba; University of Victoria; University of British Columbia; and Algonquin College.
Canadian Centre for International Justice
The students are engaged in a wide range of interesting projects. For example:
- Legal research related to the CCIJ's casework and policy work
- Conducting and analyzing a survey on public attitudes towards international justice
- Creating training materials to educate legal professionals, law professors and other professors and teachers about these issues
- Developing a resource centre for professionals, academics and students in this field
- Organizing on-campus events to raise awareness of international justice issues
- Researching fund development opportunities and drafting introductory letters
- Creating the organization's website
All students involved participated in a half-day, interactive workshop to discuss international justice issues, get oriented to the CCIJ, and develop ideas for their initiatives. Most then formed campus groups, while other initiatives lent themselves to individual work. Most youth involved have had a connection to a CCIJ Working Group in their city, comprised of professors, lawyers, counselors and other students, and have had the opportunity to attend relevant meetings and events.
About CCIJ: It was founded in 2000 by a group of Canadian NGOs seeking to ensure that those living in Canada and accused of committing atrocities abroad such as war crimes are brought to justice, and their victims supported and compensated. CCIJ belongs to an international network of organizations including the NGO Coalition for the International Criminal Court, and REDRESS in the UK.