2018

The seventh annual Daughters Day celebration took place on September 8th at Edmonton City Hall. The Board of Canadians for a Civil Society and the Daughters Day Committee are grateful for the many who attended, volunteered, performed, and donated to the celebration.

 






Daughters of the Year Award Recipients

 

Beryl Linda Scott

Beryl Linda Scott Born in Montego Bay, Jamaica, Beryl moved to the UK where she trained as a Registered Nurse and Midwife. After moving to Canada in 1976, she worked as a nurse in Hamilton, ON and Edmonton. Since retiring, Beryl continues to be active in nursing and union organizations. In all her professional and volunteer activities, Beryl Scott has been a mentor for others and a champion for human rights. She volunteers in the community, assisting in school lunch programs, fighting for the rights of the most vulnerable in our society and working to improve the lives of single parents, children, workers of colour, First Nations people and the LGBTQ community. Beryl volunteers for numerous non-profit organizations, assisting both behind the scenes and at public events. Beryl has been recognized both in Great Britain and in Edmonton for her hard work and commitment to improving the lives of others. Among other honours, she was awarded the Afro-Canadian Heroes Award – Community Woman of the year by Diversity Magazine (AfroFest). For 26 years, Beryl Scott served on the Board of the United Nurses of Alberta. She served as President for the Centre for Race and Culture and is currently President of the Canadian Multicultural Education Foundation. Beryl Scott is a strong, caring woman who has never been a spectator in any aspect of her life. She is passionate about creating an inclusive society free of racism through systemic changes and intercultural understanding. Beryl reaches out to individuals from diverse communities, involving them in activities that benefit society in order to create a better life for all.

Melissa-Jo Belcourt Moses

Melissa-Jo Belcourt Moses Over 2 decades of work and a lifetime of passion is how MJ describes her life’s work thus far. First and foremost a traditional Metis artisan invited to the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival in 2006 to represent Alberta by demonstrating her traditional artwork. Thereafter she received the Aboriginal Role Models of Alberta 2009 Arts Award for her contribution as a certified cultural arts instructor. Her passion lies in her cultural heritage where she continues to research to find a better understanding of her ancestral legacy she follows. She continues to support the community both aboriginal and non-aboriginal in facilitating workshops to teach both the history and traditional craft skills. As a certified Native Cultural Art Instructor MJ has taught traditional Indigenous arts in First Nations communities, schools, and post-secondary institutions like the Alberta Vocational College and the University of Alberta. She served as an educator at the Royal Alberta Museum in the Syncrude Aboriginal Culture Gallery for eight years between 1998 and 2010. She has facilitated the involvement of Indigenous people’s culture in festivals such as the Silver Skate Festival, Deep Freeze Festival, Kaleido Festival, Rubaboo, Flying Canoe, Dreamspeakers and “Kiyanaw” as part of Edmonton’s Klondike Days/Capital Days from 2008 to 2014. She has recently taken on creating a wardrobe for films and documentaries.

Tina Guo

Tina Guo is a second-year medical student at the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine. Born and raised in Calgary, Tina grew up as a second-generation immigrant with parents who emigrated from China. Following the second year of her undergraduate university education, she founded and currently serves as the co-Executive Director of the University of Calgary’s Students Against Domestic Abuse Association, the first student-run initiative of its kind in Canada. In addition, she served as co-chair of the Calgary chapter of Outrun the Stigma, a national not-for-profit organization that hosts the largest mental health run annually on multiple campuses throughout Canada to promote mental health and raise money for local agencies that provide counselling and mental health services. Currently, Tina also serves as the Finance Executive of the student-run clinic, which allows medical student clinicians to provide free clinical services for marginalized homeless and refugee populations under the guidance of family physician preceptors. Tina has conducted research at both the O’Brien Institute for Public Health and the Dave Hansen Lab at the University of Calgary, Faculty of Science, Department of Biological Sciences. For her leadership experience, commitment to community service, and advocacy for marginalized populations, Tina was invited to be a keynote speaker at the HERstory Leadership Day Conference hosted by the Famous 5 Foundation and the Carya Society of Calgary. In addition, Tina has been recognized for her writing pertaining to medical humanities, and her work has been featured in The Longview medical student journal.

Lynsae Moon

Lynsae comes by activism and relationship building inherently. As a child, Lynsae would leave her parents’ sides to sit with the homeless along Jasper Avenue, and to this day, not much has changed. She is just as passionate about using the power of personal connection to make a positive difference through many job ventures, activism projects, and volunteer roles. She started working in cafes as a teen and returned to the industry as a young mum in her mid-twenties eventually earning a role as Operations Manager in a well-known local cafe. These endeavours have fostered her most recent and rewarding adventure yet; opening The Nook Cafe. Since the cafe opened last summer, Lynsae has been recognized for contributing to inclusive revitalization in its neighbourhood and for constantly striving to help people find their voices and empower them. She would tell you that she doesn’t run a business -she creates a family and a community. She is no stranger to the challenges and barriers to accessing the supports for those she has cared for, be it emergent or ongoing needs. Lynsae has helped mothers with postpartum depression, advocated for her first husband who was arrested under the Mental Health Act and worked tirelessly to get support for their shared children. She also creates a safe space for people at her cafe, The Nook, where she regularly connects folks in need with appropriate resources while providing a place for them to be visible and a part of day to day public life. Lynsae is interested in changing the dialogue around mental health and wellness to create a world where the stigma is eradicated. She believes in normalizing the experiences of those living with and those affected by mental illness.

Ruby Littlechild

Ruby Littlechild is Plains Cree from Maskwacis, Alberta. Her primary passion is promoting inclusion, equality, higher education, diversity, mentoring and the healing of Indigenous peoples from colonization. She works toward alleviating systemic barriers, stigmas and stereotypes that Indigenous peoples face. She is a proud mother and has worked hard to achieve a Masters of Education and a Masters of Business Administration. She is a strong community builder, dedicating her time to national, provincial and local Boards including the Advancement of Native Development Officers, the Income and Employment Supports Appeal Panel, the Alberta Historical Resources Foundation. Ruby is currently the manager of the Alberta Indigenous Construction Career Centre (AICCC) at Norquest College, a unique client-focused employment service designed to connect prospective Indigenous workers with employers recruiting for construction-related careers. She designed the AICCC to be a culturally safe and accepting environment for all clients and staff. Ruby and her team lead the AICCC as a successful community economic development model based on strong rural and urban community collaborations. The AICCC responds to Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s calls to action for a more equitable and inclusive society by closing the gaps in social, health and economic outcomes that exist between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians. The Centre has undeniable outcomes serving over 3000 individuals in three years with 99% levels of client satisfaction despite a very challenging and high-demand work environment.

Amber Sayed

Amber Sayed is a first-year science student at the University of Alberta, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Political Science. She has served her community as a volunteer for multiple student organizations and has served and a Youth Leadership Mentor for younger students, as well as worked as the President of both her high school Student Council and Mental Health Awareness Club. She has spearheaded initiatives such as Mental Health Awareness Week, helping educate students and staff about how to care for their mental health. She is a member of the City of Edmonton Youth Council and is very passionate about advocating for and representing youth on a multitude of municipal issues. Amber has also served on Alberta’s provincial Minister’s Youth Council as a student advisor to the Minister of Education on changes being made to the Alberta curriculum, advocating strongly for better mental health support systems for students in Alberta. This year, she also co-founded a federal, non-partisan youth group in her constituency to provide a platform for discussion and information on important issues affecting the youth in her community. During the last two summers, Amber has also been working at both the University of Alberta and the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital as a student researcher. In the future, she hopes to continue to contribute to her communities and remain an actively involved citizen.

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