Manitoba Council for International Cooperation - Connecting with Canadians

This project is part of the Connecting with Canadians initiative which aims to involve more Canadians especially children and youth as global citizens and agents of change increasing the participation and the support of Canada’s efforts in international development. The Manitoba Council for International Cooperation (MCIC) promotes public awareness of international development issues focused on economic development education and health targeting Manitobans in rural urban and northern areas. They are targeting 22 000 Canadians over five years through activities such as school programs the Fair Trade Challenge and “Carrotmobs” (a campaign to promote purchasing from fair trade businesses) with the objective of engaging Manitobans especially youth as global citizens. An additional 600 000 Manitobans are being reached indirectly through media campaigns. The project activities focus on engaging youth and teachers reaching out to rural and northern Manitobans growing the capacity of both MCIC members and other partners such as the private sector and institutions. The project also strengthens the capacity of the private sector civil society organizations and institutions to contribute more effectively to international sustainable development; and facilitates access for Global Affairs Canada to a broad range of key stakeholders in Manitoba. MCIC is part of the Inter-Council Network (ICN). The ICN brings together the eight provincial and regional councils for international cooperation that together represent almost 400 diverse civil society organizations across Canada and provides a national forum for collaboration for improved effectiveness and collective action on common priorities.

The expected intermediate outcomes for this project include: (1) increased engagement by Canadians in international development and key global issues; (2) increased effectiveness of Canadian development partners and 3) increased information-sharing among Canadian stakeholders.