Awardees Ayla and Van Hamilton with Minister Flor Marcelino and MLA Rob Altemeyer (above) and Strinni Reddy (below)

Sybil Shack
Human Rights Youth Award

On December 6, 2012, Ayla and Van Hamilton of Major Pratt School in Russell Manitoba received the Sybil Shack Human Rights Youth Award at a reception in their honour held in the United Way building in Winnipeg. They may be two of the youngest ever to receive the award, but their efforts to reunite Filipino families have made them more than worthy.

With the growing number of Filipino men and women in Russell, Manitoba who have left their children back in the Philippines, Ayla and Van felt there was a need to help them reunite. With the support from their family, classmates and the Russell community, Ayla and Van raised over $6000 for their Kids Helping Kids campaign. The money has been used to purchase airline tickets for travel and also to help with immigration costs. Ayla and Van Hamilton are making a difference in peoples’ lives, all because they saw a need and they had the courage to do something about that need.

The Annual Sybil Shack Human Rights Youth Award recognizes work of a person or group of people, 25 years old and under that has had an impact on the advancement of human rights as guaranteed in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and human rights legislation in Manitoba.

The other recipients of the Sybil Shack Human Rights Youth award for 2012 are: Muuxi Adam, After School Program Coordinator at the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba Inc.; and Chelsea Caldwell, a second year student at the University of Winnipeg.