Roaring applause echoed through the gala as Gord Barnes accepted the Lifetime Achievement Global Citizen Award last weekend.
“It is an incredible honour,” said Barnes, with his award sitting on a nearby table. “The sense of solidarity throughout the entire evening was wonderful.”
The awards show hosted by the Saskatchewan Council for International Cooperation highlights those doing outstanding advocacy work in the province. Barnes has been most recognized for his decades of work with Amnesty International. He is an ambassador for Indigenous rights throughout the province.
Barnes’ work with Amnesty International as a volunteer field worker included recruiting new members and supporting the team in every way possible. Barnes and the new members he recruited have been in charge of various special events such as letter writing campaigns and leading seminars.
“We’ve organized provincial conferences on various topics around Saskatchewan and supporting the development of a human rights culture in Saskatchewan,” said Barnes.
In the future, Barnes is hoping to further the conversation around treaties in Saskatchewan and what that respectful relationship should look like.
“I think there’s still lots and lots of opportunity for people to sit down and have conversations based on getting a better understanding of what our treaty relationships really mean. I think what’s absolutely got to happen is respecting the treaties fundamentally,” said Barnes.
Reflecting on the future of his advocacy journey with Amnesty International, Barnes said he expects to forge ahead with new initiatives.
“It’s been really exciting to see the evolution and the growth in our work and our mandate,” Barnes said.
“We started with a fairly small area of work years ago, and the growth in terms of the human rights work that we undertake has been really exciting to see.”
Vibya Natana, a program assistant for SCIC hopes that Barnes’ work inspires more people to make a change in Saskatchewan.
“The award winner of tonight has over 50 years of contributions to community work right from right here in Saskatchewan. And seeing the impact that that’s able to make, I think that’s really encouraging because you recognize that there is a role for everyone to play,” said Natana.
The other award of the night was the Global Citizen Youth Achievement Award, given to student advocate Amir Said.
Said has worked with student politics at the University of Regina for a number of years as an advocate for minority students. His work this summer helping those facing homelessness, food insecurity and poverty in Downtown Regina has also gained him respect and recognition within the community.
“Most of my work in terms of advocacy has revolved around students, particularly international students and marginalised students on campus. I think that for my work in the field to be recognized is a great honour,” said Said.
The Youth Achievement Award is just the beginning for Said. He recognizes the work that needs to continue on campus.
“There’s certainly a lot of issues facing youth in particular, especially on campus. There’s issues with tuition increasing, students not receiving the supports they need financially, academically, mentally. So there’s a lot of work that needs to be done with the university itself and the Students Union as well,” said Said.
Other than winning the Youth Achievement Award, Said’s proudest moment of the night is being recognized alongside Barnes.
“It’s incredibly humbling, of course, to have my own work over just the past four or so years recognized alongside a man who has been doing invaluable work in the community for over 50 years,” said Said.
Featured image: Gord Barnes proudly holds his Global Citizen Lifetime Achievement Award
