The Together Project, a charitable initiative on the MakeWay Shared Platform, provides critical support to refugees in Canada, by connecting refugee newcomers with “Welcome Groups” of Canadian volunteers to build stronger, more integrated communities.

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The Northern Birthwork Collective, a project on MakeWay’s shared platform, is creating an Indigenous doula training program to offer culturally-safe and gender-inclusive spaces for pregnancy, birth, postpartum and parenting.

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When the onset of the global pandemic forced us to pause, deep inequalities in Canada and around the world were exposed. In the face of Covid-19, it is impossible to ignore longstanding systemic injustices. 73% of Canadians expect a “broad transformation” of society as we emerge from the pandemic.

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At MakeWay, our shared platform is home to over 60 projects based from coast to coast to coast. Initiatives benefit from the support of a mission-aligned community, charitable expertise, and shared resources, so they can focus on the work closest to their heart. Over the last few months, we’ve been sitting down with our shared platform projects to learn more about what they do, and share what they’re up to. Recently, we connected with Turtle Island Institute, an Indigenous social innovation "think and do tank" enabling transformative change. Led by Melanie Goodchild (Anishinaabe) and Terrellyn Fearn (Mi'kmaq), the teaching lodge is reframing social innovation by drawing on Anishinaabe Gikendaasowin (original ways of knowing and being). Turtle Island Institute is striving to support the application of decolonized systems thinking concepts and processes by holding niche space to...

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Wow, time flies. It has been two decades since this organization began as a scrappy environmental non-profit working on conservation in the Great Bear Rainforest. Given that we can’t get together to dance and share stories of old times, we thought we would share 20 reasons to celebrate (because we all need some good news these days):  1. Back in 2000, Tides Canada (now MakeWay!) was born when a small group of caring and daring philanthropists including Carol Newell, asked “how can we bring more capital to tackle pressing environmental and social problems in Canada?" 2. Over the last 10 years, 59% of our funding in the Pacific region went to Indigenous-led initiatives, totalling over $29.2 million in grants to further people and place, thriving together.  3. We’re growing up—from a few staff in Vancouver to a team...

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At MakeWay, our shared platform is home to over 60 projects based from coast to coast to coast. Initiatives benefit from the support of a mission-aligned community, charitable expertise, and shared resources, so they can focus on the work closest to their heart. Over the autumn, we’ve been sitting down with our shared platform projects to learn more about what they do, and share what they're up to. Recently, we connected with Binners' Project: a group of waste-pickers aided by support staff dedicated to improving their economic opportunities, and reducing the stigma they face as informal recyclable collectors. Binners positively contribute to our environment by diverting waste from landfills.   What is a binner? A Binner is a person who collects redeemable containers and other items from bins to sustain their livelihood and to divert waste from landfills. Where is your...

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At MakeWay, our shared platform is home to over 60 projects based from coast to coast to coast. Initiatives benefit from the support of a mission-aligned community, charitable expertise, and shared resources, so they can focus on the work closest to their heart. Over the next few months, we’re sitting down with our shared platform projects to learn more about what they do. Recently, we connected with the Western Arctic Youth Collective! Read on to find out all about them. Where is your Project based? We are based in the Western Arctic region (the Beaufort Delta region) of the Northwest Territories. Our goal is to have a physical base in Inuvik to operate out of post-COVID-19. When was your Project founded and by whom? WAYC is created by Inuvialuit and Gwich’in youth, for youth with connections to the Beaufort Delta...

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Many grassroots and community-based initiatives struggle to drive real-world change while managing the demands of a stand alone charity. And so, MakeWay launched the shared platform model in Canada, one of the first of its kind. It takes a lot of hard work to create positive and lasting change. The precious time and energy available to changemakers should be spent on making it happen. With the shared platform, more time and money goes towards achieving greater impact as projects benefit from sharing important administrative resources and expertise. We host over 60 projects on our shared platform, all across Canada. Over the next few months, we'll be sitting down with each of them to find out more about what they do and how they work. This week, we touched base with Jake Miller, Director of Project Neutral, an initiative...

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Kira Young has lived on Great Slave Lake for most of her 14 years but doesn’t know much about it, scientifically. That’s about to change as she and six other students from across the N.W.T. embarked on a week-long science expedition Saturday aboard a research vessel to uncover some of the lake’s secrets.

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Up to 26 people living and working in the Downtown Eastside will gain new training to enhance their skills as recycling workers, thanks to new funding from the Government of British Columbia.

Binners’ Project will receive over $115,000 from WorkBC’s Community and Employer Partnerships (CEP) Employer Sponsored Training program to deliver classroom training and practical experience to employees who are at risk of layoff.

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