PRESIDENT'S REPORT 2005

Ken G. Mandzuik, President

I am happy to report to you once again that the last year has been another successful one for MARL. Your board is developing a strategic plan to ensure that MARL continues to be well-placed to fight the fight for human rights and civil liberties in Manitoba.

MARL was again involved with another year of the Asper Foundation Human Rights and Holocaust Studies Program. As in past years, MARL’s participation was only possible through the generous financial assistance of the Winnipeg Foundation, who we thank for their continuing support. Together with our partner organization and funder (the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada and the Asper Foundation) we were able to ensure that our leaders of tomorrow are cognizant of how human rights came to be recognized, and the horrors that can result when those rights are ignored or forgotten. Our association with the program is not infinite, and we are exploring options to ensure that MARL continues to play a vital role in educating tomorrow’s human rights activists.

In the past year, we have been visible not only through our continued work on the Holocaust Studies Program, but with presentations to the Legislative Standing Committee and through contacts with the media. Peter Sim has helped our website grow and become an effective way of communicating with our members, for which we thank him. We have also continued work on an update to our Under 18 Handbook as part of our ongoing education programming.

Dorota Praski deserves special recognition this year in her role as the Human Rights and Holocaust Education Program Coordinator. As many of you know, the program this year had a hiccough when en route back to Winnipeg, a number of our chaperones and students fell ill. Dorota rose to the challenge and was able to manage the nightmare that saw us in two different hotels and two different emergency rooms all the while keeping parents informed and the children assured. She, along with Renee Kaplan (her counterpart with the JHC), is deserving of our thanks. Her work and dedication is a credit to us all. Last, my thanks go to Valerie Price. Given my work commitments, I am not always as on top of things as I might like to be, but she makes my job so much easier. She keeps us aware of the things that are important and continues to be our face and voice in the human rights community. We are fortunate to have Valerie around, and we can be rightly proud of the work she does on our behalf. Please join me in thanking Valerie and Dorota when you have the chance.

Thank you again for your support over the last year, and I look forward to working with you for my final year on the board at MARL. As always, I am happy to speak with any of you about your thoughts or concerns, and can be reached through the MARL office.