NGOs

Red Cross - The Canadian Red Cross Society is part of the largest humanitarian
network in the world, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. This
network includes the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (Federation) and 189 National
Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies dedicated to improving the situation of the most
vulnerable throughout the world. The Canadian Red Cross mission is to improve the
lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity in Canada and around
the world. http://www.redcross.ca/about-us/about-the-canadian-red-cross
Doctors Without Borders - Amid the Parisian upheavals of May 1968, a group of
young doctors decided to go and help victims of wars and major disasters. This new
brand of humanitarianism would reinvent the concept of emergency aid. They were to
become Mdecins Sans Frontires (MSF), known internationally in English as Doctors
Without Borders. After the revolt of May '68 burst onto their black and white TV screens,
the French public soon saw other, more frightening images. For the first time, television
broadcasted scenes of children dying from hunger in remote corners of the world. In
southern Nigeria, the province of Biafra had seceded. This minuscule territory was
surrounded by the Nigerian army and the Biafran people were decimated by famine.
The French Red Cross issued an appeal for volunteers.
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/founding-msf
Greenpeace - Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning organization that acts
to change attitudes and behaviour, to protect and conserve the environment and to
promote peace. Greenpeace was founded in Vancouver in 1971, when a small boat of
volunteers and journalists sailed into Amchitka, an area north of Alaska where the US
Government was conducting underground nuclear tests. This tradition of 'bearing
witness' in a non-violent manner continues, and our ships are an important part of all
our campaign work. Greenpeace today operates in more than 40 countries with
Greenpeace Canada headquartered in Toronto. We have more than 90,000 supporters
in Canada and 2.9 millions members worldwide, and represent them at virtually every
international environmental conference.
http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/About-us/
YMCA - The Young Men's Christian Association (commonly known as YMCA or simply
the Y) is a worldwide organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 57
million beneficiaries from 125 national associations. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by

George Williams in London and aims to put Christian principles into practice by
developing a healthy "body, mind, and spirit." These three angles are reflected by the
different sides of the (red) trianglepart of all YMCA logos. From its inception, it grew
rapidly and ultimately became a worldwide movement founded on the principles of
Muscular Christianity. Local YMCAs engage in a wide variety of charitable activities,
including providing athletic facilities, holding classes for a wide variety of skills,
proselytising Christianity, and humanitarian work. YMCAs continue to be religious
organisations; many national or local organisations de-emphasise this aspect, while
others choose to prioritise its religious mission above all others. The different local
YMCAs are voluntarily affiliated through their national organisations. The national
organisations in turn are part of both an Area Alliance and the World Alliance of YMCAs.
The World Alliance's main motto is "empowering young people."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YMCA
Citizens for Local Democracy - The key to a successful group is making sure it does
things. Yes, the group is a forum for discussion, but it also must do things, such as:
send letters to city council; organize a campaign to pressure MPPs by letter or in
person, get speakers on the list for various hearings, get the message out widely to the
whole community. In thinking about the group, ensure it is action oriented, that it sets
goals and gets them done. The group should not see its role as existing to discover the
definitive position on a given issue, but rather to attract a lot of energy to that issue so
people can help resolve it.
http://www.connexions.org/CxLibrary/Docs/CX5302-C4LDOrganizing.htm
Canadians Against Violence - CAVEAT is a grassroots charitable organization serving
as a non-partisan voice for all Canadians, working together for safety, peace, and
justice.
http://www.caveat.org/
Goodwill Industries - Goodwill Industries is a non-profit social enterprise that provides
work opportunities, skills development and employee and family strengthening for those
who face barriers such as disability or social disadvantage. The aim is to advance
individuals, families and communities toward economic self-sufficiency and prosperity.
http://goodwillindustries.ca/our-story/
Street Kid International - Street Kids International (or Street Kids) is a
Canadian-based non-governmental organization founded by Peter Dalglish and Frank
O'Dea in 1988. The organization focuses on providing street youth with the opportunity
to lead safer and better lives through three main programme avenues: street heath,

street work and street rights. In 2008, Street Kids International expanded its operations
to the United Kingdom with Street Kids International UK.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_Kids_International
N.A.A.C.P - Founded Feb. 12. 1909, the NAACP is the nations oldest, largest and most
widely recognized grassroots-based civil rights organization. Its more than half-million
members and supporters throughout the United States and the world are the premier
advocates for civil rights in their communities, campaigning for equal opportunity and
conducting voter mobilization.
http://www.naacp.org/oldest-and-boldest/
Oxfam - Oxfam Canada is part of a global movement for change made up of 19 Oxfam
affiliates working in more than 90 countries to mobilize the power of people against
poverty. Womens rights and overcoming inequality are at the heart of everything we do.
Working with Canadians, our partners and allies around the world, Oxfam Canada
strives to empower individuals, communities and organizations to build a world without
poverty where all human beings are valued and treated equally - a world where women
and girls have control over their lives and enjoy their full human rights.
https://www.oxfam.ca/about
PEN International - PEN International (known as International PEN until 2010) is a
worldwide association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and
intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. The association has autonomous
International PEN centers in over 100 countries. Other goals included: to emphasise the
role of literature in the development of mutual understanding and world culture; to fight
for freedom of expression; and to act as a powerful voice on behalf of writers harassed,
imprisoned and sometimes killed for their views.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PEN_International
Amnesty International - Amnesty International turns knowledge of human rights
violations into global awareness and action. We uncover the truth about human rights
abuses, and mobilize individuals to take action so that human rights abuses are
stopped, individuals and communities are protected, and perpetrators of human rights
violations are brought to justice.
http://www.amnesty.ca/about-us/what-we-do