Four university students claim
$1,000 memorial scholarships
Four of 22 applicants for this year's Belcarz-Zeidler Memorial Scholarships will learn this week that their essays were $1,000 award winners.
The bursaries, instituted last year to honour John Belcarz and Dan Zeidler, two long-time union activists who believed in helping people better themselves, are intended to aid in the personal development and enrichment of those to whom they are granted.
The winners, announced today in Montreal at CWA Canada's annual National Representative Council meeting, are listed below, along with excerpts from their essays.
Graeme Adams is the son of Lynda Shorten, a member of the Canadian Media Guild (CMG) who works at CBC in Toronto. Graeme will be entering the Visual Arts program at York University in Toronto.
"Ever since I've been able to hold some sort of drawing implement, I've been engrossed in the world of creating. ... It's something of an addiction; the feeling of pressing a pencil to paper actually releases something in me ..."
"A crucial part of my studies will be exploration in history, philosophy, literature – the humanities – which strikes me as the sweetest, most fragile and most essential body of knowledge. ... To know a character's rage at injustice in a great piece of fiction is to feel that rage ourselves; to see our loss mirrored in the movements of a dance or staring back at us from within a painting is to feel a connection that nothing else can provide. My dream is to provoke those thoughts and feelings, to offer those connections. If I can unite the knowledge I will gain of people's histories, thoughts, and questions with my developing understanding of the intuitive and the rapturous, I believe I can heal some kind of wound and answer some kind of question, even if that wound or that question is as small as a single person's bad day. Artists heal the soul like doctors heal the body or environmental engineers heal the Earth; I want to be an equal to these. I want to be a healer."
Vanessa Legault-Beauregard, who lives in Quebec City, is the daughter of Sylvain Beauregard, a CMG member who works at CBC in Ottawa. Vanessa is pursuing a BA in industrial relations at Laval University. (The following excerpts are translated from French.)
"I first took an interest in unionization when I was at Cegep, more specifically when I took an introductory course in the history of western civilization. ...
"Since industrialization, unions have been arguing in favour of social progress, not only in the workplace, but also on a much larger, political scale. Historically, unions have made it possible for Canadians to benefit from retirement funds, health insurance, a regulated number of working hours per week, safe working conditions, greater employment equity, etc. Unions thus have a double role. While advocacy for its members is certainly the most obvious, they also influence public opinion, governments and the media in embracing a more democratic view. In my opinion, the workers' movement is especially important for Canadians nowadays, as it plays a key role in improving their standard of living. Unions are able to achieve this by insisting on minimizing accidents in the workplace; on salary increases that, at the very least, remain on track with increases in the cost of living; on limiting the discretionary power of employers so as to avoid misuse of authority; to provide employees with more information about their rights in the workplace, etc.
"In my view, unions remain a powerful, active and most relevant ally for Canadian workers. They benefit employees at both unionized and non-unionized companies since, in the case of the latter, working conditions must reflect those of unionized companies for them to be able to hire and retain their workforce."
Rhiannon Mill-Phillips, the daughter of Randy Phillips, a member of the Montreal Newspaper Guild, is in her first year of a Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at the University of Ottawa.
"One of my most important priorities in life, if not the most important, is to love my work. I refuse to spend this one life dreading the sound of the alarm clock every morning. ..."
"Not anyone can become a nurse; it takes a certain type of personality, drive and conscientiousness to do what nurses do. They are the frontline workers — they have the job that requires a balance between medical and personal care. ..."
"It is my first choice to work in Canada when I obtain my degree; I would like a chance to be a part of making a difference and improving the quality of care in the Northern areas of Canada."
Ellen Snyder, of Fredericton NB, is the niece of Bob Rowlands, a member of the Victoria-Vancouver Island Newspaper Guild. Ellen is completing her fourth year at the University of New Brunswick in the Bachelor of Arts and Science program, which will allow her to graduate with honours in Anthropology and double honours in Biology and Chemistry. She is studying to become a medical doctor.
"Our world is faced with a lot of problems, from world hunger to climate change. Even right here in Canada, there are people faced with poverty, hunger and discrimination. It would be selfish not to try to do something about these things. I believe that it is important to look at each aspect of one's life and try to improve the world with every action."
"I'm not sure where my career in medicine will take me. I hope to spend some time working with humanitarian aid organizations such as the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders. However, I would also like to work here in Canada because our current doctor shortage seems to be getting worse every year. ... Our universal health-care system is a beautiful idea, but when so many people are without a family doctor and so many doctors are overworked, the system is crippled. When working in Canada, my salary will surely exceed my needs. This will allow me to financially support charitable organizations within my community and abroad so that I am further contributing to positive changes in the world."