When Hamilton suffered hate crimes following September 11th, 2001, HCF became a catalyst for local leadership. The result: a community-wide campaign against hate and ignorance. A public rally and this powerful poster helped citizens express their resistance to bigotry. It also led to the formation of Strengthening Hamilton’s Community Initiative, now part of the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion (HCCI).

Archives

Initiatives

Read about some of HCF's past community leadership initiatives and supporting research.

Aboriginal Youth in Hamilton Initiative

Aboriginal youth represent the fastest growing segment of Canada's youth population. However, these young people are among those that face the greatest challenges - the highest levels of poverty, unemployment, and suicide, as well as experiencing low education levels.   An HCF donor expressed an interest in contributing to the future well being of Aboriginal Youth in the Hamilton area, Hamilton Community Foundation initiated an assessment and analysis of opportunities and options for supporting Aboriginal youth in our community. As a result, a "Stay-in-School" initiative for Aboriginal Youth in Hamilton was launched with a Steering Committee of the Hamilton Executive Directors of the Aboriginal Coalition/HEDAC. The program was called NYA:WEH, which means thank you in Mohawk and is an acronym for Native Youth Advancement with Education Hamilton. In announcing the program CEO Carolyn Milne called it "a fantastic partnership" among Hamilton's aboriginal organizations, the public and Catholic school boards, and the foundation.

HCF continues to fund NYA:WEH which operates within Cathedral, Parkside and Sir John A. McDonald High Schools. More information is available here.

Watch the story of how NYA:WEH is developing Hamilton’s Aboriginal community through educational success.

Read the Hamilton Spectator story.  

Bay Area Arts & Stabilization Program

The goal of The Bay Area Arts and Heritage Stabilization Program was to increase the ability of our arts and heritage organizations to sustain and enable arts organizations to address the challenges they faced and flourish in our community.

The Bay Area Arts and Heritage Stabilization Program strategy brought together leaders from the arts and business communities and funding from both the public and private sectors to support the cultural sector in addressing the challenges that they face. The program provided technical assistance and working capital grants to participating organizations.

The Hamilton Community Foundation was a catalyst in the initiation of The Bay Area Arts and Heritage Stabilization Program. This program is now a separate charitable organization with its own Board of Directors.

Our Millenium Project

On Canada Day 1999, HCF issued an invitation to every member of our community: "What are you doing to mark the new millennium?" By December 31, 2000 more than 300,000 citizens of the Hamilton area had answered that challenge with action - they had participated in an Our Millennium gift to the community.

Working together, area residents created 1,176 projects to benefit our community.

Hamilton's Our Millennium program was one of the most successful in Canada - a testament not only to this area's legendary community spirit, but also to what can be achieved through an outstanding collaboration.

Prevention of Bullying among Children and Youth in Hamilton Initiatives

Bullying can cause lifelong damage to victims and bullies. Through a generous contribution to the Hamilton Community Foundation from two concerned citizens, Therese and Kent Newcomb, research on the prevalence of bullying in Hamilton was initiated by the Foundation and community leaders were convened to consider community-wide response to this childhood tragedy. The Foundation began by collecting information about the extent of bullying in local schools, the responses that had been designed to date, and what research indicated about the best ways to address the problem. Hamilton's anti-bullying initiative resulted in a Roundtable of more than 25 organizations including the two school boards, youth-serving organizations, the police, parents, media representatives, children's aid societies, public health, McMaster University, the Community Child Abuse Council, and other important groups, to design the community-wide strategy which continues to work to reduce and prevent bullying in Hamilton.  

Social Vision for the New City of Hamilton Initiative

A Social Vision document, prepared by the Caledon Institute of Social Policy, provided a basis for the creation of a comprehensive Social Development Strategy for the Hamilton Community. This strategy was developed to enable the city to proactively plan and implement local initiatives, rather than simply responding to federal and provincial programs. Read the full document on the Caledon Institute website .

"Strengthening Hamilton's Community" Initiative

The racist hate crimes that Hamilton suffered in the days after September 11th, 2001 spurred HCF to think about how it could be a catalyst for local leadership on the challenges of diversity. A phone call to the city's faith leaders was enough to spark a community-wide campaign against hate and ignorance. Within days, leaders from all faiths met, held a public rally and produced a powerful poster to help citizens express their resistance to bigotry and hate. The Hamilton Spectator distributed the poster in its September 27th edition. The poster's message, "An attack on one is an attack on us all," was soon seen in the windows of homes and businesses all across the region.

Following the rally, The United Way, the District Health Council, the Social Planning & Research Council, Hamilton Community Foundation and others approached the mayor to ask him to take leadership on issues of intolerance and safety in response to the distressing events. Mayor Robert Wade established a Community Roundtable composed of sectoral leaders. The "Strengthening Hamilton's Community Initiative" was publicly launched in March 2002, with an enthusiastic, diverse crowd of more than 250 people in attendance. A two-year, community-based capacity building project, Strengthening Hamilton's Community brought together 50 community leaders to explore ways to create harmony in our culturally diverse community.

Strengthening Hamilton's Community subsequently joined with the Civic and Resource Centre Initiative to form the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion, a community-based civic resource centre committed to working as a catalyst for anti-racist change across Hamilton.

Youth and Philanthropy Program

Looking to the future, Hamilton Community Foundation is helping a new generation learn the values and challenges of philanthropy and community leadership.  Former HCF president Kent Newcomb had heard young people from several U.S. foundations share their positive experiences of being involved with community foundations.

Their enthusiasm reinforced an idea that he and his wife Thérèse had been thinking about for some time. "Young people need a voice not only in the issues that face them now, but in the challenges and opportunities they will encounter in the future. They need to develop the attitudes, values and skills that will enable them to contribute effectively to their communities and their country. The best way to learn generosity and to value community service is by direct exposure and involvement.

Thérèse and Kent challenged Hamilton Community Foundation to develop a program that would involve youth and provide leadership opportunities for young people and .endowed $100,000 with the gift of 1,000 shares of McDonald's Corporation. Today, HCF's Youth in Philanthropy program is a vibrant and growing entity through its Youth Advisory Council.

 

For more information about any of these past initiatives, please contact the Foundation.