
“The jury was inspired by the vital work of the award winners and the hundreds of impressive submissions received. They are all deeply committed to equipping the next generation of leaders with the knowledge and empathy to respond to the biggest challenges to pluralism today and in the future.”
– Joe Clark, former Prime Minister of Canada and Chair of the Award Jury
2019 AWARD WINNERS

The “Learning history that is not yet history” Team
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia
The “Learning History that is not yet history” team are historians and educators who have been working for over 16 years to develop a responsible way of teaching the history of conflict in the former Yugoslavia. Recognizing that teachers often feel ill-equipped to teach these sensitive and controversial topics, the network created an online database of free resources and provides training for teachers. They represent the only regional effort to provide a non-biased approach to learning and teaching about the recent wars.

Deborah Ahenkorah
Ghana
Deborah Ahenkorah is a social entrepreneur and children’s book publisher who co-founded Golden Baobab to empower African writers and illustrators to tell African children’s stories. She advocates for more representative children’s literature, helping readers access accurate portrayals of Africa produced by Africans. Golden Baobab offers the world’s only prize celebrating African writers and illustrators. Ahenkorah also created African Bureau Stories, a children’s publishing house.

Center for Social Integrity
Myanmar
The Center for Social Integrity is an organization developing a non-discriminatory and inclusive society in Myanmar where pluralism is valued. Founded in 2016, the Center’s vision is of a new, modern, secular national Myanmar identity founded on social cohesion, non-violence, non-partisanship and neutrality. The Center works with youth affected by conflict, providing them with training on conflict sensitivity and peacebuilding, cultivating a generation of leaders with pluralistic mindsets.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Adyan Foundation | Lebanon
Adyan promotes the value of cultural and religious diversity through grassroots initiatives in education, media, public policy and intercultural exchange. Adyan has programs in 42 Lebanese schools to build social cohesion and has recently launched an online platform, Taadudiya (pluralism), to encourage critical thinking on cultural and religious diversity in Arab countries.
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Afghanistan National Institute of Music | Afghanistan
The Afghanistan National Institute of Music is a government initiative that provides training in traditional Afghan and Western classical music to Afghan children from diverse backgrounds, particularly orphans, street vendors and girls. It revives Afghan music traditions that were suppressed during the Taliban regime, reintroducing music into society as an important part of nation rebuilding.
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Artemisszio Foundation | Hungary
Artemisszio promotes an open, tolerant and inclusive society and celebrates diversity by creating a strong and politically active intercultural community in Hungary. Its programs foster dialogue and mutual understanding among diverse groups, support the integration of refugees, and raise awareness through education and mentoring. The organization has provided intercultural training to hundreds of education and health professionals, law enforcement and social workers.
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onBoard Canada | Canada
onBoard Canada promotes more inclusive and diverse leadership on boards of Canadian non-profit organizations. onBoard educates, advocates and holds trainings to help match individuals from under-represented communities ─ including visible minorities, women, the LGBTQ2+ community, First Nations and Indigenous peoples, and persons with disabilities ─ with opportunities on governance boards to ensure more equitable participation in civil society leadership.
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Rupantar | Bangladesh
Rupantar is one of the largest awareness and social mobilization organizations in the country. It works on strengthening democracy and political empowerment; peace and tolerance; and disaster management, among others. Since 1998, Rupantar has helped women set up 32 local government-registered women’s organizations, empowering them to organize and run for and win seats in local politics. Rupantar has also organized 261 faith-based dialogues where Muslim, Hindu and Christian leaders come together to develop action plans to combat extremism.
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SINGA | France
SINGA is a citizen movement that supports refugee integration in France and other European cities by connecting refugees to citizens and both private and public partners. It mobilizes foster families to host migrants and recruits public partners to accompany newcomers in professional development. SINGA mobilizes new technologies and social entrepreneurship to bridge the gap, showing that cultural diversity is an asset and overcoming the stereotype of refugees as either “victims” or “threats.”
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Soliya | United States
Soliya empowers young people to bridge barriers and creates constructive dialogue through virtual exchange. Its Connect Program uses a custom-built video-conferencing platform to conduct facilitated discussions online and face-to-face discussions about global, social and personal topics. Its team works in five countries and represents more than 10 countries of origin. The organization aims to build inclusive and pluralistic societies that embrace diversity and transform conflicts by preparing and equipping participants to engage with difference, cooperate and learn together.
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