Provost's Advocacy and Activism Award

Ms. Sage Lacerte is a 3rd year undergraduate student in Gender and Indigenous Studies at the University of Victoria and is from the Nadleh Whut'en First Nation in central B.C. Sage is a strong Indigenous youth leader and activist and the national youth ambassador for the Moosehide Campaign, a grassroots Indigenous movement to end violence towards women and children. Sage is often invited to speak as a youth leader and change-maker at local and national events on the topic of gender justice and equality, Indigenous resurgence and reconciliation. She is a board member of the Victoria Native Friendship Centre, an urban organization serving Indigenous urban individuals and communities and has recently launched an impact investing forum for young Indigenous women in BC. She is a role model and leader for Indigenous and non-Indigenous women.

Dr. Alexander Dunn has garnered respect in the international music community as a virtuoso performer, acclaimed teacher, dedicated mentor and enthusiastic supporter of emerging young talent. Dr. Dunn has advocated by insuring that those that come from less fortunate backgrounds may excel. Dr. Dunn has partnered with Remember the River.org, a non-profit organization that brings guitars to refugee camps in the Middle East. As a Canadian arm of Remember the River, Dr. Dunn sends guitarists into First Nations and impoverished communities. In 2018, Dr. Dunn worked with the NYC based Institute for International Education (IIE). The Orontes Guitar Quartet received an IIE fellowship enabling them to escape war-ravaged Syria and to come to UVic to work under Dr. Dunn’s mentorship. As a result, the quartet will perform across Canada in numerous events supporting refugees and people from war torn countries, bringing a unique narrative of music surviving in times of violence and war.

Ms. Karen Lithgow is an outstanding Biochemistry and Microbiology graduate student who has received multiple competitive national scholarships, published in top tier journals, and gained an international reputation for her infectious disease research achievements. Ms. Hannah Charnock is an extremely successful Chemistry undergraduate student who has maintained outstanding grades, excelled in her cutting-edge research projects, and been awarded a prestigious industry-academia award. Together they have pioneered the UVic Women in Science phenomenon that tackles the challenging obstacles encountered by women in science, and seeks to increase representation of women in scientific disciplines at all career stages. This endeavor is the epitome of transformative and innovative social change, and their success is evident through the groundswell of support received in their inaugural year. Their advocacy for gender equality will ensure a stronger and more inclusive environment at UVic that can serve as a role model for Universities across Canada and beyond.

Dr. Bruce Wallace is an outstanding community based researcher and advocate for the rights of people who use drugs to be involved in the development of programs, services and policies that impact their lives. He has long advocated for the establishment of supervised consumption services and raised awareness of the need for action to reduce the rising tide of drug poisoning (overdose) deaths in our community. He exemplifies the spirit of this award in his advocacy with community groups and agencies that are impacted by the harms of drug use. Bruce’s voice is one of compassion, reason and responsibility in an area that is often fraught with myths and stereotypes about people who use drugs and the need for harm reduction services.