It’s no secret that our volunteers are amazing! Time after time, they make incredible efforts to get informed and take action to advocate for a world without extreme poverty. Our Results Canada 2020 Volunteer Awards puts the spotlight on a few of our volunteers, but we have so much appreciation for the contributions of every single one.
This month, we’re featuring the winner of our Most Active New Volunteer Award: Franck Potwora.
This year, this award goes to 2 people who started volunteering with Results since the last national conference in May 2018 and have already had a profound impact.
Franck is one of two winners of the New Active Volunteer Award. He is very interested in social justice and believes strongly in the power of citizens. Franck joined Results Canada's Montreal group at the end of 2018:
"Very simply: I went to the website, filled in the questionnaire to confirm my interest, and someone contacted me! In one month, I felt at the heart of a positive and concrete action, in which I felt at home and part of a network."
Franck is particularly proud of the meeting he had with his former MP and another volunteer, Sophie. Franck and Sophie worked on their advocacy together and after much preparation, they went to the meeting.
"Advocacy means speaking up for those who have no voice. It is a rhetorical commitment to promote social justice among those who can act massively: elected officials. And that's a good thing: it's their job.”
It is also thanks to Franck that the Montreal Olympic Tower was illuminated in red to recognize World TB Day in 2019 and 2020! He would not accept any answer other than yes! In addition, Franck managed to get his opinion letter published in the community newspaper Entrée Libre. What could be more rewarding than to write and see the fruit of his work published!
His volunteer experience with Results Canada inspired him to enrol in a university program in Democracy, Global Citizenship, and Transformative Education at the Université du Québec en Outaouais and he is looking to make political advocacy his career.
For those who hesitate to get involved, Franck has some advice:
"If among the last 10 Facebook posts you shared, there's just one addressed to your MP that talks about the possibility of taking action against extreme poverty in the world, on behalf of the concerns of these constituents, you've honoured citizen democracy and you're positioning yourself as an agent of change. Social justice, wherever it begins, benefits by spreading positively to all social circles on the planet. It is simple, enriching, and super stimulating!"
Congratulations Franck on winning the Most Active New Volunteers Award and thank you for your inspiring commitment!
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