The University of St. Michael’s College is celebrating the announcement of the three winners of the 2021 President’s Capstone Project Award in the distinguished Graduate Diploma in Social Responsibility and Sustainability program.
- Brett Clapperton is the winner in the Advancing Social & Environmental Responsibility, Sustainability and/or ESG category in their organization category for her project Indigenous Reconciliation Action Plan for Green Shield Canada, which outlines ways for her employer to engage in the process of reconciliation with Canada’s Indigenous communities.
- Kate Gardner is the winner in the Advancing Social &/or Environmental Impact in Wider Society or Community category. Her project Case for a Pardons Ecosystem studies ways to address the challenges previously incarcerated Black youth face due to their criminal records.
- Charlotte Harman is the winner in the Advancing Social &/or Environmental Impact in their Industry or Sector category for her project The Rengenerative Law Firm.
Clapperton agrees with Gardner on the impact of the program.
St. Michael’s Social Responsibility and Sustainability program “is a great opportunity to broaden your horizons in CSR and sustainability, with the chance to gain exposure to a variety of key topics ranging from climate change to ethical procurement,” she says.
In all, 10 students were nominated for awards, with seven receiving honourable mentions. Those considered for the President’s Capstone Aware are nominated by their mentors. Projects must be distinguished in what they achieve or promote in one or more of the following criteria: 1) advancing social and/or environmental impact; 2) introducing innovative practices in social and environmental responsibility, sustainability, ESG and/or 3) significantly advancing social and environmental responsibility, sustainability and/or ESG to the creator’s organization.
“The Graduate Diploma in Social Responsibility and Sustainability is a vital aspect of St. Michael’s programming,” says University President David Sylvester. “Sustainability is one of the pillars of our 180 Strategic Plan for the coming years at St. Michael’s and educating corporate and community leaders—and, in turn, learning from them— is a key part of our mission and vision.”
Forty participants are accepted annually to St. Michael’s program, which attracts students from across Canada and around the world. The diploma’s “work as you learn” approach allows students to take their career in Social Responsibility and Sustainability to the next level. Participants tackle and resolve a Sustainability/ESC challenge in their company in a major Action Project under the mentorship of faculty and co-learners; learn from global thought leaders; experience practical “real world” change managed through the Experience Change™ Simulation and join a prestigious community of St. Michael’s alumni in continuing education, sharing, and networking. Graduates received the post-nominal letters G. Dipl. SR&S.
The diploma program is now accepting applications for 2022/2023. To apply, please see the Diploma in Social Responsibility and Sustainability website.
Meet Some of the Winners
Kate Gardner
For my Capstone Project, I developed the ‘Case for a Pardons Ecosystem’ to address the crippling systemic barriers to success which previously incarcerated Black youth face due to their criminal records. The Pardons Ecosystem establishes a new CSR partnership framework which has the potential to interrupt the intergenerational cycle of crime in the Black community while also addressing labour market shortages across various sectors which have been exacerbated by the pandemic. In practice, the Pardons Ecosystem will become a work-integrated learning program with wraparound supports, and will upskill and add a fresh – currently overlooked – source of talent to the labour pool supporting economic growth in the post-COVID recovery.
Conversations are ongoing between Loyalist College, RBC Royal Bank, John Howard Society Ontario, and various Black-led organizations and community leaders, including Louis March from Zero Gun Violence Movement and Andrew “Jaydahmann” Cox from Lawrence Heights around the planning for the implementation of a pilot project. The pilot project will involve the development of industry aligned micro-credentials with wraparound supports, including peer mentorship, to create an accelerated pathway to employment and/or empower youth to pursue further postsecondary education.
Brett Clapperton
St. Michael’s Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability program is a great opportunity to broaden your horizons in CSR and sustainability, with the chance to gain exposure to a variety of key topics ranging from climate change to ethical procurement.
My Capstone Project, titled Indigenous Reconciliation Action Plan for Green Shield Canada, is a strategic plan created to outline a path to Indigenous reconciliation for Green Shield Canada (GSC). As Canada’s only national non-profit health benefits and insurance provider, GSC is a mid-size company of roughly 1,000 employees headquartered in Windsor, Ontario.
As a Social Impact Specialist at GSC my role is to drive the expansion of GSC’s social impact program, including community investment, employee giving and volunteering, CSR reporting, communications, strategy and governance.
The goal of the Reconciliation Action Plan is to offer GSC and its employees a feasible, detailed map to build relationships with Indigenous communities, meaningfully engage in reconciliation, improve service delivery for Indigenous clients, and contribute to Indigenous economic empowerment.
Celebrate this year’s graduates with us at the Graduate Diploma in Social Responsibility and Sustainability’s Fall Convocation 2021 page.