Latest news with #BrendaReynolds
Scoop
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Mandela's Legacy ‘is Now Our Responsibility', Guterres Says On International Day
In his remarks, the Secretary-General celebrated the extraordinary life of the South African civil rights icon, affectionately known by his Khosa clan name, Madiba. 'He endured the brutal weight of oppression, and emerged not with a vision of vengeance and division – but of reconciliation, peace and unity,' Mr. Guterres said. 'Today, Madiba's legacy is now our responsibility. We must carry forward his commitment to peace, justice and human dignity.' To honour this legacy, the UN chief awarded the annual Nelson Mandela Prize to two individuals who reflect the late leader's commitment to peace and collective action, and this year's theme of combating poverty and inequity: Brenda Reynolds of Canada and Kennedy Odede of Kenya. Brenda Reynolds: turning pain into action Brenda Reynolds is a Saulteaux member from Fishing Lake First Nation in Canada, and as a social worker she has spent decades advancing Indigenous rights, mental health and trauma-informed care. 'There are many parallels to what we had experienced in both our countries, where the governments made impacted policies to change who we are, to face oppression, to face violations of human rights in our countries,' Ms. Reynolds said in her acceptance speech. In 1988, she supported 17 teenage girls in the first residential school sexual abuse case in Saskatchewan. 'These charges were the beginning of other disclosures that came from across Canada from survivors speaking about their sexual abuse experiences. Those charges and the disclosures became the largest class action lawsuit to date in Canada,' known as Canada's Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, she explained. Afterwards, she became a special adviser to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and developed the Indian Residential School Resolution Health Support Program – both created by the agreement – helping shape survivor support and trauma responses nationwide. Kennedy Odede: from slums to CEO After growing up in Kenya's Kibera Slum, Kennedy Odede went from living on the street to global recognition when he was named one of TIME magazine's 2024 100 Most Influential People and became a New York Times bestselling author. 'At ten years old, fleeing domestic violence, I joined the ranks of Nairobi's street children. One day I stole a mango because I was starving. A mob gathered to beat me dead, until a stranger stepped forward, paid for that mango, and in that single act of grace, showed me that kindness could interrupt cycles of violence,' Mr. Odede recounted in his acceptance speech. He began his journey as an activist by saving his meagre factory earnings to buy a soccer ball and bring his community together. 'That ball was not just for play; it was a tool for organising. A centre around which a community could form,' he said. This soon grew into Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO), the largest grassroots movement in Kenya he now leads as CEO. SHOFCO operates across the country, empowering local groups and delivering vital services to over 4 million people annually. 'Mandela showed all of us at SHOFCO, that leadership is not a privilege reserved for those born to power. It belongs to anyone willing to serve and look within.'
Scoop
17-07-2025
- General
- Scoop
Indigenous Youth Meet Trailblazers Ahead Of Nelson Mandela Day
17 July 2025 Accompanied by their parents and mentors from the midwestern state of Wisconsin, the group wore handmade ribbon skirts and vests featuring seven coloured bands, each symbolizing a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of personal significance, such as good health and gender equality. Also visiting the UN in New York for the first time that day was Brenda Reynolds, a social worker from Canada and a member of the Fishing Lake First Nation. She was joined by her husband, Robert Buckle, and 12-year-old granddaughter Lillian, and wore one of her own ribbon skirts for the occasion. Ms. Reynolds will be awarded the 2025 United Nations Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize on 18 July. The Prize, presented every five years, recognizes two individuals whose life work exemplifies service to humanity. Ms. Reynolds will receive the award alongside Kennedy Odede, a social entrepreneur from Kenya. Agents of change After a UN tour (unanimously enjoyed) and a quick stop for lunch and souvenirs at the UN Bookshop (where one plushie hummingbird was traded for a green turtle named 'Coral'), the group settled into a briefing room. Onstage, Ms. Reynolds was joined by Mirian Masaquiza Jerez, a Kichwa woman from Ecuador and a Social Affairs Officer at the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), easily recognized in the UN corridors for always wearing traditional regalia from her Indigenous community of Salasaka, 'Wherever you go to public spaces, wear who you are,' she said. 'The UN is the place to raise your voice. Be free to be who you are.' Encouraging them to speak their languages and honour their cultures, Ms. Masaquiza urged the young students to see themselves as agents of change. 'You didn't come by invitation. You came because you belong,' she said. 'You are the future. You are the present. As Indigenous, we have the space. Use it.' A painful past Ms. Reynolds shared her personal story with the group, reflecting on her early career as a counsellor at Gordon's Indian Residential School in Saskatchewan, the last federally funded residential school to close in Canada. She described seeing children as young as five separated from their families for a year at a time and issued shirts with numbers instead of their names written inside: 'The only other time I had seen people identified that way was when Jewish people had numbers tattooed on them.' During her first year at Gordon's in 1988, a young girl confided that she had been abused. By the next morning, 17 would come forward, launching what would become the province's first major residential school abuse case. Ms. Reynolds, then labeled a 'troublemaker,' went on to help shape the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement and advise the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Her work has impacted hundreds of thousands of Indigenous People across Canada. The room echoed with laughter, knowing nods and tears, and phrases from Ojibwe and other languages represented by the Indigenous Peoples in the room, including Potawatomi, Ho-Chunk, Ojibwe, Menomonee, Oneida, Navajo, Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Afro-Indigenous communities. Coming full circle The youth came from the Daughters of Tradition and the Sons of Tradition, part of a long-running healing initiative by Milwaukee's Healing Intergenerational Roots (HIR) Wellness Institute, which supports Indigenous communities with no-cost, comprehensive mental healthcare and other services. The founder, Lea S. Denny, wants Indigenous youth to see themselves in positions of power. This particular group has been together for eight years, with some heading off to college in the fall. One father, attending with his three daughters, reflected on raising Indigenous youth in the digital age. 'We want them to access the world out there,' he said, 'but also protect the inside world we want to hold dear.' He said he also offered the advice that 'if you don't see yourself on the screen, sometimes you have to be the first.' The day finished with hugs and exchanges of handmade leis as a symbol of the breath of life and sharing a good life source. They will reunite on 18 July to see Ms. Reynolds accept the Mandela Prize in the General Assembly Hall. Before then, a planned detour to visit Times Square. Meanwhile, Ms. Reynolds and her family discussed their plans for a Broadway show. On the way out, she paused to hug a life-sized bronze statue of Nelson Mandela, a gift from the South African Government to the UN. 'I started my work with children,' she said. 'And today, I spoke to children. This feels full circle for me.'
Irish Times
20-06-2025
- Irish Times
Ian Bailey's ‘deepest wish' was to clear his name of murder link, memorial service told
Ian Bailey 's 'deepest wish' before he died was to clear his name of any involvement in the murder of French film producer Sophie Toscan du Plantier , a small gathering of family, friends and supporters heard as his ashes were scattered into the sea in west Cork . Speaking at the private memorial service, Mr Bailey's sister Kay Reynolds said: 'It is a source of deep regret, held I'm sure by all of you today, that Ian's name wasn't cleared in his lifetime.' Ms Reynolds was joined by her daughter Jenni and other family members and about 30 friends and supporters for a memorial event at Skeaghanore pier near Ballydehob, overlooking Roaringwater Bay. Ms Reynolds said her brother 'once told me that the international arrest warrant, which meant he couldn't leave the country, didn't bother him as much as it could because there was no place else in the world [than Ireland] he wanted to be'. READ MORE She said the one occasion that the European arrest warrant caused her brother upset was when he was unable to visit their failing mother Brenda in England and attend her subsequent funeral. 'He felt the cruelty of this very, very deeply,' she said. Mr Bailey, who had been suffering from a heart condition, collapsed on the street in Bantry and died on January 21st, 2024 , just a week short of his 67th birthday. The English-born former journalist moved to Ireland in 1991 and came to prominence after the murder of Ms Toscan du Plantier (39), the French film producer killed at her isolated holiday home at Toormore in December 1996. Mr Bailey was arrested twice and questioned but was never charged with the killing and he repeatedly denied any involvement in the crime and maintained his innocence up to his death 18 months ago. Kay Reynolds, sister of Ian Bailey, disperses his ashes at Skeaghanore pier in west Cork on Friday. Photograph: Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision His remains were cremated at a private ceremony. Among those attending the scattering of his ashes were Mr Bailey's solicitors Frank Buttimer and Michael Quinlan and his barristers Tom Creed and Jim Duggan, who represented him in civil legal actions he took against several newspapers and against the State. Also present at the ceremony was film director Jim Sheridan , who championed Mr Bailey whom he maintained was innocent in his documentary series Murder at the Cottage and more recently in his docudrama Re-Creation which premiered earlier this month at the Tribeca film festival. Ian Bailey moved to Ireland in 1991 and came to prominence after the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier in December 1996. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA Wire Mr Bailey despite his protests of innocence was convicted in absentia of the murder of Ms Toscan du Plantier by a French court in 2019. Ms Reynolds, who previously told The Irish Times that she did not believe her brother killed Ms Toscan du Plantier, began her eulogy to her brother with a reference to the murdered woman. 'I would just ask you to think of Sophie de Toscan du Plantier and her family for a moment. I really genuinely hope that they get justice and some sort of peace for themselves because obviously they have suffered so much through all of this.'
Scoop
28-05-2025
- General
- Scoop
UN Awards 2025 Mandela Prize To Brenda Reynolds And Kennedy Odede
28 May 2025 Secretary-General António Guterres will present the award to Brenda Reynolds and Kennedy Odede on 18 July, Nelson Mandela International Day. Established in 2014, the prize is awarded every five years to two individuals whose work reflects the late South African President's legacy of leadership, humility, service, and unity across borders. 'This year's Mandela prize winners embody the spirit of unity and possibility – reminding us how we all have the power to shape stronger communities and a better world,' said Mr. Guterres. Brenda Reynolds A Status Treaty member of the Fishing Lake Saulteaux First Nation in Saskatchewan, Canada, Brenda Reynolds has spent decades advancing Indigenous rights, mental health, and trauma-informed care. In 1988, she supported 17 teenage girls in the first residential school sexual abuse case in Saskatchewan. Later, she became a special adviser to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), helping shape survivor support and trauma responses. She is most recognised for her key role in Canada's court-ordered Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement and her subsequent development of the Indian Residential School Resolution Health Support Program—a national initiative offering culturally grounded mental health care for survivors and families. In 2023, she was invited by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the European Union to share her expertise on trauma and cultural genocide. Kennedy Odede Living in Kenya's Kibera Slum for 23 years, Kennedy Odede went from living on the street at 10 years old to global recognition when he was named one of TIME magazine's 2024 100 Most Influential People. His journey began with a small act: saving his meagre factory earnings to buy a soccer ball and bring his community together. That spark grew into Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO), a grassroots movement he now leads as CEO. SHOFCO operates in 68 locations across Kenya, empowering local groups and delivering vital services to over 2.4 million people every year. Mr. Odede is also a New York Times bestselling co-author and holds roles with USAID, the World Economic Forum, the Obama Foundation, and the Clinton Global Initiative.
