Missing Chapters Submission Form

Asian Heritage Foundation (Southern Alberta) is the largest Pan-Asian organization in Alberta comprised of between 30 to 40 Asian communities. Our vision is to create a society that is increasingly inclusive and reflective of all cultures, and where Asian Canadians actively demonstrate pride in their contribution to Canadian society.

This year we launched “Missing Chapters: Untold Stories of Asian Canadians in Calgary”. This unique project stems from a thorough community consultation held in between 30 to 40 Asian communities in Calgary. Together, community members shared with us their desire to celebrate and share Canada’s 150^th birthday in a meaningful way.

Why Missing Chapters?

According to Stats from the Coalition for Equal Access to Education website:

• Only 1 in 5 schools have a plan or strategy to address cultural diversity and competence.

According to statistics Canada, 2011:

• A 1% increase in ethnocultural diversity is associated with an average of 2.4% increase in revenue, and 0.5% increase in workplace productivity.

2010 Sustainable Calgary Report

• In 2010, of the 245 positions within a selection of Calgary’s most influential boards, councils, elected bodies, and media, 31 per cent were held by women, 9.8 per cent by visible minorities, and 0 per cent by Aboriginal people. These groups make up 50, 23 and 2.5 per cent, respectively, of Calgary’s population. If these 245 positions were representative of the population we would find 122 women, 56 visible minorities and 6 aboriginals in this group.

The Missing Chapters project hopes to demonstrate the notion that ‘we’ve been here’ and for a very long time. It speaks to the under-representation of Asian Canadians’ contributions to the public Canadian history, public discourse and consciousness. We want stories of individuals from different generations to become a part of the mainstream throughout Canada, a reminder of Asian Canadians past and present. So as part of the Missing Chapters Project we will assemble a unique Pan-Asian collection of authentic and inspiring stories of participation and contribution, struggles, perseverance and resistance, identity and belonging, settlement and integration, social inclusion, community development and collaboration, as well as showcase the achievements of Asian Canadians in Calgary.

What are we looking for?

We are looking for YOUR story!

Missing Chapters can only succeed with the deep connections, influence and outreach capacity of our community partners and members. With the support of our funders and sponsors, the AHF is committed to assemble a strong team to support the work. The project will be shared widely through social and printed media, to be displayed at various locations throughout the year, which began with Asian Heritage Month in May 2017.

Submission Categories & Criteria:

We are accepting submissions from a wide range of ages, professional backgrounds, and across all sectors. The contributions can be of any nature including but not limited to artistic, professional, social, economic, athletic, technical, or political.  We provide two categories of submission:

1) Achievement Category: Stories that showcase Asian Calgarians and their significant contributions to Canada, both past and present. This category requires a stringent review and rating of applicants from a diversity of backgrounds, ages and types of achievements.  Submissions will be rated on the following criteria:

• Nature of achievement (what was accomplished)
• Impact of achievement on people and communities (who was impacted)
• Type of achievement (aiming for variety in arts, social, education, business, public service etc.)
• Ability to inspire others
• Prior recognition and/or awards
• Quality of references & their comments

2) Appreciation Category: Stories that strengthen the richness and beauty of Canada’s diversity, to raise awareness of Asian Canadians’ significant history in Canada, and stories of participation, struggles and perseverance, contribution, identity & belonging, settlement & integration, social inclusion, community development and collaboration. Themes include, but are not limited to:

• Asian-Canadian history stories: include some historical photographs and stories, ideally from a personal perspective – family photos and stories, such as pictures from past Chinatown, early Japanese families, refugee stories, etc.
• History stories from our living elders – focusing on older people in the communities and their stories.
• Asian-Calgarian artists and their contributions to arts and culture in Canada.
• Immigration stories – focusing on the richness and diversity of Canada’s immigrant population and celebrating Canada’s immigration policies.
• Stories of community development and building efforts.
• Inspirational community members and work they are doing in our city and country.
• Youth stories of identity, connection, integration and citizenship.

** Interpretation and translation services are available upon request to ensure a wide collection of stories from all Asian heritage communities.

Who will Review the Story Submissions?

The selection committee has been carefully designed by invitation and will be made up of community leaders from broad-based institutions in Calgary including arts and culture, education, funders, the media, and business and community leaders. The goals of the selection committee are:

• To provide a fair, transparent and timely evaluation of submissions of stories.
• To increase the visibility of the Missing Chapters project and story selection process.
• To connect the Asian Heritage Foundation and the Missing Chapters project to Calgary’s broader institutions to increase awareness, engagement and support.

submit your stories as soon as possible. We are looking for stories throughout the year until the 30^th October 2017. The selected stories will be reviewed continuously and showcased throughout the year until December 2017.

We look forward to hearing from the community!

This project is generously supported by: