Every year I sit down with our team at the Rideau Hall Foundation (RHF) to reflect on the year that’s passed and all that we’ve accomplished together with our valued partners and supporters. For me, it offers the chance to look back at the breadth of excellence, ambition and enormous potential in this country. And it’s a reminder of the transformational change and momentum we can build when we take the time to come together.

Here are some of my favourite highlights from 2024…

Building community among Canadian youth-serving organizations: For the second year in a row, the RHF brought together more than 50 Catapult Canada grantees to share challenges and best practices in their work to serve young people. This was always our vision for Catapult: to create a community of youth-serving organizations that could draw on each other’s experiences to further remove barriers to youth learning. 32 new grantees joined the Catapult community this year, from Ever Active Schools (AB), who are working to welcome newcomer and refugee youth to their new schools and communities, to Parkdale Food Centre (ON), who are empowering youth through confidence building and community connection. It’s amazing to watch the diverse Catapult network connect and share what’s working in their efforts to serve the learning needs of at-risk youth across Canada.

Reinforcing our democracy by investing in local news: In partnership with the Michener Awards, we hosted a symposium on local news in PEI, where we announced the new Norman Webster Fellowship to support independent news organizations in covering important local stories. It’s become increasingly clear to us that local, independent newsrooms play a vital role in fostering informed, engaged and connected communities—a critical step in safeguarding our democracy, and something not to be taken for granted.

Developing inclusive, trusted Canadian leadership: It was a highlight of the year to welcome the Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference (GGCLC) to the RHF. This transformational leadership development program nurtures mid-career leaders across every sector, equipping them with tools and a rich perspective on the country that will help them to make a meaningful difference into the future.

Expanding the Queen Elizabeth Scholars (QES) to colleges: The prestigious QES program is one of the RHF’s first initiatives, with foundational support from the Community Foundations of Canada and Universities Canada. I’m so proud that we’ve expanded it this year to include Canadian colleges and institutes, in addition to the university sector. More than ever, young leaders need global experiences to succeed; our economy, country and planet all stand to benefit from their leadership. Check out the rich array of the most recent projects awarded this fall, focused on adaption and resilience to a changing climate.

Supporting First Nations, Inuit and Métis teachers: The RHF partnered with seven programs in 2024 working to recruit and retain Indigenous teachers, including Mi’kmaq Wolastoqey Centre at the University of New Brunswick (NB) and University College of the North (MB). These programs are implementing culturally responsive approaches to Indigenous teacher education. This initiative has opened my mind and heart to what Canada could be if every Indigenous child felt the safety and support of learning from an Indigenous educator. I’m grateful for the profound leadership of our National Advisory Committee on Indigenous Teacher Education, which guides us in this work.

Showcasing young innovators across Canada: It was a joy this year to celebrate the winners of the Ingenious+ youth innovation challenge, both at the regional level in collaboration with Canada’s Lieutenant Governors, and nationally in Ottawa. These young people—like Saskatchewan’s Yurui Qin, who created a submersible robot to aid during underwater search and rescue missions—form a growing community of problem-solvers and entrepreneurs. What they are doing can save lives, save the planet and strengthen the economy. We are thrilled to be championing them on their journeys from being dreamers to doers…and beyond.

Inspiring and celebrating northern innovation: The Arctic Inspiration Prize (AIP) is a perennial highlight of the year. This year’s Awards Ceremony in Whitehorse saw $3.2M awarded to 10 northern-led initiatives, tackling themes of food security, education, cultural revitalization, healthcare and more. The RHF is honoured to work with the AIP Charitable Trust and its northern Region Managers and Co-Owners to bring this incredible program to life.

Celebrating Excellence. Connecting Communities. Creating Opportunities. These are the themes that have infused our team’s work over the past year, and we feel incredible momentum and optimism moving into 2025. The next several months will see the return of Forum for Young Canadians in Ottawa (and Forum’s 50th anniversary!); the 10th anniversary of the Governor General’s Innovation Awards; and a new comprehensive fundraising campaign focused on what it means to realize ambition for all Canadians.

We’re also deeply honoured to do this work alongside our partners at the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General of Canada, and to help realize the vision for Canada of our Governor General, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon.

If you’d like to stay informed about these exciting initiatives as they happen, I invite you to subscribe to the RHF newsletter. Feel free also to reach out to me directly with your ideas.

Thank you for everything that you do for Canada at home, at work and within your own community. The RHF team will take some time to recharge over the holidays, and I hope you do, too. I wish you the very best for the New Year.

Warmly,

Teresa Marques
President & CEO
Rideau Hall Foundation