The Umbrella Project Awards
CELEBRATING OUR UMBRELLA SKILLS TOGETHER
Throughout our lives, we will all be met with challenges and setbacks. It is important that we prepare for these inevitable days by learning how to improve our positive coping skills.
The Umbrella Project Awards recognize and celebrate students and educators who show us how to choose well-being by actively strengthening their coping skills and bravely taking on challenges we all face.
Our 2023 Awards are now closed. Thank you to all nominators who took the time to share so many stories of positive coping!
The Awards
This year, in partnership with Ontario Mutuals we are giving away cash and prizes to 9 recipients across Canada who have experienced challenges in their lives and are choosing to strengthen their coping skills.
You can nominate a student, educator or a person/place in a community.
The Categories
In 2023, there are four categories, with two awards being presented in each category. See below for full description and prize details.
Four Categories
Students (Grade 1-8)
Students must be full-time or part-time at any organized educational institution, currently in Grades 1-8 (public, private, online, homeschool).
PRIZE:
$250 cash
If from a non-Umbrella Project School, their school will receive The Umbrella Project Curriculum ($3,000 value)
Students (Grade 9-12)
Students must be full-time or part-time at any organized educational institution, currently in Grades 9-12 (public, private, online, homeschool).
PRIZE:
$500 cash
One hour coping skills consult with Dr. Jen ($200)
If from a non-Umbrella Project School, their school will receive The Umbrella Project Curriculum ($3,000 value)
Educators
Educators must be full-time or part-time at any organized educational institution (public, private, online).
PRIZE:
$1,000 cash
Signed copy of The Umbrella Effect Book ($40 value)
Well-Being Pop UP for their school ($500 value)
If from a non-Umbrella Project School, their school will receive The Umbrella Project Curriculum ($3,000 value)
Person or Place in Community
Person/Place in a Community can be any Canadian person or any Canadian organization (person, school, hospital, business)
PRIZE:
$1,000 cash
Signed copy of The Umbrell Effect book by Dr. Jen ($40)
One hour consult with Dr. Jen ($200)
The Umbrella Project Curriculum if a non-Umbrella Project school community is the reciepent ($3,000 value)
The Umbrella Project Awards were made possible in large part due to the generous sponsorship of The Ontario Mutual Insurance Company.
“We are constantly amazed by the stories we hear about students, educators and schools using their coping skills to weather the tough days, take on big challenges and help others do the same. We can’t wait to further support our community and celebrate these stories!”
Dr. Jen Forristal, BSc, ND, Founder of The Umbrella Project
Next steps
Want to know what questions you will need to answer before you nominate? Simply download The Umbrella Project Awards Guidelines so you can prepare your nomination. We are also accepting nominations in French, so you will find all of the questions are bilingual.
Are you an educator looking to help your students nominate someone? We have a lesson plan that can be used for any age group as a first step to a nomination. Simply download it below. (Be sure to to download and save the file on your computer before you start using it.)
Additional sponsorship and in kind donations provided by:
Review Committee:
We are thrilled to have a volunteer review committee in 2023 that will be reviewing all the nominations and deciding recipients in each category. Each of our committee members is passionate about youth, mental health and well-being and has an expertise they bring to this year’s awards. They will be reviewing nominations based on specific criteria that can be found in the UP Award Guidelines document.
Ashley Bearden
Filmaker, dogoodfilms.com
Ashley is a New York based documentary filmmaker focusing on projects that tell stories about culture, community and identity through a nontraditional lens. She has had the opportunity to produce projects for CNN, NBC, Amazon and HBO.
Katrina Burch
CMHA Waterloo Wellington
For over 20 years, Katrina Burch has worked in Mental Health and Developmental Services. In her current position she leads a team of professionals who deliver workshops and trainings related to mental health and wellness, suicide prevention.
Lisa Hunter
Manager Marketing & Communications, Ontario Mutuals
Lisa is a Fine Arts graduate with a post grad certificate in Digital Marketing. She is passionate about creating a fun and cohesive work environment (while keeping up with her two young sons). She is a wellness champion and part of her workplace Wellness Committee, which encourages health and wellness through all avenues.
Brett McNeil
Program Manager, Author, Inclusion Advocate
Brett McNeil is the former Umbrella Project Brand Experience Manager and an active mental health advocate, promoting well-being to all ages.
Sophie Zala Kanza
Refugee activist, Crossroads International, ONE Canada
Sophie Kanza is a fierce refugee actitvist from DRCongo, who lived more than 20 years as an asylum seeker in South Africa. Sophie is now based in Montreal, is the founder of Walé Care Packs, works at Crossroads International (advancing equality for women and girls and eradicating poverty in Africa) and is a consultant at ONE Canada as the lead on the Quebec Youth Ambassadors program.
Tavia Tobey
Marketing & Communications Coordinator,
Tavia is a Psychology & Sociology graduate with a post grad certificate in Public Relations. She is a wellness champion who is passionate about human behaviour and social justice. She is part of her workplace’s Green Team, which promotes sustainability and implements environmentally friendly initiatives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Please check out our rules and regulations, and other common questions.
What are the rules and regulations?
In order to nominate someone for these awards,you must be eligible according to the guidelines below.
- Must be a legal Canadian resident and fit the eligibility criteria at the time of the contest opening.
- Nominations will be accepted in English and French, and our applications are bilingual.
- Please download the UP Award Guidelines for all criteria, and to see what questions you will be asked on the application form.
- All nominations must be submitted by April 28th, 2023, 11:59pm EST in order to be considered.
For full rules and regulations, please read here.
What is The Umbrella Project?
We develop sustainable, research-based tools for schools and families to anticipate life’s challenges and support the proactive development of positive coping skills. We take an inquiry-based approach to mental health and encourage curiosity and interest in order to gain insight into the skills that help us thrive. Building the Umbrella Skills has a deep and profound impact on the children, families and schools we work with and provides them with a growing layer of protection against life’s rainy days.
Can I save my nomination form?
We recommend that you download the UP Award Guidelines, gather the information you need, and answer the questions ahead of time. Once you start filling out the nomination, you won’t be able to save it and come back later.
Who can I nominate?
- Must be a legal Canadian resident and fit the eligibility criteria at the time of the contest opening.
- Nominations will be accepted in English and French, and our nomination forms are bilingual.
- Students can be in any version of education as long as the academic year matches the scholarship they are applying for (public, private, home school, online, etc.)
- Educators can be full-time or part-time at an organized educational institution (public, private, online)
- Person/Place in a Community can be any Canadian person or any Canadian organization (person, school, hospital, business)
How does the review committee make a decision about who receives the awards?
Each year we receive so many incredible stories about overcoming obstacles and building positive coping skills. The review committees find it very challenging to choose the receipients. The key points they are looking for are: the impact and power of the story, how it addresses well-being and coping skills, overcoming challenge, helping others, and the impact the prizing will have on the individual or school.
When will the recipients be announced?
The nomination form closes on April 28th at 11:59pm EST. The review committee will be reviewing all the nominations during May, and we will be announcing the recipients at our live ceremony on May 17th, 2023
Who do I contact with questions or media requests?
If you have questions about the nomination process, would like to promote the awards, or would like to schedule an interview with Dr. Jen, please email admin@umbrellaproject.co and we will get back to you within 2-3 business days.
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