Only Sikh to be awarded the Canada’s Volunteer Award for Emerging Leader- Sukhmeet Singh

Only Sikh to be awarded the Canada’s Volunteer Award for Emerging Leader- Sukhmeet Singh

For a seven year old immigrant who moved to Canada in 2002, receiving an award by the Prime Minister of Canada and Ministers was something he never have dreamed about.

Sukhmeet had the honor of being named as the Emerging Leader for British Columbia and the North by the Government of Canada.

It came with a certificate from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Since the age of 7, Sukhmeet has been committed to championing marginalized peoples in Canada and all over the world, and empowering his peers to do the same.

In grade school, Sukhmeet would engage with other students through public speaking or by organizing events to show solidarity with marginalized groups, to bridge divides and promote love and understanding.

Based on his own experiences with bullying, and recognizing that other students faced similar discrimination during grade school, Sukhmeet became passionate about raising awareness and showcasing solidarity through public events. Becoming a community activist has helped him channel his own hardships into positive change.

Sukhmeet is passionate about good health and well-being as a right for all, and has devoted his time to reducing disparities between people’s access to health services in Canada and around the world.

He co-founded the non-profit Break The Divide with his brother in 2016 to connect youth in Northern communities to youth across Canada to explore topics such as climate change and its impacts on mental health and have them work together to think of solutions.

His Break The Divide program has been implemented in schools across Canada, as well as in India, Singapore, and South Africa. Sukhmeet’s commitment to good health is also a reflected in his work around the world. He has launched initiatives in India and Uganda.

Sukhmeet is a role model for the youth in his community, offering his mentorship and inspiring them to get involved in the community and finding their passions. By helping to create a non-profit model where students can open up a chapter of Break The Divide in their own schools, students are given an opportunity to grow as leaders and address the social challenges that they are passionate about.