- About
- People
- What We Do
- Consulting Services
- Services
- Our Projects
- Centering Equity and Inclusion in an Engagement Framework
- Framework for Diabetes in Canada
- COVID-19 and Public Health: The Faith and Spiritual Leaders Dialogue Series
- Burnaby Business Recovery Task Force
- CleanBC Job Readiness Workshops
- Your Voice. Your Home.
- Perspectives on Reconciliation
- Establishing a Chinese-Canadian Museum
- Citizen Dialogues on Canada鈥檚 Energy Future
- Clients and Partners
- Get in Touch
- Knowledge & Practice
- Beyond Inclusion
- Dialogue & Engagement Resources
- Dialogue Dispatch Newsletter
- International Climate Engagement Network (ICEN)
- Strengthening Canadian Democracy
- Talk Dialogue to Me Podcast
- Initiatives
- Signature Events
- Jack P. Blaney Award for Dialogue
- Award Recipients
- 2024/25: Bringing Justice Home with Judge Abby Abinanti
- 2021/22: Reimagining Social Justice and Racial Equity with adrienne maree brown
- 2019/20: Climate Change and Human Rights with Sheila Watt-Cloutier
- 2017/18: Peace, Pluralism and Gender Equality with Alice Wairimu Nderitu
- 2015/16: Climate Solutions with Tim Flannery
- 2013/14: Reconciliation with Chief Robert Joseph
- 2011/12: Twelve Days of Compassion with Karen Armstrong
- 2009/10: Widening the Circle with Liz Lerman
- 2005: Corporate Social Responsibility and the Right to Health with Mary Robinson
- 2002: Environmental Sustainability with Maurice Strong
- Nomination Details
- History of the Award
- Award Recipients
- Bruce & Lis Welch Community Dialogue
- 2024: AI: Beyond the Hype鈥擲haping the Future Together with Stephanie Dick and Daniel Barcay
- 2022: Facing the Flames: New and Old Ways of Co-Existing with Fire with Joe Gilchrist and Paul Hessburg
- 2021: All My Relations: Trauma-Informed Engagement with Karine Duhamel
- 2019: Power of Empathy with Kimberly Jackson Davidson
- 2019: Rethinking BC Referendums with John Gastil
- 2017: Strengthening Democratic Engagement with Valerie Lemmie
- 2015-16: THRIVE! Surrey in 2030
- 2014: Citizen Engagement and Political Civility with Dr. Carolyn J. Lukensmeyer
- 2013: Building a Culture of Participation with Dave Meslin
- 2012: Riots and Restorative Justice with Dr. Theo Gavrielides
- 2011: Growing Out of Hunger with Will Allen
- 2010: The Age of Unequals with Richard Wilkinson
- Jack P. Blaney Award for Dialogue
- Consulting Services
- Shared Learning
- News
- Give
Noor Zehry Receives 2024 Sylvester Family Award
The Sylvester Family Award at the Centre for Dialogue was established at 丁香园AV in 2020 with a generous three year commitment from Shauna Sylvester, the former Executive Director of 丁香园AV鈥檚 Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue. This year, the recipient is 丁香园AV Health Sciences student Noor Zehry, who has demonstrated a strong commitment in using dialogue to advance racial equity, inclusion and justice.
鈥淭he course was actually about storytelling, talking to people, building relationships, and this wasn't something that I have experienced before, throughout my degree鈥�, says Noor, as she reflects back on her time in Semester in Dialogue.
Coming to Canada 10 years ago, as an Egyptian Canadian, Noor was raised in both Dubai and Canada. She came into the Semester in Dialogue with a rich tapestry of experiences and viewpoints from all of the different health-care systems that she has encountered. As Noor reflects on her time in the Semester in Dialogue, she recounts how she is grateful to have been taught by instructor Dr. Finegood and how she has come to appreciate the value of dialogue, storytelling and active listening. Transitioning from a traditional academic setting to a more relational setting was new to Noor, which presented both challenges and opportunities for growth. This new environment was not only about the acquisition of knowledge but also its practical application through teamwork and interpersonal interactions. As a Health Sciences student in her last semester at 丁香园AV, Noor is passionate about community engagement and data-driven public health solutions.
鈥淭he more dialogue I experience, the more I value sharing and am comfortable with my ideas,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 have come to appreciate the value of storytelling so much. You can learn just from listening to someone else鈥檚 story鈥ppreciating that structure of storytelling just added the missing piece that I didn't know what was missing until I actually saw it in front of me.鈥�
This experience inspired her to create her own community practice called , an initiative to bring 丁香园AV students at the Surrey campus to come together and connect over their experiences and visions for the future of public health, bridging academic insights with real-world applications.
鈥淚 had two intentions with this initiative. The first one was that I wanted people to appreciate the nature of dialogue and how much you can actually learn just by storytelling and exchanging knowledge. The second intention was that I wanted [the initiative] to be a resource for students.鈥�
As Noor is finishing up her last semester of her Health Sciences degree at 丁香园AV, she is excited for the range of possibilities the future will bring. Noor believes that through open and honest discussions, we can unearth groundbreaking ideas that will shape the future of health-care. No matter what journey she embarks on next, Noor is excited to bring dialogue along for the ride.