Selection Process

How are Recipients Chosen?

Recipients for the Courage To Come Back Awards are chosen through a series of volunteer panels.

The following considerations apply to all five Courage To Come Back Award categories:

  • The nature of the misfortune and the impact on the nominee’s life
  • The degree of difficulty to overcome obstacles
  • The level of determination and perseverance
  • Ability to reach goals in spite of setbacks/obstacles
  • Contribution to the community/society
  • Inspirational value, positive impact on others

Panels

Courage To Come Back Awards recipients are selected by two levels of selection panels comprised of volunteers from the community.

Category Panels

For each Award category, a panel of health professionals, community members, mental health advocates, volunteers, and supporters review all submitted applications, and select 3-4 finalists who are forwarded to the Final Panels. This ensures that no one group is responsible for selecting finalists for more than one Award category.

Final Panels

Two different groups of volunteers are then invited to review the finalists’ nominations, and select one recipient in each Award category. This ensures that no one group is responsible for deciding on all five recipients.

In order to ensure the broadest possible reach throughout varied communities within British Columbia, Coast Mental Health Foundation advertises the opportunity for nominations through a wide array of communication methods. All completed nominations received are forwarded to the Category Panels.

The two-level selection panel process has been established to ensure that many perspectives and backgrounds are included in the decision-making and that no one person has the responsibility for the final decision. Coast Mental Health Foundation and Coast Mental Health staff and board do not have a vote in the process, although they do facilitate the sessions.

Coast Mental Health Foundation embraces everyone’s uniqueness and recognizes the strength that lies in differences. We believe in the power of our collective potential and strive to achieve a diverse, inclusive, and equitable nomination and selection process for the Courage To Come Back Awards. We equally take a similar approach with the recruitment and selection of our volunteers who sit on both the Category and Final panels.

We welcome and encourage applications from all qualified candidates regardless of their gender, age, religion, race, ethnicity, and nationality. Particularly equity deserving groups, such as members of the BIPOC, and 2SLGBTQI+ communities, people living with disabilities, veterans, and anyone who may contribute to the further diversification of our group of recipients, contribute to the programs success by enriching the community.