Gobeil honoured with 2025 C&L Award
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/05/2025 (420 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
District 64 Toastmasters has announced Westman Regional cabinet officer Jason Gobeil as the recipient of the 2025 Communication and Leadership (C&L) Award.
The 2025 C&L Award, which will be presented to Gobeil during the District 64 Spring Conference on May 10 at the Canad Inns Destination Centre in Portage la Prairie, recognizes a non-Toastmaster or former Toastmaster who has made significant contributions to the fields of communication and leadership.
Gobeil, a member of the Aniimbiigoo Zaagi’igan Anishinabek First Nation with Anishinaabe, Cree, French, and Scottish heritage, has been a passionate advocate for Indigenous culture, reconciliation and community wellness.
It is a beautiful thing to be recognized not just by the District 64 Toastmasters Group in itself but by others in the community, he told the Sun on Sunday.
Gobeil, a strong advocate for men’s health and wellness, has long used his voice to champion the need for supportive spaces where men can speak openly about physical and mental health.
“I’ve been doing this from a soapbox for many years,” he said. “And I think it’s now time we get more recognition around the narrative of men’s health and wellness. That’s truly what I use my voice for — creating those spaces.”
The award comes full circle for Gobeil, who was once an active Toastmaster himself.
“To get that call and to humbly accept tingled my heart. It made me feel really good to know that this was a group I was once associated with—a group that helped me in my public speaking journey. And to know they were still watching from a distance — that says a lot about the connections we make in life.”
This August, Gobeil added he will be hosting The 100 Men with 100 Drums Summer Gathering at the Assiniboine Food Court, continuing his mission to foster connection, healing, and dialogue among Indigenous men and communities.
He currently serves as the vice-president of the Brandon Friendship Centre, second vice-president of the Manitoba Association of Friendship Centres and director on the board of the National Association of Friendship Centres.
Among his many community initiatives, Gobeil is a key member of the Akicita Cante Waste (Good Hearted Warriors) Men’s Group and the organizer of the 100 Men with 100 Drums Wellness Gathering, an event aimed at promoting physical and mental health among Indigenous men. His leadership has extended to environmental stewardship through work with Ducks Unlimited Canada, where he fostered collaboration between conservation efforts and First Nation communities in the northern region.
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