Paul Nguyen,
M.S.M., O.M.C.
Founder
webmaster@jane-finch.com
/
@directorpaul
 Paul
Nguyen is an award-winning activist and filmmaker from
Toronto’s Jane-Finch community. In 2004, he founded Jane-Finch.com
to empower youth and challenge negative stereotypes. His grassroots initiative quickly became a national
success story, earning widespread recognition from political and
community leaders across Canada.A respected public speaker and media commentator, Paul addresses critical issues on race, crime, and youth empowerment. His work in storytelling and advocacy has made a lasting impact on Canadian media and society. Paul has played a key role in groundbreaking documentaries, serving as Associate Producer for CBC’s The Fifth Estate documentary Lost in the Struggle (2006), which followed the lives of gang-involved youth and was nominated for a Gemini Award. He also worked on Revealed: Missing the Target (2010) for Global, Lost in the Struggle: The Next Chapter (2012) for CBC, and Year of the Gun (2019) for CBC. Paul is a recipient of the Paul Yuzyk Award for Multiculturalism, William P. Hubbard Award for Race Relations, Heritage Toronto Award, Canadian Ethnic Media Association Award, National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada Award, and the Ontario Medal for Good Citizenship. In 2012, Paul was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal at Rideau Hall by the Prime Minister and Governor General for "fighting stereotypes and acting as a role model and mentor for at-risk youth." In 2015, he received the Meritorious Service Medal, followed by the Governor General’s Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers in 2017. He is recognized as a Noteworthy Canadian of Asian Heritage by the Government of Canada and featured in the book 150 Extraordinary Canadians. In 2018, Paul received Canada’s Volunteer Award and won back-to-back CEMA Awards for his stories in the ethnic press. In 2020, CBC Radio aired Rap Battle, an hour-long chronicle of his journey with Jane-Finch.com. He was honoured with the Star Metroland Media Urban Hero Award in 2021. Paul served on York University’s Senate and was a member of the York University Alumni Board from 2015 to 2024. He is the former Vice-President of the Vietnamese Association of Toronto and currently sits on the board of the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada. Paul was the Co-Producer of What Jennifer Did, Netflix's most-watched documentary movie in 2024. He was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal in 2025. |
