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Issue #53, August 2007 |
Toronto Community Housing VOTES
The Community Social Planning Council of Toronto has partnered with Toronto Community Housing Corporation to create a comprehensive, innovative web-based guide to voting that focuses on encouraging voter turnout in the 2007 Ontario provincial election.
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Welcome Navjeet Sidhu The CSPC-T is pleased to welcome Navjeet Sidhu to its staff. Nav will be continuing his work with the Community Social Planning Council of Toronto as a Researcher with the Action for Neighbourhood Change (ANC) project on a one-year contract. Originally from Montreal, Nav is a CEGEP graduate and is bilingual in English and French. He is also a recent graduate of Ryerson University’s Bachelor of Social Work program where he completed research and direct service placements with the Community Social Planning Council of Toronto and the Fort York Food Bank. Over the past year, Nav has made important contributions to the work of the Council as a social work intern and summer contract Research Coordinator. During his placement, Nav developed the Toronto Community Resource Guide for non-status immigrants. A joint project of CSPC-T and Davenport Perth Neighbourhood Centre, the guide is a unique multilingual paper and online resource for Toronto residents who face considerable barriers to accessing community and public services. He has also contributed to research evaluation and policy work at the Council, as a research team member for the St. Clair West Services for Seniors MAPP evaluation project and contributor to the Council’s submission to the Standing Committee on the Status of Women. As a Research Coordinator, Nav led the Access to Education project where he worked with non-status immigrant families to document their experiences with Toronto’s public school system and develop recommendations aimed at ensuring access to education for children and youth without immigration status.
West Hill Community Health Project – Welcome Fatemeh Akdari
The Community Social Planning Council of Toronto (CSPC-T) is pleased to announce a new partnership initiative between the Council and West Hill Community Services, aimed at addressing community health needs in five priority neighbourhoods in Scarborough. CSPC-T will carry out a one-year project on behalf of West Hill Community Services, to support the expansion and enhancement of community health services in these neighbourhoods. Activities will include: gathering data on perceived health needs in these areas of the city, identifying related community assets, building supportive networks and linkages, and engaging residents in planning and decision-making as service-enhancement options are being considered. Related goals are to increase resident leadership and engagement and to strengthen lines of communication between satellite health centres and local community groups and organizations.
On-the-ground co-ordination of this initiative will be done by a community planner, who will also work closely with staff from West Hill Community Services. The person selected for this role is Fatemeh Akdari, who brings to the task many years of experience in community development. The Council welcomes Fatemeh to our staff team and wishes her great success in her new position.
Fatemeh Akdari comes to CSPC-T with eighteen years of community and social work experience including twelve years in immigration and settlement services. She has extensive exposure and training in community development, diversity, anti-racism, and issues affecting low-income and marginalized communities. Fatemeh has worked in various projects over the years, involving community outreach, needs assessment, program development and evaluation. In her most recent assignment, she developed outreach programs for seniors in three under-serviced immigrant communities in York Region.
Fatemeh has also been involved in various volunteer initiatives including: Fatemeh is fluent in Farsi, Turkish and Dari. In her spare time she enjoys cooking, sewing, listening to jazz music and traveling.
ANC – Mt. Dennis news The ANC team in Mt. Dennis recently hired 11 animators/outreach workers. These are individuals who either live or work in the Mt. Dennis community and represent the diversity of the population in the area. They will be working to engage residents.
Emma Feltes, CSPC-T summer intern finished her internship with the ANC team. She worked on some important projects including working with the school board for the school permit, the Arts workshops and the safety audit. We wish her well as she returns to King’s College at Dalhousie University to complete her degree in International Development.
The ANC team in collaboration with the Mt. Dennis Community Association facilitated the summer program of arts workshops in the local Dennis Ave School. The space was secured through the Open Doors Program of TDSB which is designed to facilitate free community use of schools during summer. Visit http://www.socialplanningtoronto.org/ANC_summerart.html for full program descriptions.
Conference on Gun Violence – August 5 The Canadian Dawah Association presents, Conference on Gun Violence at Toronto Centre for the Arts, George Weston Recital Hall, 5040 Yonge Street, on the TTC Yonge subway line, (North York Centre or Sheppard stops) minutes away from Highway 401 and Yonge Street.
Homelessness Website - Call for focus group participants – August 8 & 10 A new Canadian based homelessness website is looking for focus group participants. This website would contain relevant research in Canada about homelessness and would be categorized to include areas such as: housing, health, youth, newcomers, substance use, pathways out of homelessness, etc. In addition, we are hoping that there would be information available on funders and a section collecting stories/videos/art of persons experiencing homelessness and of service providers. Please join one of two focus groups organized by Birgit Armstrong to get your input on the design of this website. Please contact Birgit via email birgit_armstrong@hotmail.com or phone her at her office: 416-233-1142 to let her know which of the meetings you will be attending.
Edmond Yu Safe House Boat Cruise – August 15
Get your tickets now for the Edmond Yu Safe House Boat Cruise, aboard the Harlequin Cruises “River Gambler,” on Wednesday, August 15, 2007, from 6 – 11 p.m. Tickets are Tickets/ Information: 416-537-2262, ext. 194
Bill 7 Award – Application Deadline August 17 The Bill 7 Award is a registered charitable trust that gives out bursaries to gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, queer and 2-spirit students in financial need in any post-secondary institution in Ontario.
Today We March! Tomorrow We Vote! – August 18
Rally at Queen’s Park on Saturday, August 18 to demand action from the McGuinty government:
Social Justice Summer Retreat: August 23-26
Theme for 2007: Empowering Movements to Transform the World: Canada, Just or Just Us? If you plan on attending the Retreat consider facilitating a workshop. There are still a few slots available. Workshops should be related to the theme and fit into one of the three streams: roundtable discussion, skill building or personal development workshops. To submit a proposal, email a short description of your workshop to cerda@socialjustice.org and we will get back to you. Please contact the Retreat Coordinator (Ewa Cerda) if you have any questions at retreat@socialjustice.org or call 416-927-0777 (toll free 1-888-803-8881).
Debate on Poverty and Health – September 25
The Liberal, New Democratic, and Progressive Conservative Parties will be participating in a debate on poverty and health, moderated by Carol Goar of Toronto Star at InnisTown Hall, NW corner of St. George Street and Sussex Avenue, just south of Bloor Street on Tuesday, September 25, 2007 at 7 p.m.
The Metcalf Foundation – Community Program Grant Opportunities
The Metcalf Community Program seeks to strengthen and enhance the effectiveness of people and organizations working together to address the root causes of poverty. There are three different initiatives that support advancing these efforts – Communities in Action, Innovation Fellowships and Renewal Fellowships. Please go to http://www.metcalffoundation.com to view details about each initiative and application deadlines for early this fall.
New Arts Pass Available from Toronto Public Libraries
Toronto Mayor David Miller and Toronto Public Library City Librarian Jo Bryant announced inauguration of a new Museum and Arts Pass program. The Pass can be borrowed by Toronto Public Library card holders, much the way someone might borrow a book or a CD from the collection. The Pass provides full admission to a family of up to two adults and five children to the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Bata Shoe Museum, the Gardiner Museum, the Royal Ontario Museum, the Textile Museum of Canada and the City of Toronto’s Historic Museums, and more.
Maytree Foundation Programs – Various deadlines Apply now to Fundraising 101 The Maytree Public Policy Training Institute (PPTI) is designed for individuals and organizations with a demonstrated interest and engagement in public policy. The program is specifically aimed at participants who can articulate an issue where policy change could have a significant progressive impact.The program will run over a six-month period from November 2007 to May 2008 and will include a series of 5 modules with leading public policy experts. The application deadline is Monday, October 1, 2007.
“New Voices in Labour Studies” Call for Participants – Deadline August 6
Campaign 2000 National Forum on Living Wages, Toronto - September 18-19
Poverty among young families today is substantially higher than it was 20 years ago. One-third of all low income children live in families with at least one parent working full time, full year. A large part of the problem is that many jobs pay low wages. Based on the belief that a job should be a pathway out of poverty, this forum focuses on building support for a “Living Wage” –the income that a family would need to meet basic needs, maintain a healthy standard of living, and be able to save for future needs.
Increasing Diversity in Canadian Cities – October 11-12
Poverty among young families today is substantially higher than it was 20 years ago. One-third of all low income children live in families with at least one parent working full time, full year. A large part of the problem is that many jobs pay low wages. Based on the belief that a job should be a pathway out of poverty, this forum focuses on building support for a “Living Wage” – the income that a family would need to meet basic needs, maintain a healthy standard of living, and be able to save for future needs.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada – Call for Proposals – Deadline August 24
Issued by: Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Settlement and Intergovernmental Affairs Directorate, Ontario Region For more information: contact Kate Melino at kmelino@rnao.org or 416-408-5613
Community Sector Organizations - Call for Proposal – Deadline September 10
Human Resources and Social Development posted a Call for Proposals to deliver a total of nearly $3 million in funding to the community non-profit sector. The funding will be awarded through a competitive process and includes two components. The first is to provide further analysis of the Canada Survey on Giving, Volunteering and Participating (CSGVP), and the available funding is $332,000. The second component is geared to fostering innovation in the community non-profit sector by funding projects that will enable the sector to share innovative practices, and the available funding is $2.6 million. For more information, visit
Voices for Children: Call for Participants
Voices for Children, in partnership with Dr. Jean Clinton, child psychiatrist and researcher at the Offord Centre for Child Studies, McMaster University, wants to ask parents, grandparents, and a whole variety of community members across Ontario about their hopes and dreams for Ontario’s children and youth—and what they need to succeed. This information will help all of us to better understand how to engage citizens across Ontario to ensure successful outcomes for all our children. We’d like to learn what a variety of individuals think—parents, grandparents and folks from across Ontario—anyone over the age of 18. (Young people will have a chance to participate in the next phase.) In the next few weeks we will hold a series of focus groups in various settings across Ontario. Each focus group will last about two hours, and individuals who participate in the sessions will each receive $25.00 for their time. If you are willing to host a session or if you know of individuals who may be interested in participating, please contact our research coordinator, Despina Papadopoulos at 647-378-1719 or Cathy Vine at 416-489-5485 as soon as possible.
StatsCan The Daily – July Highlights July 12
July 10
A Poverty Reduction Strategy for Ontario (PDF file - 425K, 14 pages) July 2007 By Jacquie Maund (Campaign 2000), Sarah Blackstock (Income Security Advocacy Centre), Greg deGroot -Maggetti (Citizens for Public Justice), Sara Farrell (Toronto Public Health), Elizabeth Ablett (Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care).
Gang Wars: The Failure of Enforcement Tactics and the Need for Effective Public
By Judith Greene and Kevin Pranis
Enhancing GTA standard of living requires concerted effort: TD Economics (PDF file - 19K, 3 pages), July 2007
A report published by TD Economics states the relative decline of the Greater Toronto Area’s standard of living against competing jurisdictions during the past five years poses a serious threat to the region’s future prosperity (www.td.com/economics). Cohesive and coordinated action is required by all regional players, but future policies must be underpinned by efficiency and innovation rather than public money.
Toronto Coalition of Youth Centres webpage now available
The Toronto Coalition of Youth Centres (TCYC) - a committee of six TNC members - has launched a mini-webpage with their latest campaign materials. TCYC is campaigning for better recognition and ultimately better resources for neighbourhood youth centres and neighbourhood youth programming in Ontario.
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