Programs & Services > Growing Up Healthy Downtown > FAIR > News & Events
News & Events at FAIR
Chris Cavanagh from the Catalyst Centre joined parents and frontline staff to explore how we move from Common Sense to Good Sense.
In pairs, participants were able to share stories from own lives that helped the group unpack “non-sense” that exists in common ideas from good sense.
Working on their own at times, people uncovered why they are involved in doing community work or neighbourhood activism.
Small groups were a place to bring together individual ideas into common visions and a call to action.
Upcoming Workshops and Public Conversations
FAIR Training Workshops
The missing piece – Communication
On May 16th from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Parents and community partners are invited to explore how to make programs, spaces and opportunities more accessible. Join Joel and Leah from the Options program at FSA-T to learn about citizen focused model of work. This will include discussion about how language can be a barrier to social inclusion.
Light lunch will be available at 12:30 p.m.
Childcare provided for parent activists. Please register
your childcare needs before March 15th. There are limited spaces available
so please be sure to register early.
To register please contact Deborah
at 416-595-9230 ext. 322 or
by email at deborahko@fsatoronto.com
Building your Job Interview Skills
A free hands-on workshop by Gwen Reid of Future Visions Consulting! Download flyer
Come learn and share your experiences about:
• Preparing for job interviews
• Asking effective questions during an interview
• Dealing with anxiety and nervousness
Date: Thursday, June 12th
Time: 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Location: Family Service Association, Wellesley Room
(355 Church Street)
Snacks will be provided.
Please let us know if you require childcare
and/or any accommodations. Please register by contacting Angie at:
416-968-3422, ext. 29 or email at arupra@womanabuseprevention.com
This workshop welcomes Peer Outreach Workers, Peer Educators, Trainers
and Community
Animators.
FAIR Conversations
Over the last two years, many interesting
ideas have arisen from the interactions of the FAIR project. Some of
these are concepts that simply need more public discussion on them.
For that reason, you are invited to participate in a coffee house style
conversation about two issues of interest for the FAIR project. Dates
and location have not yet been decided but keep coming back to find
out when and where these will happen.
Redefining Community Readiness
Often when the term “community
readiness” is used, people
assume this refers to community members such as parents, volunteers
or other local activists. Over the past two years, there seems to be
lots of anecdotal evidence that sometimes it is agencies, services
and networks that may also be experiencing barriers to be ready for
deeper inclusion of families. If we want more inclusive
communities, can redefining community readiness help us to be gentle
with ourselves and in the end get to inclusion faster?
Guest: TBA
Moderator: TBA
Date, time and location: TBA
The benefits of risk taking
There are lots of good
reasons why we need to consider our involvement in actions before plunging
in head first. However, is it possible that we have become too cautious
and our need to consider all of the impacts and risks might in fact
immobilize us? In FAIR we have asked parents and frontline staff to
become risk takers. They have stepped outside of their comfort zone
to learn new ways of thinking about things and taking actions. How
do we create this culture of risk taking in more aspects of our lives
and work?
Guest: TBA
Moderator: TBA
Date, time and location: TBA
Update on FAIR Parent Conference 2008
An amazing conference, “Anything is possible” was held on March 7, 2008. Parents, GUHD partners and other community partners assumed leads on many pieces of the day’s activities. Over 75 parents, 50 children, 15 community partners and 6 volunteers participated.
The morning was opened by two parents from the planning group who welcomed everyone and introduced the agenda. Chris Cavanagh of the Catalyst Centre warmed people up by taking them through some fun interactive exercises. Parents then used the remainder of the morning for Open Space Discussions (see attached summary). www.catalystcentre.com
Over lunch, The Colour of Poverty video was shown and participants were invited to participate in discussion groups at their tables about how poverty has become racialized. This means that people of colour are more likely to live below the poverty line than those who are not (see attached summary notes). www.colourofpoverty.com
In
the afternoon, parents had a choice of empowerment and self
care workshops presented by community partners, students
and volunteers. Things were wrapped up when the children rejoined
their parents in the gym for some creative voice and movement led
by Sistah
Lois.
For more information, call Deborah at 416-595-9230 x 322.
Mark your Calendar: “Celebrating Parent
Activism”
Wrap up for the Families Are Important Resources (FAIR) Project
In November 2008, Families Are Important Resources will be celebrating the activism of families in parent action groups and the successes of community partners in exploring how to be more inclusive of families with young children.
The event will be a time to look at the FAIR manual,
view the FAIR video and hear testimonials from parents and other stakeholders
about the impact of FAIR.
If you have been involved with FAIR and would like to receive an invitation
to the event, please contact Deborah at 416-595-9230 ext. 322 or
by email at deborahko@fsatoronto.com
Parent-led Coalition Meetings
Parent-led Coalition Meetings
These meetings are an opportunity for parents and caregivers to meet with each
other to improve their communities for families. Together parents learn skills
and have an opportunity to practice what they have learned by taking actions
together.
Parents for Action Now and East
End Parent Action Group WORKING TOGETHER
For the next several months these two parent action groups will be learning
what needs to be done in order to plan and host a community event. Both groups
are interested in learning about the impact of poverty on their communities.
In particular they want to learn more about how poverty has become a more
common occurrence within the immigrant communities and people of colour.
They will host community events in the west AND east end of the city this
coming fall. The focus of their events will be The Colour of Poverty campaign. www.colourofpoverty.ca
For more information contact:
Tammy at Queen West Community Health Centre tdecarie@ctch.com 416-703-8482
ext. 233
Deborah at Family Service Association of Toronto deborahko@fsatoronto.com 416-595-9230
ext. 322
Lenard at WoodGreen Community Services lsee@woodgreen.org 416-469-5211
Next meeting dates:
May 28th and June 25th from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at St. Christopher House,
248 Ossington Avenue (corner of Dundas W and Ossington)
Central Family Action Group
Explore interesting ways to engage new parents in community action. Parents
in this box are distributing feedback boxes to capture the issues and concerns
of other community parents. The group continues to work on connecting with
City of Toronto and resident groups to increase safety and use of public
spaces for and by young families.
For more information contact:
Ronnie at 416-863-0499; email: ronnie.thompson@dixonhall.org
JoAnne at 416-392-6874, e-mail: frc@the519.org,
Next meeting date:
Dates to be confirmed with either JoAnne or Ronnie.
Harbourfront Parent Action Group
The Harbourfront group is currently getting ready to take on a new project
in that local community. If you are interested in joining their efforts and
adding your voice to theirs, contact Alka at alkakarir@gmail.com
Next meeting:TBA.
Meetings are held at Harbourfront Community Centre or in the neighbourhood
surrounding the centre.
Mother Outlaws
This is THE group for discussing feminism and mothering. For more information
and to RSVP, please contact: Linn Baran, Mother Outlaws Co-ordinator, linnbaran@sympatico.ca or
check the website: http://www.yorku.ca/arm/motheroutlaws.html
Next meeting: Time and place to be announced.
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