Community Matters Toronto

Dealing With Change

2008-03-11T19:14:00.001-04:00

I would like to share some of my thoughts with you after attending a seminar on Strategic thinking at Volunteer Toronto recently. We had a lively discussion as we talked about all of our experiences as volunteers.

I thought mostly about how my various placements as a volunteer had led to me having to become more fluid in my responses to change instead of always digging in my heels, and refusing to accept the inevitable. Once I recognised this fact, the changes that I had been so afraid of became welcome ones. These are the most important ideas that I formed at the seminar, and reinforced what I had already accepted in my own mind:

To volunteer means to accept constant change. Your own schedule may change, your programs may change, and the people you help will always be experiencing various degrees of change within their own lives.

Changes can be:

Cyclical, e.g. You have more students for tutoring during the school year than in the summer months

Structural, e.g. Attendance in your programs drops, so you have to adapt or restructure in order to continue.

Transformational: e.g. Either You or your students have moved on or outgrown your programs. This is the hardest change of all because it requires support from those above you as well as those you are helping. Some will be totally behind you, some will be cautious about supporting you, but can be eventually one over to your side, and other support systems will withhold their support completely.

Keep in mind our mission statement at Community Matters: Neighbours helping Neighbours in St. James Town.

See the big picture: Identify the context of your goals: What do you expect to get out of your volunteering time with us? Understand what is going on around you, as well as what is going to make the experience of change more positive.

Try to respond to changes either with your support and or a positive outlook, or by taking a second look to make sure that the changes that you make are the right ones to order to solve the problem. Ask others for their input and try to work together towards a shared understanding.
Had a similar experience? Please share your views about this by posting on the volunteer blog.

Ingred

2008-03-04T13:47:00.001-05:00

March 4th, 2008

Hi CMT volunteers!!

Hi, my name is Ingred and I am the new coordinator of volunteers for Community Matters Toronto.

First I want to thank all of you who volunteer here for your continual dedication and hard work with us, and I want to let you know that you are the most important people in our CMT family. Without you we would not be able to provide the services that are so badly needed in this vibrant community. You are very much appreciated!

At Community Matters we want you to share your ideas, we want to know what has worked for you as well as what hasn’t. Sharing in the volunteer blog helps us all to feel connected and I want to hear all your ideas and get your feedback on any ideas that I may have. Together we can make CMT even better!

Ingred.

October News!

2007-10-09T18:47:00.000-04:00

Fundraising award-!!!!! Community Matters received an award for innovation in small organization's fund raising from the Association of Fundraising Professionals of Ontario. The innovation was the variety of fund raising approaches used. by our Trust. This includes the letter writing, in kind contributions, using fee for service with the Wellesley Institute......

TAKE A BYTE
A Cookbook for Kids, by Kids!
One of CMT's Programs, the St James Town Community Trust has developed a cookbook for kids and by kids. Costs are $3.75 per book and we are selling them for $8 to use the profit for the Trust programs. So,if you need presents, conatact us at CMT!

THE ST JAMES TOWN COMMUNITY TRUST is a group of small local programs who work together to help each other provide excellent programs, learn new skills and develop ways to generate funds and materials.

JOB CLUB REPORT

Every year we assist over 100 new comers find the employment they deserve. Dianna Jiang is our employment coordinator and is on call every day and night to help our participants. Each year we receive financial support from Manulife Financial for this program. Manulife has a particular interest in employment and are strong supporters of Career Bridge. Each year we submit our report to them. If you wish to read the report click here

Success Story!

2007-09-05T09:11:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone, we wanted to share a success story about one of our first Community Assistants whose energy and skill contributed a great deal to our programs. She has been profiled by FUSION: THE CANADIAN IMMIGRANT at http://www.thecanadianimmigrant.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=735

CONGRATULATIONS NEERU!!!!!

Profile: Neeru Mishra
By Brian J. D’Souza

Advocating for women newcomers

“My husband, he chose to do his Ph.D. at University of Toronto, so for family life and that kind of support, we all came to Canada together in 2004,” explains Neeru Mishra of her choice to immigrate to Canada from Kashmir, India.

The mother of a six-year-old daughter, Mishra’s first impression of the country was not befuddled by culture shock, “It was so cosmopolitan, there were people from all parts of India; see different people who speak different languages.” On the humorous side, she notes that the dialect spoken in North America wasn’t the British English she was used to.

Having earned a law degree from University of Jammu and practised law for eight years, Mishra was disappointed when initial attempts to reassert herself in her profession were not successful. “After coming here, I thought that maybe I can start my career as a lawyer. But they told me to do [an] exam and then bar law, and it is hard when you come here and you have family and you have children.” The strain of her familial duties combined with many bureaucratic hurdles made her lower her expectations — but only for a short time.

Like many other newcomers before her, she got her start by volunteering. “I joined Community Matters, a grassroots-level organization working to help newcomers at St. James Town in downtown.” Above and beyond the networking opportunities it gave her, Mishra found that, “Working with newcomers was helpful to my integration process also.”

Mishra was, in fact, not a beginner when it came to volunteering or activism — she had plenty of experience accrued in India where she volunteered with the National Service Scheme, run by the Ministry of Youth Affairs. “[I] visited all parts of India, which helped me to understand the issues affecting the condition of women in different parts. I also did research on women prisoners and their rehabilitation in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.”

Mishra eventually discovered the Toronto Centre for Community Learning and Development’s immigrant women integration program, designed to help newcomer women make an impact in their communities. The program consisted of about 15–20 hours of classes per week for 10 months — which she managed to fit into her tight timetable.

“I want to work for women who are lagging behind in making their careers in the process of settlement for the sake of their family,” says Mishra, who now sits on the centre’s board of directors as well as that of Sherbourne Health Centre. “The skills and capacities they bring along with them get lost in this process.” The myth that these women came to Canada with nothing to offer is disturbing to Mishra, and she wants to see attitudes change so women can achieve more.

Her advice for women immigrants? “Always keep on trying for new options and never give up. Every experience teaches you something.”

Summer Literacy Camp stars on You Tube!

2007-08-24T17:07:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone,
We just finished our best camp ever with over 35 campers
and a superlative staff!
Check out one of their trips to the
Black Creek Pioneer Village...............
http://communitymatterstoronto.org/Summer%20Literacy.html

The camp staff are listed on the Volunteer Portal.

September is around the corner! Stay tuned for information about our Fall programs.

All the best, Margaret and Chris

CMT FORUM

2007-06-15T12:49:00.000-04:00

Without you, CMT would not exist and our community would not be nearly as strong and vibrant as it is. How can we can help each other? Ideas?? Questions?? Comments about CMT??

PLEASE ADD A COMMENT TO THIS POSTING

Paticipation in Canadian Culture

2007-06-11T10:48:00.000-04:00

HOW DO WE AT CMT WORK TOWARDS A BALANCE: BRING IN THE BENEFIT OF NEW CULTURES AND ENCOURAGE ACTIVE PARTICIPATION IN CANADIAN LIFE?

In St. James Town, we have a community strengthened by the variety of contributions from many cultures. That strength helps us deal with challenges and our common goal of adapting to life in Canada . When we ask people what they want to achieve through participating in Community Matters Toronto (CMT), their answers reflect these goals:

'We love living here among so many different cultures,so much to choose and benefit from the traditions, food and celebrations!' and;

'...I want to find what unites us all, a common humanity, in spite of our differences.........'

Settlement or 'Shuffling the Deck' towards fuller participation? The 'settlement' process has often been described and many settlement services assist families. These immigration policies and practices succeed to one degree or another, so that a certain percentage of immigrants carve out successful lives.

However, a recent Canadian study looks at the impact of our multiculturalism policies, noting the pattern of 'parallel lives' that many New Canadians live. They often interact more with their own cultures and are geographically isolated.

The best policies reflect what actually happens on the ground, in the daily lives of its citizens. Using 'Neighbours Helping Neighbours' as our motto, we 'shuffle the deck' of cultures, language and experience. The neighbourhood is the best melting pot-providing a series of local, personal interactions. We learn and benefit from this richness. These opportunities help newcomers find the balance between their personal and family identity and full participation in Canadian life.

WHAT ARE THE UNDERLYING VALUES AND PRACTICES THAT PEOPLE BRING?

'......The law here says we are equal in the eyes of the state .It is amazing to have a public statement like that. I have my background and prejudices..................'

We are constantly challenged to listen, really listen! Every new encounter forces you to start from zero with an open mind, knowing that your perception of reality may have very little to do with how that other person sees you, and judges how you dress, your gestures, expressions and attitudes. Added to the mix between Canadian and new Canadian, there is the bewildering and exciting reality that it is also between the 60+ cultures in St James Town, between tribes, social classes and religious traditions.

As we think of an exchange with our neighbour, we are learning be aware, to keep in mind how fundamental values are expressed. It is hard to resist our inclination to assign our meaning- it's just the way we have also learned to behave in our culturally acceptable way:

1. Rules of secrecy and privacy. There are some things which are never discussed in public, between men and women, people who are strangers to each other, those we know and have a good relationship with,

2. Family Practices Parenting ideas are radically different both within and between cultures whether it is regarding discipline, problem solving, how to teach your child, academic expectations, social behaviour and developmental stages!

3. Authority A policeman may conjure the image of an enforcer for some, for others the policeman was the local social worker, confessor and mediator rolled into one.

4. Participation versus passivity One of the challenges in CMT's Job Club is to encourage self promotion. Looking people in the eye, marketing oneself is considered very poor form for some.

In the book 'Secondhand World' by Katherine Min, a father tries to explain his perspective:

The thing you way Koreans feel? Kind of like regret? ' My father twisted his mouth in frustration. “ No real translation in English' he said. “ It's a kind of sadness, or longing. A sense of loss. So much suffering, so much oppression. From China, Japan, from our own Korean kings and governments. Political corruption. Violence, brutality. To understand Koreans, Myung Hee, you must understand this concept of han. We learned the hard way that one's individual will cannot overcome external forces. Some factors are too large, too overwhelming. You Americans don't feel this, I think

Social status How do you get along in a egalitarian society when birth or social position has counted for more? How do you act in team when you have been the owner, the boss, the professional?

5. Socializing and celebration A number of CMT programs have been blessed at their inception with fruit, incense and deities. People enjoy the moment and each other by lingering over celebrations with wonderful food and traditions of marking time and accomplishments.

6. Personal responsibility versus that of the state There are no words for 'tutor', 'autism' or 'therapy', concepts that we take for granted in talking about social welfare. Accidents that occur on residential properties carry no personal liability for the owner in many cultures.

LET'S ENCOURAGE CANADIANS TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS

'Are we supposed to 'follow the rules' here? What is common Canadian social behaviour?'

Douglas Coupland a Canadian author jokes about our beer, the beaver, the loonie, Tim Horton's coffee, then more movingly about our sense of the land and the wild, as essential parts of our Canadian identity.

We need to define our cultural practices in a way that newcomers can learn It is hard to define a 'Canadian culture' and often ends up as a definition of what it is not, i.e. not American, not this, not that! It bewilders many newcomers that this culture is so understated and tolerant.

We still filter information through our cultural bias and personal perceptions. We have to ask ourselves why does a person ask what they do? We bring our own bias and are surpirsed when asked. 'Do they provide free lunches at a new program? They may not know how to express themselves, or may be asking do they bring lunch, or misunderstand the program or the language.

We need to find value in learning from these traditions and cultures. It's not just the new kinds of interesting food and clothing.

Life in our safe, peaceful world can lead to a complacency. The power and fascination of different world views, learning from what is truly alien to us, the force of other traditions, belief and history can immeasurably enrich how we see ourselves.

OF MUTUAL BENEFIT.......................

'It is so very different here. I have to change so much and so fast to survive and make a new life for my children”

This balance comes through work both with new and established Canadians. The Canadian culture in which you were brought up was not necessarily inclusive given how similar everyone was! Our mutual benefit is toearn how to 'shuffle the deck' of cultures and mix our contributions

When we take the first step in helping someone else – we are helped – often in ways that we do not know. We become part of a community that matters to us. We matter. We all matter, and the only way we know that is through the eyes and hearts of others.

'I want to learn how to live live with Canadians, to understand their culture and become part of it'

Ali Moallim the Coordinator at CMTsays, “Look at me, I came from a very chaotic and war-torn country. I want to become fully Canadian through engaging all the resources available at all levels of thissociety. With this knowledge, I want to help others develop to the fullest of their capability. I have joined CMT to make this happen for as many people as possible.' He suggests that we all work on a more open, balanced life together, to:

Demonstrate an openness to change and evolve. Transform parts of yourself and your habits over time.
Absorb the positive part of other cultures, including those of other new Canadians
Adopt good Canadian values of tolerance and acceptance

Meet our Volunteers

2007-05-11T15:35:00.001-04:00

We'd like to introduce the Community Assistants and volunteers who donate hundreds of hours a month to our neighbourhood

Norma administers out Celebrating the Family program. She organizes hearing, speech and vision clinics every month at the Parenting and Family Literacy Centre at Rose Avenue School. She is responsible for all of the parent follow up and also works with Deanna Smith, our speech pathologist

Ali is the presence of Community Matters in St. James Town. Since agreeing to participate with us in 2006 he has contributed to every aspect of our work. His skills, ability and wisdom have supported many of the new comers who visit us. He is constantly working on many projects and most days can be found at Community Matters talking with our neighbours about the many challenges facing those new to the neighbourhood and to Canada.

Dianna has also contributed for over three years, from the beginning of Community Matters. She originally participated in our first Job Club sessions, volunteered and then coordinated our employment programs. She has recently moved on to full time employment and so has less time. Now she contributes to us as a trainer and adviser. She has previously helped coordinate our support group for children with special needs, and conducted employment workshops throughout the community. Dianna also gave the keynote speech at the recent community Citizenship ceremony.

Fred made a great contribution to the community through his tireless efforts in organizing the St. James Town Youth Choir. Originally he helped conduct our first Citizenship classes and now then moved on to start the choir from scratch. The choir had over thirty members and met regularly during the school year participating in concerts in the surrounding neighbourhood. The choir ha now blended into our full music program

Mike volunteers at Community Matters with our homework club. He is a law student at the University of Toronto and during the winter months has been participating in the community joining with us in our Community Circle Facilitator training. He will be one of three counsellors at our 2007 Summer Literacy Camp.

Judith volunteers to coordinate 'Clothes Encounters'. This social club is designed to support those who enjoy clothing, crafts and creating new designs and fashions. The club meets in the basement of 240 Wellesley where Judith is transforming space to welcome all those who are interested.

Darlene both volunteers at Community Matters and organizes her own neighbourhood programs including "Unlabelled" a program for young girls. She also contributes to the St. James Town Community Trust, a cooperative group of small organizations in the neighbourhood as well as participating in Community Circle Facilitator training.

Trish represents the real spirit of volunteerism. In addition to committing her time with Community Matters to provide guidance to members of our job club she also volunteers her time with seniors and with Meals on Wheels. As an district manager for a financial firm she brings real life perspectives to our job club participants as well as conducting employment work shops for members of the community

Laxmi has volunteered with Community Matters helping us with our administration activities for the last year. She has set up the data bases for our volunteer and participant information. She has also made contact with organizations throughout Toronto requesting support in the form of admission tickets and other donations. She has been very successful with this effort so that many participants have benefited.

Ingred volunteers with our Community Trust initiative. She has been working with Margaret on our fund raising activity. We have had great successes with some service organizations. Ingred also organizes a internet cafe for the kids in her building at 145 Mutual Street.

Becky volunteers teaching piano on Saturdays to children in the neighbourhood. She recently organized our concert introducing our Music Room to the community. Her students each performed a piece of music for a large gathering of neighbours during the St. James Town Festival

Sunita and Sheila exemplify what we mean by true volunteerism. For more than a year they have run our English Cafe on Wednesday evenings.They live in the area and take no credit for their work, saying, 'These are our friends and neighbours'!'

Chelva is a talented tutor who not only works directly with children and youth at CMT but helps with our Education portion of the CMT Website and training programs for our staff. He is the father of teenage twins and enjoys writing in his spare time. Chelva also conducts our Tuesday evening Englsh Cafe.

Zhara is helping us set up our Community Circles approach. Based on PeaceBuilding Circles originated by aboriginal people in Canada and around the world, it is an approach to peace and conflict resolution. With her help we are training circle members and Facilitators. Zhara embodies this approach: she is a model of how to 'restore balance' in families and communities

Doris has volunteered with us for over a year. We are fortunate as Doris has an ESL teaching certificate. She is a dedicated volunteer and has introduced and provided our Saturday ESL cafe.

Benjamin has recently come to Canada from England and is getting his fist volunteer experience here volunteering with our Summer Literacy Camp.

Sapan is studying Life Sciences at the University of Toronto. He has brought his knowledge and enthusiasm to our Summer Literacy Camp.

Sonaja started volunteering at our Homework club. Her dedication has carried over to our Summer Literacy Camp. Sonaja's mom also volunteers with us and has provided a lot of the lunches for the camp

Hedi gives all her energy to our support group for parents with children with autism. She has gathered a great deal of knowledge and experience which she willingly shares with other parents, the support group and participants and the Parenting and Family Literacy Centre at Rose Avenue School

Lynn has volunteered to be our bookkeeper and accountant for the last two years. Even for a small charity such as ourselves there is a tremendous amount of time required to record and keep our records accurate. Lynn has volunteered countless hours to do this and currently employed as an accountant and is taking courses to complete her CGA designation.

Bharti has contributed to Community Matters for over three years. She has participated in employment courses, has volunteered and organized our After School programs and is presently a member of our Board of Directors.

Matt started volunteering with us when he came to live in St. James Town. He has contributed to our homework club, our English Cafe's and has provided private language support to some of our neighbours. He is currently contributing his time to work on our web site.

Deanna has contributed to our "Celebrating the Family" program for over three years as our speech pathologist. She has worked with all our Community Assistants, imparting her knowledge and providing guidance. Se has dedicated her time to the family's of St. James Town whose children need extra support in developing their language and speech skills

Yan volunteers teaching piano to children in the neighbouhood each Sunday. She also volunteers at Rose Avenue Public School teaching piano. Yan opened our Music concert on June 10 with an accordion solo which introduced our new music rooms to the community. Yan also participates in our Tuesday English Cafe

Myriam has taught French to Intermediate School students at CMT for the past two years. She is enthusiastic and very committed to her work with us, rarely missing a Saturday! She wants to train to be a teacher.

Sophie works with junior students teaching French on Saturday mornings. She was introduced to us by Myriam and has in turn brought in her husband Sylvain, to help out.
CONGRATULATIONS to you both on the birth of your son Samuel!!!

Kate and Jasmine work for Toronto Public Health. They have brought their enthusiasm and love for food and cooking to our Take Five nutrition classes

Max also volunteers at our Summer Literacy Camp. He is a student at the University of Toronto.

Marg and Chris
It is an honour to have worked with residents and volunteers through Community Matters for years. We help with setting up programs, working in the Job Club, English Cafe and the St James Town Community Trust, and whatever else it takes to maintain and grow this wonderful spirit of community we have together!