Message From Executive Director
Update – Frontline workers training
Upcoming Events of CASSA and other agencies
Job Opportunities
Special Announcements
Membership

Dear Colleagues:

Hope everyone is having a great summer. Firstly, I would like to welcome three new members who joined CASSA in the past two weeks: Menaka Thakkar Dance Company, Kalanidhi Fine Arts of Canada and Nrtyakala Canadian Academy of Indian Dance. On another note, CASSA is excited to let you know that we are in the final stages of our tenant engagement project with TCHC. The purpose of the project is to engage Bangladeshi and Tamil TCHC tenants in civic activities. We invite those interested in being involved in this project’s last phase to join our efforts. We have just begun our Pakistani Community Dialogues on racism and discrimination in Scarborough and Markham. In September, we will launch the Access to Trades Taskforce to assist in improving newcomers’ access to employment in trades. Lastly, our newest activity with respect to poverty reduction initiative is the establishment of a Speakers Bureau. If you are a South Asian interested in speaking out against/about poverty, we need your support.

Thank you for your continued support, guidance and time.

Sincerely,

Neethan Shan
Executive Director 

Update – Frontline Workers Training: The second session of the Breaking Barriers Frontline Workers Training Program took place on Aug 11. The session was lead by the staff from the South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario (SALCO) focusing on Legal Issues. During the discussions several issues were highlighted like the importance of legal education for all types of frontline workers and different ways to get educated, roles and responsibilities of frontline workers and their clients, and creating awareness around important legal issues. The next session will be taking place in September and the topic will be “Addressing Health Inequities”.

For more information on this training session, please contact Loveleen Kang at loveleen@cassa.on.ca or 416 932 1359 x14.

UPCOMING CASSA EVENTS:

Access to Trades Taskforce Planning Meeting – Aug 19: The next meeting of CASSA’s Access to Trades Taskforce Planning will take place at the CASSA Office on Aug 19. If you are interested in getting involved in advocacy for internationally trained tradespeople, please contact Anita Khanna at anita@cassa.on.ca or 416 932 1359 x13.

Equity Council Meeting – Aug 26: The next meeting of the Equity Council of York Region will take place on Wednesday August 26 from 6:30-8:30 pm. The meeting will be held at the Family Services York Region office at 4261 Highway 7 Suite 203, Markham to discuss mandate, vision, values and other foundational items. Everyone is welcome to attend and participate.
Please RSVP Anita Khanna at anita@cassa.on.ca  or 416 932 1359 x13.

SAYAC Meeting – Aug 26: The next meeting of South Asian Youth Advisory Committee will be held on Aug 26 at CASSA office. Some items on the agenda will be to discuss the roles and responsibilities of the steering committee members, to outline possible campaign/speaker series/conference at the end of the year leading up to the conference, create activities and timeline chart and discuss projected finances.

For more information, contact Nadia Alam at nadia@cassa.on.ca

UPCOMING EVENTS OF OTHER AGENCIES

HIV and Men’s Health – Sept 17: Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention (ASAAP) is organizing this workshop on Sept 17. Click here to view the flyer.

Canadian Community Dialogue & Deliberation 2009 Conference – Oct 22 – 25: C2D2 and Toronto Community Housing have partnered to 2009 Conference to be held from Oct 22 -25.  The conference is an opportunity for sharing experiences, ideas, and research on how collaborative action, planning, problem solving, decision-making and conflict resolution can be empowered through dialogue and deliberation. For more information, please visit www.c2d2.ca

Administrative Secretary
Employer: United Way Toronto.

Outreach Coordinator
Employer: ASAAP (Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention)

Internationally Trained Immigrants Advisor
Employer: Humber Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning

Coordinator/Employment Councillor
Employer: Humber Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning

Bridging Projects for Internationally Trained Individuals: The Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration has released an Invitation for Proposals for bridging projects that improve access to occupational certification/registration and employment for internationally trained professionals. For more information and to download the Invitation of Proposals guideline, please visit the website www.citizenship.gov.on.ca

Join the CASSA Speakers Bureau! – The Speakers Bureau is a CASSA initiative to make our community’s voice heard by involving community members who are willing to speak up about daily issues they face. Issues could range from affordable housing, child care, social assistance, temporary work or any other issue that has negatively affected your well-being and standard of living. Training will be provided to all those who are interested.
More information, contact Loveleen Kang at 416 932 1359 extn.14 or loveleen@cassa.on.ca

YOUR INVOLVEMENT WITH CASSA

If you are interested in volunteering, partnering or becoming a member, please email Farhat at farhat@cassa.on.ca. Click here for more information about volunteering with CASSA. Click here to fill out a volunteer application form.

You or your organization can also become a member of CASSA, if you wish to support our mission/mandate. Please visit our website www.cassa.on.ca for details on our mission, vision, values and strategic priorities. The members will receive a regular   update on various happenings in the social services/social justice field in Ontario's South Asian communities.

Annual Membership fee is only $10 for individuals and $20 for organizations. Joining as a member will also keep you informed of opportunities about jobs, volunteering and community events. Click here for more information about becoming a member of CASSA and its benefits.

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Be sure to visit us on the web at www.cassa.on.ca where you’ll find plenty of up to date information on CASSA weekly activities. 

Thank you for your support and for sharing this information with others!