Dear Colleagues:
We are pleased to inform you that CASSA has moved to a new location as of November 2nd, 2009. We are now located in Scarborough at 2401 Eglinton Ave. East, Unit 212. (at the intersection of Kennedy Rd and Eglinton Ave, beside Kennedy Subway station. We are pleased to continue to be in touch with you through our e-newsletter. We have many exciting news to share with you, as we move closer to 2010. We have six exciting internship opportunities and many leadership training opportunities for youth. In December, we will be hosting Seniors Summit on Income Security in Etobicoke. CASSA will also release its report on the “Putting Equity on the Agenda” campaign in York Region next month. We hope you can join us at our health roundtables, access to trade task force and other exciting projects outlined below. Last but not least, CASSA is inviting social and economic justice minded individuals and organizations from across the Province particularly Durham, Hamilton, London, Ottawa, Waterloo and Windsor to connect with us as we plan our province-wide policy and community organizing work.
Our website www.cassa.on.ca continues to see great increase in traffic, so if you are a not for profit organization and a member organization of CASSA, we encourage you to take advantage of posting your jobs, events and volunteer postings on our site.
Thank you for your continued support, guidance and time.
Sincerely,
Neethan Shan
Executive Director
CASSA project Updates:
Bengali Resource Booklet Launch – Oct. 16: CASSA launched the Communities in Action: Resource Booklet in Bengali on Oct. 16 to celebrate advocacy and community building in Bengali community. The launch was supported by South Asian Community Support Canada (SACSC). The creation of the booklet was a component of a joint CASSA-TCHC project “Communities in Action” which focused on capacity building and empowerment in the Tamil and Bengali communities. The event was marked with performances by community members of all age groups and featured speeches from members of South Asian Community Support Canada, City Councilor Janet Davis, as well as representatives of TCHC Buildings and CASSA.
Scarborough Uniting for Economic Justice – Oct. 22: CASSA held an Economic Justice Forum in Scarborough on October 22nd, 2009, supported by the Jobs for All Coalition, Colour of Poverty Coalition, Malvern Community Coalition, the Toronto Chapter of Chinese Canadian National Council, Social Planning Toronto, 25 in 5 Network for Poverty Reduction, The Scarborough-Agincourt Ward 40 Residents' Association, Scarborough Civic Action Network, as well as Drop Fees for a Poverty Free Ontario Campaign. The event marked the International Day of Poverty, and addressed issues of employment standards, employment equity, and employment insurance with a local focus. It was attended by over 60 people and the speakers panel included John Cartwright of the Labour Council, Effie Vlachoyannacos of Scarborough Civic Action Network, and more. The Forum also served as a platform to get involved in the current projects and campaigns of the various organizations present.
WCI project update – As a part of the Welcoming Communities Initiative (WCI) project, CASSA staff visited Kitchener-Waterloo in mid-October to meet with various agencies working on access and equity initiatives focused on newcomers and immigrants. The possibility of working on projects in the Peterborough area is also being currently explored and CASSA plans to finalize its work in Kitchener-Waterloo and Peterborough by the end of the month. CASSA held another meeting of the Equity Council of York Region Development group. The meeting was very productive, and the group is busily preparing for the release of the Equity Campaign Report for York Region on December 10th (location TBA). The Newcomers’ Access to Trades Taskforce is also meeting on Friday November 13th to discuss how our efforts will take shape as legislation for the Ontario College of Trades was passed at the end of this month.
If you would like more information about any of these projects or events, please contact Anita at anita@cassa.on.ca or 416 932 1359 x13.
South Asians and Sexual Health Roundtable – Oct. 27: The roundtable on South Asians and Sexual health took place on Oct. 27th. The three priority areas identified for CASSA were: sharing promising practices on healthy sexuality for service providers, providing opportunities for partnerships/resources/funding proposals, and facilitating a health ambassador/peer education program. Challenges of clients as well as the service providers were discussed and several opportunities were identified which could be explored to bring positive changes in the existing scenario. The next roundtable on South Asians and Health Governance will be held on Nov.26th.
For more information, please contact Mya Vijendran and mya.vijendran@gmail.com.
SAYAC – Nov. 05: The South Asian Youth Advisory Committee (SAYAC) met on Nov. 5 to discuss the plans for work to be done for the third annual Fires of Resistance conference which will be held in May 2010 (South Asian Heritage Month). Anti-oppression training workshops will be organized for SAYAC members on Nov. 14 and Nov. 21. In January, SAYAC will launch its blog and also hold an event based on one of the following themes: gender equity, terrorism, cultural identity, intergenerational issues. Next SAYAC meeting will be held on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2009.
If you are interested in getting involved in SAYAC, please get in touch with anu@cassa.on.ca
UPCOMING CASSA EVENTS
South Asians and Health Governance – Nov. 26: Click here to view the flyer. For more information, please contact Mya Vijendran at mya.vijendran@gmail.com
UPCOMING EVENTS OF OTHER ORGANIZATIONS
Healthy Life Style for Healthy Heart – Nov. 22: South Asian Heart Health Group (SAHHG) is organizing a health fair on Nov. 22nd at East York Community Centre, 10811/2 Pape Avenue from 1to 5 p.m. To pre-register, please call Jharna Ghosh at 416-759-2802.
Click here to view the flyer.
ASAAP AGM – Nov. 24th: Alliance for South Asian Aids Prevention (ASAAP) is holding its AGM on Nov. 24th at Fife House, 1st floor, 490 Sherbourne St, Toronto from 6-8 p.m. Please RSVP at
416.599.2727 x 221.
Click here to view the flyer.
CERIS- The Ontario Metropolis Centre's Policy Research Symposium and Open House - Nov 27: The annual Policy Research Symposium is an opportunity to hear about recent exciting research at CERIS.The Symposium will take place from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Friday November 27, 2009, in Room 548, 246 Bloor St. West. Please RSVP for the Policy Research Symposium and/or Open House by November 20th by contacting Sue Ann Truong at ceris.office@utoronto.ca or 416-946-3113.
Let’s Talk Heart Health – Nov. 29th: Heart & Stroke Foundation of Ontario presents a heart health forum on people of South Asian descent at Grand Baccus Banquet and Conference Centre on Sunday, November 29, 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Click here to view the flyer.
Curriculum Training and Project Coordinator
Employer: Canadian Mental Health Association, Toronto
INTERNSHIP POSITIONS AT CASSA
CASSA has created six internship opportunities for current post secondary students and recent
graduates to help assist youth in gaining valuable experience, skills and networks as well as to give them the opportunities to help build the infrastructure of CASSA to do social and economic justice work in Ontario. The six positions open for internship are for the following roles:
- developing an outreach strategy for CASSA for the GTA
- developing an outreach strategy for CASSA for outside the GTA (in Ontario)
- coordinating efforts for social planning in York Region
- documentation and evaluation of projects and activities of CASSA's 2009 activities
- coordinating the efforts related to South Asian Heritage Month May 2010
- developing and updating external and internal communication mechanisms and tools
If you are interested in taking on a 100 to 200 hour internship, please email your resume and cover letter by November 18th, 2009, 4pm to hr@cassa.on.ca
There will be an honorarium paid at the completion of the internship duties. During the internship, the interns will be coached and mentored by CASSA's existing staff and will be provided informal and formal training opportunities. For more details, please email Neethan Shan at neethan.shan@cassa.on.ca
Toronto Fire Services career information sessions – Nov. 24 & Dec. 03: The Toronto Fire Services is holding career information sessions at the Scarborough Civic Centre. This an excellent opportunity for individuals interested in having a rewarding and exciting career with the fire services.
Click here to view the flyer for more details.
Refugee Youth Health project: Participation in focus group : The Refugee Youth Health Project is a 2 year youth-led community-based research project, with youth talking to youth about issue faced before and after migration that affect their mental health. The youth –led focus group is looking for participation from Afghani refugee youth between 20- 24 years who can share their stories, feelings, opinions and ideas to help improve services and policy for all refugee youth. Click here to view the flyer.
For more information, and to register, please email aakbari@accessalliance.ca or call 416 -324 8619 extn. 304
New Protections for Temp Agency Workers – New protections for temporary agency workers have become effective from Nov. 06. To read more about these new changes, visit www.workersactioncentre.org or call 416 531 0778.
Recruitment – RAG Focus groups: School of Social Work, York University, is conducting a community consultation with Tamil and Arab youth who have experienced racism to share the stories of how they cope and heal. The deadline for participation in focus group is November 20th. To learn more, please contact Principal Investigator, Sarah Maiterat 416 736 2100 extn. 20567 or smaiter@yorku.ca.
South Asian Youth Advisory Committee (SAYAC): SAYAC Steering Committee is looking for more Steering Committee members to join the existing team for the term July 2009-May 2010. SAYAC Members are passionate South Asian youth who wish to actively participate in creating a socially and economically just Canada and will work collaboratively towards creating the 3rd Annual Fires of Resistance: Youth Igniting Action conference held every May. Click here to visit the SAYAC page on CASSA website.
If interested, please send in your resume to Nitole Quader at nitole@cassa.on.ca with the subject title “SAYAC Membership Application”.
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.
Subscription Info
To unsubscribe from this mailing, please click here.
If you know someone else that might wish to subscribe to our mailing please click here.
To report any problems with links please click here.
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! |
