EMCN March Staff Meeting
The next EMCN Staff Meeting will be held on Friday, March 27 at 12:00 noon. If you have any agenda items, please submit to Helen Rusich at hrusich@emcn.ab.ca
Thank you.
Submitted by Helen Rusich
--------------------
Meeting for Frontline Workers
The next meeting for frontline workers hosted by the Housing Support Services Hub will be April 22 at 10 AM. Great opportunity to meet and share experiences related to assisting people on housing security matters with other people from a wide variety of organizations.
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
--------------------
Senior’s Computer Class
Monday & Wednesday
12:00 to 1:00
Begins April 6, 2009
11713 – 82 Street, Room 2-7
Submitted by Jacqueline Scott
--------------------
Thank You!
Thank you to Ali, Ariela, Don, Eu Jin, Judy, Laurie, Leila, Niphon, Ovys, Phillip, Rispah, Sandy, and Terry for organizing their busy lives to give three hours of time to the Mayor's task force on Safe Communities last week.
The staff working on this project and the two co-chairs who stayed for the full time were very impressed with the amount and creativity of the input to this session and I feel proud that EMCN folks made up more than half of the total participants. Thanks too to our staff who are sensitive about language matters. I appreciated very much that every EMCN person who spoke talked about "temporary workers" or "temporary foreign workers" while others used the very impersonal "TFW" acronym to refer to these people. It is this attention to respectful and caring language that demonstrates some of the ways in which we really act on our strategic plan commitment to respect human rights.
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
--------------------
The Mayor’s Taskforce on Community Safety
Many EMCN staff provided good input to this task force last week but if you were not able and would like an opportunity, here is another information gathering session. Please register directly with the information provided at the end of the message.
The Mayor’s Taskforce on Community Safety is inviting you to a consultation specifically designed for our frontline workers in Edmonton.
As you may know, Mayor Stephen Mandel has launched a Taskforce on Community Safety. He brought together leading Edmontonians of diverse skills and backgrounds to create an innovative evidenced-based strategy and 10 year implementation plan to result in reduced crime and improved safety for Edmontonians. Their key approaches can be summed up in 3 words: Prevention, Innovation and Evidence Based
Central to the success of the strategy is the input of the frontline workers.
Those of you on this distribution list are known for your work and innovative spirit on the frontline of Edmonton. We would be honored if we could consult with you and your associates. Specifically, we would like to hear from you, and those people on your staff who work on the frontline. If this is reaching you in error, but you know of an agency or person who works in the community, please feel free to forward it on to them. In addition, we have invited the Alberta government's Safe Communities Secretariat to participate, given their role in overseeing the implementation of the recommendations of Provincial Crime Reduction and Safe Communities Task Force." We are honored that they are joining us, and hope that you will be able to attend as well. It will be an excellent session!
DATE: Thursday, March 19 from 8:30am – 3:00pm
WHERE: The Chateau Louis Hotel & Conference Centre; Grand Ballroom
R.S.V.P.: Michelle Place; place.logistics@yahoo.ca
The attached invitation provides some background on the Taskforce and details on this particular session, including registration information. Please forward it to people in your organization or to other agencies that work Edmonton’s frontline.
Soles and Company have been contracted to conduct the Community Engagement Process on behalf of the Taskforce. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions. For more information on the Taskforce, please refer to www.edmonton.ca/safetytaskforce
Michelle Place
780-499-2752
via….
Kate Gunn
Edmonton Taskforce on Community Safety
780-442-5441 www.edmonton.ca/safetytaskforce
"Violence is not an accident, it is preventable."
~Irvin Waller, Less Law More Order
Edmonton is the proud host of the 2009 ICLEI World Congress - a conference on advancing local environment initiatives.
Visit: www.iclei.org/worldcongress2009
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
Course: Foreign Trained Professional Immigrant women
TASIS (Transforming Acculturative Stress Into Success) for foreign trained professional immigrant women. A six-session course, held through JFS and funded by Status of Women Canada and the Community Initiatives Programme.
This project is aimed at minimizing the culture shock and sense of displacement experienced by foreign trained professional immigrant women in Edmonton. It is a non-denominational program designed to support women who had good employment and a satisfying social situation in their home countries, and are experiencing personal and practical challenges and disappointments in Canada. It will help women gain a deeper understanding of the reasons for their social and employment difficulties, teach practical skills to address their situation and lower their anxiety and frustration levels, and open up new opportunities to succeed in a new culture and country. Our facilitators are all professionals and immigrant women themselves.
The course is free, including childcare and transportation assistance. Our coaches and facilitators are seasoned professionals and are immigrant women themselves.
Svetlana Pavlenko, Project Coordinator (780) 454-1194
The focus is on confidential small group work in the areas of skill building, self-awareness and self-confidence. We trust that when women feel valued and competent they have a better chance of functioning effectively in a new country.
The main objectives of the project are:
- to help women to understand their immigration related stress and learn and practice culturally appropriate adaptive techniques;
- to reduce the personal and professional isolation of immigrant women;
- to give participants a chance to learn, practice and apply new approaches to their immigration realities.
The course will be held three times in 2009 and will include sessions on:
- the psychological and emotional aspects of the immigration experience
- stress reduction techniques
- life coaching and mentoring
- successful acculturation strategies
- cultural opportunities
- effective verbal and non-verbal communication patterns and styles
- building awareness, satisfying self-image, identity and belonging.
Sheila Bailin
Resource Specialist - TASIS
(Transforming Acculturative Stress Into Success)
H: (780) 455-3162
sbailin@shaw.ca
Submitted by Rispah Tremblay
--------------------
The H2O Luncheon - Help 2 Overcome the Water Crisis In Lebanon
HUMANSERVE International
www.humanserve.org
invites you to The H2O Luncheon Help 2 Overcome the Water Crisis In Lebanon
We hope you join us for an afternoon of scrumptious Mediterranean Cuisine, Humanserve project information and entertainment by the Middle Eastern Music Ensemble
Tickets are only $20 for students & $30 for adults. By buying a ticket you are giving solutions to water pollution!
The H2O Fundraising Luncheon proceeds will go to a specific project focused on water sanitation and waste management in the South of Lebanon, Palestinian refugee camps and Beirut. Humanserve will be partnering with PARD overseas to provide UNRWA services (specifically solid waste collection & water sanitation for the above mentioned areas).
The main objectives are:
* increase access to safe water for 34,204 people living in 10 Southern gatherings, Palestinian refugee camps and 7 gatherings in Beirut
*control communicable and non-communicable diseases
*reduce rodent and insect infections
Date: Sunday, March 29, 2009
Time: 12:00pm - 2:30pm
Location: Maple Leaf Room, Lister Conference Center, UofA Campus
87th Avenue & 114 Street
****Please reply back to this email to confirm your attendance.*****
Facebook event link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=54724490059&ref=mf
Pass this along to your friends and family!
If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to contact me,
Vanessa Ali
President
Humanserve international
www.humanserve.org
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
Tales Through Time: History and Legend from Across Canada.
TALES Edmonton Concert Friday, March 20, 2009 / 7:30 p.m.
@ The John Janzen Nature Centre Auditorium
Tix: $18.00 available at: www.tixonthesquare.ca
TALES Through Time - History and Legend from Across Canada, features master storyteller Dale Jarvis, Intangible Culture Officer for Newfoundland and Labrador + TALES Storytellers Dawn Blue, Eniad & Pearl Ann Gooding.
Tix also available at TALES Edmonton, or at the door.
Info: 780.932.4409 / E: talesedmonton@hotmail.com
Acknowledgments: TALES Edmonton is the grateful recipient of funding from the City of Edmonton through the Edmonton Arts Council. Thank-You!
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
--------------------
Series of Lectures
Friends:
The Chester Ronning Centre is pleased to present a series of lectures by prestigious scholar Dr Mumtaz Ahmad focusing on issues related to Islam in the contemporary world. These lectures will be co-sponsored by the ECMC Chair in Islamic Studies at the University of Alberta, the Chester Ronning Centre, and The King's University College in Edmonton, and funded in part by the Ronning Centre Endowment for Distinguished Visiting Fellows.
Friday, April 3, 2009
7:00 - 8:30 p.m., F104, Augustana Campus, 4901 - 46 Avenue, Camrose Religious Formation, Identity and Politics On the Boundary Between Pakistan
Monday, April 6, 2009
12 noon, Lecture Theater N-102, The King’s University College,
9125 - 50 Street, Edmonton
Descent into Chaos: Pakistan & India in the Wake of the Mumbai Attacks
Monday, April 6, 2009
7 p.m., Telus Bldg, Room 150, University of Alberta, Edmonton
Descent into Chaos: Pakistan & India in the Wake of the Mumbai Attacks
Additionally, on Saturday, April 4, 2009, there will be an Interfaith Dialogue for those who wish to learn more about the Islamic faith.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
1:00 - 5:00 p.m. Trinity Lutheran Church
10014 - 81st Avenue, Edmonton
Islam for Christians: What You Always Wanted to Know
This event will be hosted by Dr Ibrahim Abu-Rabi, ECMC Chair in Islamic Studies at the University of Alberta and David Goa, Director of the Chester Ronning Centre. The event will feature a number of presenters.
Copies of the flyers for these events are attached. No registration is required and there is no fee to attend these events.
To view these flyers, or for more information on the work of the Ronning Centre, please visit our website at www.augustana.ualberta.ca/ronning
Regards,
Debbie Smeaton for David Goa and Dittmar Mundel
Chester Ronning Centre for the Study of Religion and Public Life
780-679-1104; 780-672-1187
david.goa@ualberta.ca pdmundel@telusplanet.net
Islam for Christians Apr 4 Final Poster
Mumtaz Lecture Series Final
--------------------
Attacking Low Literacy in Canada
March 12, 2009 - Low literacy is Canada's hidden deficit and a barrier to full participation in society for about 9 million people. More than ever, living and working demand ever higher levels of literacy and self-reliance. In Canada's Hidden Deficit: The Social Cost of Low Literacy Skills, CPRN's Founding President Judith Maxwell and Tatyana Teplova explore the social costs of low literacy. The authors have collected significant data to describe the burden it places on individuals and on Canada's social fabric. Low literacy skills limit individual achievement, wealth creation and social and economic development.
Three categories of social costs from low literacy are detailed in the study:
. Opportunity costs - the economic, social and cultural benefits necessary to cope with everyday challenges. Low literacy amongst a population lowers economic growth as people are less likely to vote and volunteer, and fewer people participate in ongoing learning and skill development.
. Remedial costs - the costs paid by government and communities to mitigate the damage of low literacy; and,
. Intergenerational costs point out that the child's capacity to learn basic literacy skills is strongly influenced by the mother's education and the home environment. These costs show how literacy gaps in one generation can be passed on to the next.
To manage and, ultimately, avoid these costs, Canada needs a national literacy strategy. The report provides insights into the issues to address and a framework for action.
Canada's Hidden Deficit: The Social Cost of Low Literacy Skills was released in February 2008 by the Canadian Language and Literacy Research Network (CLLRNet). To read or download the report, go to http://nsel.cllrnet.ca/2008/02/15/the-social-cost-of-low-lit eracy-skills/.
For an updated commentary, A New Perspective on Canada's Literacy Deficit, by Judith Maxwell, go to http://www.cprn.org/doc.cfm?doc=1999&l=en.
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
Physical Activity Opportunities and Challenges for Women 55-70
The Alberta Centre for Active Living and the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity (CAAWS) would like to remind you about:
Physical Activity Opportunities and Challenges for Women 55-70
A free workshop on March 27 for practitioners and professionals who work with women aged 55-70
Women aged 55-70 realize they need to invest in their health now to stay healthy as they age. However, reaching these women can be difficult. And current physical activity and sports programming could do more to attract these women and keep them involved.
This free workshop will help shed light on the issue and provide concrete direction for how to move forward.
The primary audience for this workshop is practitioners and professionals who work with women ages 55-70 along with decision-makers who set policies related to these women. However, women ages 55-70 are also welcome to attend.
The workshop is free, and lunch and refreshments will be provided. The Alberta Centre for Active Living is co-hosting this event.
The details
Date: Friday, March 27
Time: 10 am – 4 pm
Location: Chateau Nova Hotel & Suites – Grand Room (main floor)
159 Airport Road (just off Kingsway Avenue), Edmonton, Alberta
Cost: Free (lunch and refreshments provided)
Click here for poster and information sheet
Please RSVP to Lynda Matthews-Mackey at:
lynda.matthews-mackey@ualberta.ca or
780-427-6949 (Edmonton) or 1-800-661-4551 (toll-free Alberta)
Please provide Lynda with your:
- Name
- Job title
- Name of your organization
- Phone number
- E-mail
For general information on the CAAWS Women 55-70 project, visit the CAAWS project website.
The Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity (CAAWS) is a non-profit organization working to encourage girls and women to participate and lead in sport and physical activity.
The Alberta Centre for Active Living is a non-profit organization that works with practitioners, organizations and communities to improve the health and quality of life for all people through physical activity.
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
--------------------
Beyond Band-Aids and Bailouts: Public Solutions in Critical Times
Dear Members and Supporters of PIA:
Public Interest Alberta invites you to attend our 3rd Annual Advocacy Conference
Beyond Band Aids and Bailouts:
Public Solutions in Critical Times
April 3 - 5, 2009
Conference Overview
We are living in critical times. Alberta, like the rest of the world, is faced with some important decisions about how it responds to the economic crisis. The decisions that will be made will impact on every aspect of our lives and could reshape and strengthen the foundation of our economy and society. Governments around the world are being called on to take strong leadership and immediate action. But the public debate about solutions in Alberta has been far too limited, and the private interest lobby groups are mobilzing behind closed doors to secure their bailouts. Rather than pouring billions of dollars into corporate tax cuts, royalty roll backs and using public dollars for oil industry subsidies like carbon capture and sequestration, most Albertans have other priorities and values.
Keynote speaker Judy Rebick and a distinguished plenary panel explore how we can move beyond the band aids and bailouts to invest in Albertans and build quality public services and programs for healthy communities and a strong economy.
There are two levels of registration for the conference:
Members:
$175/individual $1050/Table of 7
Non-Members:
$200/individual $1225/Table of 7
The Keynote Presentation and Reception (Friday, April 3 @ 7:00 pm) are included in the registration fee, however, additional tickets are available at a cost of $15.00.
Plenary Speakers:
Dr. Elaine Bernard, Harvard University, Boston
Margrete Strand Rangnes - Blue Green Alliance
Dr. Robert Woollard - Canadian Doctors for Medicare
Diana Gibson - Parkland Institute
Hotel Information
The conference is being held at the Chateau Louis Hotel & Conference Centre, 11727 Kingsway Avenue, Edmonton. For participants requiring hotel accommodation, a special rate of $99/$109 (single/double) is available until March 15. Please contact the hotel directly at (780) 452-7770 or 1-800-661-9843 and identify yourself as being with Public Interest Alberta to receive this rate.
For further information, contact:
Public Interest Alberta
(780) 420-0471
Register Now!
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
--------------------
Edmonton conference for writers in many languages-- a Linda Goyette initiative:
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
--------------------
Coaching Conversations That Work
Submitted by Rispah Tremblay
--------------------
Community Partnership Enhancement Forum presents the 4th Annual Celebrating Partnership Showcase
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
--------------------
Commemoration of the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
--------------------
Call for Artists
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
--------------------
Romero: 30 Years of Hope
Submitted by Delmy Garcia-Hoyt
--------------------
Lunch and Learn Series Flyer
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
--------------------
Alberta Policy Manual Updates: Alberta Centennial Education Savings (ACES) Plan Benefit
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
--------------------
McCauley Revitalization Working Groups
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
--------------------
Social Justice Institute 2009 – Brochure and Registration Form
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
--------------------
Awaken to the Unity of Love: “The Drop Becomes the Ocean” – A Dance of Universal Peace Retreat
http://www.emcn.ab.ca/staff/Submitted_by_Sepideh_untitled-2. pdf
Submitted by Sepideh Tadaiyon
--------------------
A Luncheon with the Honourable Peter Lougheed, speaking on the Contributions of New Immigrants
http://www.emcn.ab.ca/staff/Submitted_by_Sergio_IAFApril14Lu ncheonInvite.pdf
Submitted by Sergio Manrique
--------------------
REFLECTION
mouse looked through the crack in the wall
to see the farmer and his wife open a package.
"What food might this contain?" The mouse wondered.
He was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.
Retreating to the farmyard,
the mouse proclaimed this warning :
"There is a mousetrap in the house!
There is a mousetrap in the house!"
The chicken clucked and scratched,
raised her head and said, "Mr. Mouse,
I can tell this is a grave concern to you,
but it is of no consequence to me.
I cannot be bothered by it."
The mouse turned to the pig and told him,
"There is a mousetrap in the house!
There is a mousetrap in the house!"
The pig sympathized, but said,
"I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse,
but there is nothing I can do about it
but pray.
Be assured you are in my prayers."
The mouse turned to the cow and said,
"There is a mousetrap in the house!
There is a mousetrap in the house!"
The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you,
but it's no skin off my nose."
So, the mouse returned to the house,
head down and dejected,
to face the farmer's mousetrap
. . . Alone. . .
That very night
a sound was heard throughout the house
-- the sound Of a mousetrap catching its prey.
The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught.
In the darkness, she did not see it.
It was a venomous snake
whose tail was caught in the trap.
The snake bit the farmer's wife.
The farmer rushed her to the hospital.
When she returned home she still had a fever.
Everyone knows you treat a fever
with fresh chicken soup.
So the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard
for the soup's main ingredient:
But his wife's sickness continued.
Friends and neighbors
came to sit with her
around the clock.
To feed them,
the farmer butchered the pig.
But, alas,
the farmer's wife did not get well...
She died.
So many people came for her funeral
that the farmer had the cow slaughtered
to provide enough meat for all of them
for the funeral luncheon.
And the mouse looked upon it all
from his crack in the wall
with great sadness.
So, the next time you hear
someone is facing a problem
and you think it doesn't concern you,
remember ---
When one of us is threatened, we are all at risk.
We are all involved in this journey called life.
We must keep an eye out for one another
and make an extra effort
to encourage one another.
YOU MAY WANT TO SEND THIS
TO EVERYONE WHO HAS EVER
HELPED YOU OUT...
AND LET THEM KNOW
HOW IMPORTANT THEY ARE.
- REMEMBER -
EACH OF US IS A VITAL THREAD
IN ANOTHER PERSON'S TAPESTRY.
OUR LIVES ARE WOVEN TOGETHER
FOR A REASON.
One of the best things to hold onto
In this world is a FRIEND.
Submitted by Ariela Cerna
EMCN Weekly Newsletter - March 17, 2009
