National Project represents a catalyst for change
The power of change lies behind the single word that has marked this magazine’s masthead since 2005. Indeed, the word “catalyst” implies a call to action, and represents the very heart and spirit of Family Service Toronto (FST) and its diverse programs and services. We are, as our logo states: For People. For Change.
Fran Odette
President
Margaret Hancock
Executive Director
And no project could offer more hope and opportunity for change than the one we focus on in this issue of Catalyst. The project, led by FST’s Violence Against Women (VAW) program, focuses on abuse and violence in relationships – male/female/seniors – and is called If I Had Only Known.
Its objective is to be a catalyst to help newcomers in Toronto, and across the country, learn about Canadian laws and their rights and responsibilities as residents or citizens. Newcomers are often vulnerable to abuse and violence – both as perpetrators and as victims – because they lack basic legal knowledge.
But as Jo-Anne Liburd writes in our cover story, there are other reasons as well: “For a new immigrant who is abused in the home, the road to safety can be strewn with additional barriers, such as language, lack of knowledge about Canadian laws, physical isolation from community, lack of access to helpful safety information and even cultural mores.”
With funding from Citizenship and Immigration Canada, the If I Had Only Known project will culminate in March 2011 with the publication of 15 educational brochures in Farsi, Pashto, Tamil, Somali and Punjabi. The brochures will be distributed nationally and feature culturally-relevant information targeted to each distinct community. The fascinating story of how the project evolved with the participation of all of these communities is revealed in our feature article and an accompanying Q&A session with Project Co-ordinator Vinita Puri.
This issue features more exciting stories of change, including a piece on Growing Up Healthy Downtown, a program which connects newcomer moms and their children to a variety of experiences that empower and improve their lives. There is also a story on Senior Moments, an FST program that is making a difference in senior communities.
And with still more focus on the subject of change, FST played a major role in December’s opening of the new Victoria Park Community Hub, the latest of eight hubs planned for priority neighbourhoods across the city. The hubs are key elements of United Way Toronto’s Building Strong Neighbourhoods Strategy. FST will provide four rotating programs at the Victoria Park hub and is also a partner in future hubs planned for the Rexdale and Bathurst-Finch communities, and we are at the planning tables for possibly two others.
Finally, we will be watching with interest as change sweeps Toronto City Hall, where a centre-right shift in agendas and priorities is unfolding with the recent election of Mayor Rob Ford. We have already met with our new downtown councillor, Kristyn Wong-Tam (Toronto Centre – Rosedale), and we look forward to working with her in the interesting months that lie ahead. Stay tuned. Family Service Toronto will continue its role as a catalyst to work for change and equitable policies that meet the needs of families and communities across our city."
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