The annual report from the Hamilton Community Foundation is always a welcome read, and this year was no exception. Once again, the report’s pages highlight important investments and remarkable impact happening across the Hamilton area. If you haven’t yet had a chance to check it out, find a few moments to read A Place to Belong.
I have recently learned about http://www.internet.org, described as “a Facebook-led initiative bringing together technology leaders, nonprofits and local communities to connect the two-thirds of the world that doesn’t have internet access”. The projects it supports are aimed at removing barriers for the 2 out of every 3 people who can’t get online. It’s got powerful potential, and it’s a collective effort that spans the globe.
It’s the people, however, that really make internet.org so compelling. The first I read about were Erika and Esmeralda, two young girls in Bolivia who share a friendship and a love for inventing. Using scraps and ingenuity, they are inspiring and pushing each other towards a better future. Without the internet. Wow.
Check out their story here: http://connect.internet.org/story/erika-esmeralda
The more we talk about mental illness, the more we combat the damaging stigma that keeps so many from seeking help and finding support. It’s not hard. It’s a conversation that needs to continue all year long, but January 28th is a good day to begin. Watch for events where you live or work, check social media, and have a conversation about mental health with someone you care about.
Simple conversations can make a big difference.
Add your voice to the national discussion. #BellLetsTalk
If you were voting, a very big thank you! The Journeys of Change theatre project, an initiative of the Community Child Abuse Council, came out the winner of the $25,000 prize from the Hamilton Spectator’s SpecKids Change Challenge. The project will bring to life the stories and experiences of newcomer students in an educational and inspiring effort to build understanding and cultural awareness in our community. High school students across the region will see the production, and participating students (writing, design, production, staging, acting) will gain credit for their contributions.
The Council’s OASIS Program offers specialized supports and counseling for immigrant and refugee children, youth, and their families who are experiencing trauma symptoms or significant acculturation stress. An extension of the program has counselors working to to provide accessible support on-site within schools with the greatest number of newcomer students. These services are limited at this time, but remove some of the barriers that otherwise make it difficult for refugee students to access mental health supports.
Thanks to the Hamilton Spectator, SpecKids Unlimited, and the Change Challenge, the program can now extend further by involving newcomer students in a creative endeavour that builds community and helps to integrate and embrace our newest members.
An innovative youth theatre project, Journeys of Change, has been selected as one of five finalists in the 2014 SpecKids Change Challenge (with a $25,000 prize). The project was submitted by the Community Child Abuse Council of Canada and is an extension of its OASIS Program – addressing the unique mental health needs of refugee and immigrant children, youth, and their families who are experiencing symptoms of trauma or serious acculturation difficulties. The project aims to share the stories of newcomer students through theatre, giving voice to their often difficult journeys and reinforcing messages of cultural understanding.
Voting begins on Monday, November 10th and closes on November 30th. Individuals may vote up to 5 times daily to support the project by going to the SpecKids web site: http://www.speckids.ca/change-challenge/finalists/details/community-child-abuse-council
The finalist with the most votes wins, so please consider supporting this worthwhile project – vote, vote daily, and encourage others to do the same. Thank you.
October once again marks Child Abuse Prevention month here in Ontario, and sadly not much has changed since last year at this time. The pending transformation of children’s mental health by the provincial government promises to bring improvements, and we wait and watch for those with significant hopes.
In the meantime, the United Nations has released two new reports – Hidden In Plain Sight: A statistical analysis of violence against children (with global figures and data from 190 countries), and Ending Violence Against Children: Six strategies for action (with case studies from around the globe). Both are part of UNICEF’s #ENDviolence against children initiative.
You can find copies of both reports here: http://www.unicef.org/protection/
This month, as you consider the state of the world’s children, please remember that right here at home 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually victimized before their 18th birthday. We absolutely must change that. Let your elected representatives at all levels of government know that you consider this to be a vital issue. Speak up for additional resources to be invested in child abuse prevention and treatment, and encourage others to do the same.
Based on the book From Far Away by Robert Munsch and Saoussan Askar, this short animation tells the story of Saoussan, a young girl struggling to adjust to life in Canada after being uprooted from her war-torn homeland. She has come to seek a quieter and safer life, although memories of war and death linger, memories that are awakened when the children at her new school prepare for a scary Halloween. From Far Away speaks to the power within us all to adapt like Saoussan and to welcome a newcomer (National Film Board).
From Far Away (2000, 6 min 39 sec)
Tomorrow, Sunday July 13th, marks the 23rd annual CAPPY Ride to raise funds for the programs and services offered by the Community Child Abuse Council. At the moment, it looks entirely possible the ride will be a damp one. But the motorcycle community supporting this event comes out for the cause moreso than the ride itself. Yes, it’s a popular, police escorted scenic route and a tremendous show of 2-wheel (and sometimes more) camaraderie. But those who come out know
that the ride wouldn’t happen if we didn’t need to do more for children and youth who are sexually abused – more treatment, more education, more prevention. They know that 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 5 boys are sexually victimized before reaching their 18th birthdays. And they know that too many youngsters, some as young as 3 years, wait far too long for trauma treatment after experiencing sexual abuse.
A tip of the hat to all those who ride for this important and worthwhile cause. And a shout out to the many amazing volunteers, sponsors, donors, and musicians who make the event such a tremendous success year after year.
Registration and breakfast start at 8:30 am at the Ancaster Fairgrounds. All are welcome.
For details, visit www.cappyride.ca
A just-published, first of its kind study has found what many in the field have known for some time – child abuse has a lasting impact on many Canadians. This new research confirms the link between serious adult mental health problems and experiences of childhood physical abuse, sexual abuse, and witnessing intimate partner violence.
Findings from the national study highlight the urgent need for a child abuse prevention strategy in Canada. Lead author Tracie Afifi of the University of Manitoba told CBC News that her team’s findings “indicate that 32 per cent of the adult population in Canada has experienced child abuse (i.e., physical abuse, sexual abuse and/or exposure to intimate partner violence) and that child abuse has robust associations with mental conditions”.
The study, published this week in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, found physical abuse to be most common (26%), followed by sexual abuse (10%) and exposure to intimate partner violence (8%). The authors highlight the need for reporting child abuse as well as understanding treatment implications.
To read the full journal article, visit www.cmaj.ca
“Talking about the survival of children is not an act of charity. Children are the future of any society. If you want to know the future of any society look at the eyes of the children. If you want to maim the future of any society, you simply maim the children. Thus the struggle for the survival of our children is the struggle for the survival of our future. The quantity and quality of that survival is the measurement of the development of our society.”
Kenyan novelist Ngugi wa Thiong’o
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