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Author: Kayla Isomura

  • Applications open for Community Systems Change Certificate

    Applications open for Community Systems Change Certificate

    Do you want to learn how to be a stronger community leader? Do you want to learn community development in a creative and academic setting? Collingwood Neighbourhood House’s (CNH) Community Development department is launching the second cohort of the Scale Your Impact: Community Systems Change Certificate. 

    This is a free certificate program open to changemakers in the Renfrew-Collingwood community. This program brings together community partners, leaders, artists, and volunteers who are working to improve their community. Participants have the opportunity to learn with a cohort about systems change and how to get at the root issues of problems they are working on to create lasting change.

    Classes will begin on Sept. 25, 2020 and will take place in person or online.

    An application process is required and space is limited. We recommend applying early to secure a spot with applications due on Sept. 5, 2020. To download an information page with dates and registration information, click here.

    About the program

    Over the eight sessions, we will cover a broad curriculum that will allow you to solve community-based problems. We will discuss systems thinking, human-centred design, equity and collaboration. You will have the opportunity to work 1-1 with a coach who can support you to deepen your impact and there will also be small grants available to support a project to make change around a problem you are working on in your community.

    Scale your Impact will teach you:

    • How to understand the big systems you are working in and where the leverage points for change are

    • How to get at the root causes of big issues such as systemic racism, homelessness, climate change and more

    • How to use human-centred design tools and other innovative methods to increase creativity and idea generation

    • Why self-awareness is a necessary part of effective social innovation

    • How to create innovative teams and collaborations

    • How to write better grants and effectively evaluate the impact of your work

    Important dates

    Sept. 5, 2020: Applications due
    Sept. 25, 2020: Program begins (8 half-day sessions monthly, Fridays from 8:30 am-12:30 pm)

    Session dates

    Session 1 (Sept 25): Intro to social innovation and systems thinking
    Session 2 (Oct 30): Collaboration and communication
    Session 3 (Nov 27): Self in the system – adaptive leadership for impact
    Session 4 (Jan 29): Anti-racism, equity, and Truth and Reconciliation
    Session 5 (Mar 5): Leverage points – how to intervene in a system
    Session 6 (Apr 9): Resilience, anti-fragility and collective change
    Session 7 (May 7): Evaluation – developmental evaluation, collective impact
    Session 8 (Jun 4): Wrap up, integration and celebration

    Application

    Scale your Impact is a free program with the generous support of the Vancouver Foundation. There is a maximum of 20 participants in this
    program, and seats in the program are secured through a simple application process.

    To apply for the program, please fill out an application form. Given the limited spots in the program, we encourage you to apply early to save your seat.

    Please note that we are only able to accept a maximum of 4 people per organization due to size limits.

    About the instructors

    Lisa Gibson is a facilitator, coach and systems change consultant. She specializes in helping people and groups bring their whole hearts forward in creating a more just, caring and sustainable world. With over 20 years of experience in local and international work at multiple scales, she specializes in working with individuals, organizations and communities to embed systemic change, transform belief systems, and construct alliances across diversity. Lisa has worked with Collingwood Neighbourhood House for over 10 years, and teaches in SFU’s Social Innovation Certificate program.

    Crecien Bencio is a community developer at Collingwood Neighbourhood House. For the past 8 years, he coordinates a variety of creative initiatives and he collaborates with neighbours to bring beauty to the community by painting murals, sharing recipes and writing stories. He is a long time resident of Renfrew-Collingwood and is passionate about the arts, Japanese animation and travelling to faraway places. Currently, he is working towards an Asian Studies degree at Langara College.

  • RISE Community Health Centre officially opens on Crowley Drive

    RISE Community Health Centre officially opens on Crowley Drive

    Construction of RISE Community Health Centre (CHC) is now complete and the long-awaited facility has officially opened its doors.

    The facility, located at 5198 Joyce St., provides comprehensive primary health care and health promotion services to residents in Renfrew-Collingwood.

    “We’ve listened to the people in Renfrew-Collingwood and have built on the good work their community organizations are already doing,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “Now that RISE is open in its main location, in addition to the site at CNH, more people will be able to get the care they need when they need it.”

    “This will make a difference for those who have been struggling to access health-care services.”

    Prior to its opening on June 15, RISE has been offering limited services at Collingwood Neighbourhood House (CNH) since November 2019.

    What is a community health centre?

    Community health centres provide services tailored to meet the health needs of the community they serve. They are either community governed or community informed and they are most often not-for-profit organizations. RISE is governed, owned and operated by CNH.

    Why RISE?

    Since the closure of the Evergreen Community Health Centre Primary Care clinic in 2014, community members have been advocating to bring primary care services back to the neighbourhood. 

    CNH conducted extensive community engagement from 2018-2019 to ask local residents what type of services they felt were needed and what they would like to see. Since many residents face barriers to accessing medical care, such as English literacy, lack of support, social isolation, poverty, and stigma, a community health centre model was chosen to support health in a holistic way. 

    From those consultations, RISE was born and became a part of CNH. RISE stands for Resilience, Integrative, Socially Just and Equitable, and those are the values the Health Centre aspires to achieve.

    The RISE approach specifically recognizes the social determinants of health that greatly influence individual and community health. In addition to providing direct medical care, RISE staff work with individuals and groups to address underlying social and economic factors that can negatively impact health and, in doing so, supports the health and resilience of the Renfrew-Collingwood community.

    Space, staff and facility hours

    RISE staff outside of the new facility.

    The new RISE space is the embodiment of what the neighbourhood asked for, including a warm, inviting and colourful space that doesn’t “feel like a medical clinic.” The space includes bright yellow accents, a plant wall, a tea and water station, soft couches and spaces to gather.

    The neighbourhood also asked for diverse staff that are representative of the community and also the key populations that will be accessing services. The 17 staff at RISE speak 13 languages between them, and come from diverse personal and professional backgrounds.

    RISE is now in operation on Mondays and Tuesdays (9:30 am – 5:00 pm), Wednesdays and Thursdays (9:30 am – 7:00 pm), Fridays (9:30 am – 6:00 pm), and the first and third Saturday of the month (9:30 am – 3:30 pm).

    RISE will continue to provide services from the clinic room at CNH on Joyce Street, including serving the Morning Start Breakfast Program and other programs as requested. Additionally, RISE will continue providing outreach to Sarah Ross Modular Housing and Kingsway Continental.

    Precautions during COVID-19

    Although services remain modified according to current COVID-19 guidelines, new referrals are being accepted by phone, email, and fax. In-person visits remain limited.

    If you have clients that you think would benefit from our services, please do not hesitate to call: 604-558-8090 or email: risechc@cnh.bc.ca.

  • CNH Board of Directors: Call for nominations

    CNH Board of Directors: Call for nominations

    CNH is accepting nominations for its Board of Directors. This is an exciting time to join our Board as we have just opened a new, embedded community health centre, RISE at CNH. 

    Applicants should live and/or work in Renfrew-Collingwood, have a broad understanding of the neighbourhood and feel committed to becoming engaged in improving all aspects of our neighbourhood. We are interested in hearing from people from all backgrounds and ages but are especially interested in applicants who are between the ages of 16-29 or are 50-plus. 

    This year we have a particular need for those who have been an active member in a residents group, have been active in a religious or spiritual group and/or are artists. We are also particularly interested in applicants from Indigenous, Latinx, Filipino and Vietnamese communities.

    The CNH Board of Directors is committed to an anti-oppression approach to its work and welcomes those who thrive in a vibrant, diverse environment. Applicants should be able to spend 8-10 hours per month on Board-related work and be able to commit to a three-year term, starting this October. 

    The deadline for applications is July 3 at 12 pm. If you are interested, please contact Jennifer Gray-Grant at 604-451-9855 or jgray-grant@cnh.bc.ca.

  • Statement on anti-racism from the CNH Board of Directors

    As a neighbourhood house, we strive to be a welcoming place, working with local residents to give them a sense of belonging in our neighbourhood. Here is the Collingwood Neighbourhood House (CNH) Board of Directors’ anti-racism statement:

    “Over the last few months, there has been a resurgence of racialized violence and xenophobia within this community and beyond. These attacks, whether physical or verbal are violent, and violence has no place in our community. Racism and xenophobia harms everyone, not just those who are being targeted. It divides us and weakens our collective identity.

    It is during such times of discomfort and uncertainty that we reveal our true selves and as a community, we are better than this. Racism is never acceptable, and it is particularly deplorable at such a time when everyone, globally, continues to be impacted by this pandemic.

    For those who have been senselessly targeted by these acts, either directly or indirectly – we stand in solidarity with you. CNH is committed to the task of confronting ongoing racism and we urge all of you to stand up to these incidences and this rhetoric – we all have a responsibility to condemn these behaviours and attitudes.”

    “The ultimate measure of a (person) is not where (they) stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but where (they) stand at times of challenge and controversy” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

    Please check out our Community Resources page for some great anti-racism resources. If you are facing a situation where you feel threatened and in danger, please call 911.

  • Youth helping youth

    Originally published in Collingwood Neighbourhood House’s 2018-2019 annual report.

    After volunteering at Collingwood Neighbourhood House (CNH) in Grade 11 for her high school graduation, Odette Videla never left.

    The 19-year-old continues to volunteer with youth programs and, more recently, began working with child care services offered through CNH, too. 

    “They have the youth program so [during high school] I would come here every Friday and Saturday to help in the kitchen or in the gym or to help set up when we had events,” she said. “But now I just come here for fun and to help out if they need it, especially in the kitchen.”

    Odette has spent more than 15 years living in the neighbourhood, but she only recalls visiting the neighbourhood house in her earlier years, when her younger sister attended daycare.

    On Friday evenings, Odette can be found leading baking sessions for Kids’ Kitchen. She often makes cookies with the participants, who range from 10 to 18 years old, but sometimes she switches it up, opting for a recipe new to the youth.

    Odette says she enjoys working with children and youth. On her days off, she visits CNH “to relax” and spend time with other children and youth.

    She credits staff from youth services for encouraging her to volunteer with different programs and to participate in new opportunities at CNH, as well as for assisting her with seeking job opportunities.

    “I’ve learned that it’s better to keep being open minded,” Odette said.

    As for her advice to other young people in the community?

    “Try to help out as much as you want and can, and don’t be afraid to talk to others or see if they’re okay,” she said. “And just invite everyone in when you see someone new.”

    For more information about CNH youth programs, visit www.cnh.bc.ca/youth.

  • A second home and a new beginning

    A second home and a new beginning

    Originally published in Collingwood Neighbourhood House’s 2018-2019 annual report.

    Visit Collingwood Neighbourhood House (CNH), “it’s good for you,” Maryam Shariatzadeh-Joneidi says.

    A newcomer from Iran, Maryam made her first visit to CNH two years ago, thanks to a recommendation from her daughter-in-law. Maryam says she immediately filled out a volunteer form and now spends anywhere between four to five days a week here. It turns out CNH was a natural fit.

    On Mondays, she is in the kitchen cooking; Wednesdays are spent on the rooftop, gardening. On Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays, she is practicing her English, and sometimes spends Saturdays in drawing workshops. In the fall, she hopes to be volunteering with Collingwood’s child care services. “I always like gardening, I always like looking after the kids, and I like working [in] the kitchen,” she said. “I have three children and we’re [in] the kitchen all the time.” CNH has remained a major learning opportunity for Maryam, whether it’s a new recipe or a new plant. However, the people at CNH have remained an important part of the neighbourhood house for her, too. Everyone at Collingwood is nice, helpful, and makes her feel comfortable, she says.

    For these reasons, Maryam regularly advises others to visit CNH, whether they’re another immigrant from Iran or a neighbour. After all, CNH has become a place for Maryam to create, learn, and grow. “Everything is good for me,” she said. “It’s a good place.”

    To learn more about volunteering at CNH, visit cnh.bc.ca/get-involved/volunteer.