Calgary Event Glenbow Museum March 23-24, 2015
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What is Wisdom2Action? The CYCC Network is a knowledge mobilization network that was created to improve mental health and well-being for vulnerable and at-risk children and youth in Canada. It promotes the use of research, best and promising pracices, and local knowledge in mental health programming for children and youth in challenging contexts.
Purpose
Our Wisdom2Action outreach events bring together members of the local community who are passionate about improving the mental health and well-being of young people. They are designed to help participants connect, share knowledge, and promote promising practices. As the final W2A event for 2014, Wisdom2Action Montreal served as a culmination of W2A events across Canada.
Product
The Wisdom2Action process is guided by a national committee that includes Network members from across Canada. CYCC Network staff then connect with Network members in each community to develop a local planning team that helps guide the planning process – identifying the local need and rationale for an event like Wisdom2Action, identifying participants to be invited, and providing advice on logistics.
Network Objectives
Share stories of best practice, and discover ways to better mobilize what we know so that we can support young people more effectively.
Hear stories from local promising practices related to the CYCC Network mandate Understand barriers to putting new programming into action Develop action plans Document best practices, share best practices and learn from others about best practices.
Principles
Support goals of CYCC Network (best practices, interdisciplinary, three pillars)
Promote knowledge and understanding about the CYCC Network.
Ensure diverse engagement (youth to funders to decision makers)
Expand Network community dialogue on core themes with a focus on best practise.
Multi sectoral (including private sector and public sector)
Meetings should model and provide an experience of best practice (youth engagement, technology)
Co-created locally
Youth engagement
Deepen local connections amongst partners.
W2A Calgary & the Context of Radicalization W2A Calgary focused on the theme of youth radicalization and brought together Muslim religious leaders, activists, and community members from across Canada. The emphasis on this theme came out of a research project led by Dalhousie’s Resilience Research Center (www. resilienceresearch.org) that studied strategies and tools for the prevention of radicalization in First Nations communities and Muslim communities in Canada. This project is unique in that it aims to pinpoint what is already working in these communities in order to understand how Canadian youth are engaging with issues of belonging, purpose, and meaning in their lives. In keeping with the project, W2A Calgary brought together individuals from across the country to have an honest conversation about challenges and solutions in their communities. A variety of community members were invited to the event that represented the full spectrum of people connected to youth who may be at risk of radicalization to violence. However, the majority of W2A Calgary attendees came from the Muslim community. With ongoing conflicts overseas, racism and Islamophobia, this community is under intense pressure. Many community leaders feel a need to support their youth, and also feel pressure to speak out against violent extremism. Many feel that they are expected to provide solutions to issues of criminal radicalization. The intention of this event was to connect key players – Muslim leaders, youth workers, law enforcement and government – in the hope of inspiring productive collaboration on a rich variety of topics.
Overview of Methods: The Art of Hosting To facilitate the event, the CYCC Network used strategies from the Art of Hosting (see www.artofhosting.com). These methods are participatory and collaborative, and are designed to build collections and draw out the group’s collective wisdom. They assume that all participants are experts in their own right, and that all participants have something to learn from each other. The CYCC Network worked to create a space for conversation, that the participants then filled with the successes, promising practices and challenges that were most important to them.
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Day One: Uncovering the Wisdom Opening Circle The event began with everyone sitting in a circle. Each person introduced themselves and provided one word describing their hopes or expectations for the day. Some of the words which were shared included the following:
Connections y t i s o i r u C Progress Success e R g e s d o e urces Su Collabor ppor Knowl ation t Insight Networking Wisdom y Creativ Unders t i r a d i l o i t t S a y nding Dfferent Na S t r a tegies rratives Empathy
Story telling
Pecha Kucha Presentations Pecha Kucha presentations are short and visual talks (see www.pechakucha.com). We used this model to introduce foundational elements of the CYCC Network and the Wisdom to Action event series.
The CYCC Network Overview | Victoria Bryce, Project Manager The CYCC Network brings together people and organizations working to support the mental health and well-being of Canada’s most vulnerable young people. We know that what works in one community can often be adapted to suit another, and we know that there is great research out there that is often difficult to access. Because of this, our work consists of sharing knowledge and promising practices between our 200+ network members, who include everyone from researchers to community-based service providers to the youth themselves. We do this online, through reports, over social media, by providing funding and by hosting in-person events.
The CYCC Knowledge Synthesis Reports | Jimmy Bray, Project Manager The CYCC has published a collection of seven Knowledge Synthesis Reports that blend academic research with experiential knowledge. They are written and produced with the intention of being practically useful to organizations working with youth. The reports recognize the complicated problems that these organizations face, and suggest that without working collaboratively and through multiple perspectives, we cannot find solutions. The full reports are published with corresponding summary documents and policy checklists. All were provided to W2ACalgary participants and are otherwise available online: (http://goo.gl/ldKjvG)
The Wisdom to Action Event Series | Lisa Lachance, Executive Director The Wisdom to Action event series was designed to meet a demonstrated need and desire for in-person conversations about local promising practices. Since the beginning, the CYCC Network has hosted 7 events across Canada, each of which was planned in partnership with local teams and youth hosts. The events are built on the idea that all individuals have wisdom to share, and that participatory and collaborative methods are the best way to build partnerships and make change.
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World Café Our first collaborative activity had participants divide into small groups to discuss their perspectives on a question posed to the room. Each table spoke for 20 minutes on each question before shifting around for the next question.
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What are you noticing in your work with young people?
• • • • • • • • • • • •
Youth are disconnected and have self-identity issues. They feel lost in their own world. Youth have low confidence and low self-esteem. They need to feel empowered. Youth are fascinated by social media. This has both positive and negative implications. Youth are vulnerable online and hugely affected by the mainstream media. Youth are talented and creative. They are extremely passionate but don’t always know how to channel it. Youth are resilient. They are sponges that respond well to investment. Youth need role models, mentors and a strong adult presence. Youth spend limited quality time with their families. This is in part a result of fragmented families and double wage earners. Youth experience a gap between their values and family values. Some youth feel the need to rebel against older generations. There is a lack of resources for meaningful social programs. There is a lack of cultural context in existing social programs. Immigrant communities are isolated by language, experience and geographic locations.
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2)
What are you bumping up against repeatedly in your work with young people?
• • • • • • • • • •
Youth are passionate and curious, but they often lack direction and a common vision. How can we harness their energy to promote cultural safety? There is a disconnect between those who provide services and those who use them. How can we engage youth in the programs that serve them? Programs often engage the youth that are already resilient. How do we engage the youth that are struggling? Youth are under enormous pressure and want what they see on TV. How can we help them manage their expectations? Families are struggling and there is an overall lack of community commitment. How can we change this? Youth have identity questions and are burdened by negative stereotypes. How can we support them? Youth have trouble asking for help. How can we break down the cultural and generational barriers that make it hard to ask for and find support? Youth lack knowledge about the resources that are there for them. How do we get information to them? Youth struggle to trust authority figures. How can we build trust? Programs lack cultural relevance. How can we incorporate culture and context?
3)
What are the 3 most significant ways we can make an impact now on young people?
• • • • • • •
We can engage youth. This means working with them, listening to them and having them contribute to the process. We can look for and work with the existing strengths of youth. This means encouraging their learning and understanding. We can empower youth with skills and multiple perspectives. We can adopt holistic programing that addresses the family and the surrounding context. We can provide youth with mentors and role models. We can integrate youth across cultures, backgrounds and origins. We can build projects in the community that respect culture and context.
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Story Telling To begin this activity, four pre-selected storytellers provided a summary of a personal or professional story they wanted to tell. Participants then chose one story they wanted to hear, and self-organized around them. Once in the small groups, each person was given a lens through which they would listen to the story. These lenses encouraged participants to think differently, while also providing the speaker with a range of perspectives on the story.
ROLE OF RELIGIO US LEADER SHIPS IDENTIF ICATION OF RISK FA CTORS
The lenses PREVEN TION POLICY
These stories are a compilation of what the storyteller said and what the lenses heard.
The Calgary Police’s Youth at Risk Development (YARD) Program The YARD program is a community-based early intervention program that supports youth at risk of gang involvement. It targets youth between the ages of 10 and 17, and is entirely voluntary and based on referrals. The storyteller was new to the program, but spoke passionately about how he was motivated by the challenges he saw around him when growing up in a first-generation immigrant family. In recognizing his luck in having a family of strong male role models, he is driven to provide this opportunity to others. When a youth is accepted into the YARD program, they work with a cross-sector team made up of a police officer, a social worker and a psychologist. Together, they build an individualized and family-centered plan that will support the youth’s development. For some youth, this might mean enrolling them in a basketball program. For others, it might be most import-
LAW ROLE OF EMENT ENFORC
TORS RISK FAC
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ant that they be connected with strong role models. It varies depending on the individual and contextual needs. By incorporating the school, the community, the family and the individual into the plan, YARD attempts to understand and address the root cause, rather than just the symptoms. In hearing this description, listeners discussed the challenges associated with retaining competent frontline staff. They noted that this is often a role filled by lesser-experienced individuals, who are then promoted to non-field positions as they enhance their skills. YARD is unique from other police programs in that it is proactive, and collaborative. It demonstrates a committed approach to diversity and engagement. It is more than an exercise in “box ticking”. This has a huge influence on community perceptions of the program, and how effective the program can be. That said, there continue to be challenges associated with getting community members to trust the police, which could be remedied through changing the language used. Rather than calling it an anti-gang program, it could be phrased as a youth leadership opportunity. This might make parents more willing to have their children involved.
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Prevented from Entering the USA
Homegrown Terrorism
This storyteller told a personal story about being prevented from entering the United States. As a Canadian citizen with family in America, he was hoping to travel across for a visit. However, having spent time previously in Egypt learning Arabic, he caught the attention of immigration officials and his entry was rejected.
This storyteller, who works closely with Public Safety Canada’s outreach program, shared a fictional story based on a series of lived experiences of youth who have become radicalized to violence. Public Safety Canada created and uses these stories as a tool for dialogue and discussion about effective intervention in the radicalization process. In listening to the story, participants are given an opportunity to talk about the tools, processes and programs that can play a supportive role.
The event itself prompted reflection on civil liberties, human rights, structural racism and the roles of individuals in challenging these issues. In this particular case, the storyteller went through the available buracratic appeal process. This failed and he decided to mount a legal challenge – a process that he recognized to be inaccessible to most people due to high costs. He also recognized the personal strength required to endure a process filled with obstacles and frustrations. The experience is one that speaks to the limitations and injustices that many people from minority backgrounds experience when interactig with bureaucratic state systems. As the storyteller spoke about the various bureaucratic stages, the listeners remarked on how the bureaucracy is both impersonal and deeply personal. In one regard the immigration system is a black box which facilitates structural racism with little space for individual decisions. On the other hand, there is always a person behind each decision. The individual biases of people matter because individuals make the actionable decisions. For the storyteller, this realization was a source of positivity and encouragement in that it shows a small space where change can happen, and where empathy can be felt.
The story begins with a person who does not feel “Canadian.” Though successful in his home community – he plays on sports teams, receives scholarships and intends to go to medical school – he feels most connected to his family’s Syrian heritage. He connects to Syrian communities, activists, and fighters online, and is frustrated by the lack of global response to the war. He begins to feel a conflict of values between his heritage and the Canadian or ‘Western’ approach to managing the war. He begins to feel isolated, betrayed and misunderstood. He struggles to find a way to channel his skills and wants to respond. He grows increasingly angry when his own government becomes involved in a military campaign against individuals he considers to be fighting the good fight. He is unsupervised and unsupported, and lacks a healthy place to discuss his faith and his politics. After bribing his way across borders, he lost his passport. In spite of this, he was able to stay connected to the cause through social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. In reflecting on the story, listeners discussed opportunities for intervention. Some highlighted the role the parents could have played in sharing their family history and explaining the context of the war. They also noted the importance of supervision and support for youth. Others noted that counter-narratives should have been circulating online, alongside propaganda materials of militant organizations. It was also noted that healthy discussions of faith were important when trying to balance the unhealthy paradigms available.
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From Rock Bottom to Success through Spirituality This story recounted the personal experience of the storyteller. For this storyteller, university was a time of struggle with identity issues, financial challenges and radical ideals. Injustices locally and abroad pushed him towards ideas of anarchism, and he began to see violence as a solution. He experimented with drugs and alcohol, and was eventually arrested during a direct action protest. In hindsight, he calls this period rock bottom and associates it with a deep need to belong. The storyteller’s life changed dramatically embarked on a spiritual path, inspired by a close friend. After converting to Islam, he noticed that he was able to weave his individual trauma into the trauma of the collective. In doing this, he found support. Strong mentorship encouraged him to quit drugs and alcohol, and encouraged him to move away from a vision of political violence and towards peace building. He realized this disconnect between terrorism and Islam, and learned that through Islam you do not need violence. He found peace in religion, he turned to meditation for healing, and completed a Masters.
Closing Circle We ended our first day in a circle, once more sharing a word that represented our hopes for the second day. In listening to the words used, we heard a recurrent tendency to mention deliverables, connections and next steps.
Day Two: Digging Deeper
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Open Space Open Space is a time for participants to raise topics that they would like to discuss further. The full group self-organizes around a series of small tables, where they discuss a chosen topic for 30 minutes. The idea is to provide a space for sharing learning and feedback. Topics raised converged around a handful of central themes. Within each theme, you will find notes on the promising practices, innovative ideas and overall wisdom that emerged.
The Language & Stories We Use Defining Youth Extremism: Finding a Common Understanding On the first day of the event, it became clear that even as a small group, we did not have a shared definition of youth extremism. Looking to the media more broadly, participants knew of a plethora of events and occurrences that point to a range of harmful misconceptions and misunderstandings that need to be clarified.
Promising Practices • • •
Creating opportunities that bring people together to talk about faith and controversial topics (jihad, martyrdom, the role of honour etc.) openly. Creating counter-narratives that challenge public understandings of Muslims. Challenging public understandings of extremism.
Challenges • • •
How do we manage the politicalization of language? For example, how can we reclaim the concept of honour as a potentially positive thing, rather than something only associated with honour killings? How do we work with people who do not understand their political and social behaviour as radical? How do we provide alternatives to the public discourse and the mainstream media?
Next Steps • • •
Work collaboratively with the public and local communi ty members to take control over the definition of extremism. Invite people from within and outside a given community to build solidarity. Work with the media to change how they define and portray youth extremism.
Promising Practice Spotlight: Project Reclaim Honour (http://www.reclaimhonour.com) is a youth-led initiative that works to promote honour and prevent violence against girls and women. The project uses a collaborative and participatory approach that makes space for difficult conversations, complex problem solving and, perhaps most importantly, deep community engagement.
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Reclaiming Narratives through Project Communitas Narratives are a collection of stories about ourselves that we inherit, create and collect. Project Communitas (http://communitas.ccmw.com) works to empower individuals by proactively creating their own narratives.
Promising Practices • • • • •
Building ownership of narratives, rather than rejecting narratives outright. Being proactive rather than reactive. Encouraging the development of resilient individuals. Using social media to create our own stories. Making links to information that reflects personal per spectives using social media.
Challenges • • •
How do we emphasize reclaiming narratives rather than countering narratives? While countering can be useful, it runs the risk of oversimplifying complex challenges and appearing defensive. How do we help individuals understand alternate per spectives when they are overly-curating the news they read through social media? How do we re-claim the words that are used most often in social media?
Next Steps •
Reclaim words that are being pushed out by social media (jihad). Share alternate interpretations of these words. • Invest in tools that are being used by youth (vines, twitter, YouTube). • Take ownership of narratives rather than being anti-narrative. • Highlight the success stories of role models to help re-shape identities. • Create programs that are accessible to young people through digital formats, short text, pictures and videos. • Teach people to follow what they don’t love to encourage a wider understanding.
Promising Practice Spotlight: MuslimLink (http://muslimlink.ca/) is an Ottawa-based community website that shares a rich collection of Muslim perspectives on a variety of issues. The website offers an alternative narrative to the mainstream media by capturing the perspectives and voices of Muslims directly. It also works to build connectivity within the diverse Ottawa-Gatineau Islamic community through storytelling, events and directories.
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Spirituality Promising Practices from a Spiritual Perspective
Next Steps • • •
Promising Practices • • • • •
Programing that focuses on gratitude and meaning by engaging volunteers in activities. Empowering youth and inspiring them to take action. Having a presence at the mosque and defining the role of Imams. Building strong connections and dialogue with young people. Grounding programs in Islamic faith.
Challenges • • • • •
How do we create role models to combat feelings of isolation? How do we support a sense of meaning or purpose of life? How can we reduce the risk factors that make converts – who are a minority and often seeking spiritual identity – more susceptible to radicalization? How do we change the lack of non-Christian chaplains in prisons? What can be done about discrimination and segregation in terms of jobs, housing, etc.?
Create spiritual resources for young people. Support young people with questions about spirituality. Build support for religious education; create a platform for religion.
Promising Practice Spotlight: New Muslim Care (www. newmuslimcare.org) is an organization that seeks to support recent converts through engagement, empowerment and mentoring. The organization recognizes that after accepting Islam, 75% of converts face challenges associated with social pressure, abandonment and isolation and they want to support them through activities, community and connection.
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People Building from Spiritual Building Perspective A young Muslim community leader led this conversation based on his observations of a generation that is politically active but lacking a spiritual understanding of Islam.
Promising Practices • • •
Finding the spiritual commonalities between diverse communities. Beginning with what we have in common. Encouraging people to know each other as neighbours and humans. Building good relationships with our neighbours and taking care of our spiritual side.
Challenges • • • • • • •
How do we build inclusiveness? What is common among people? How do we overcome an initial resistance to talk about community challenges? What can we do about religious leaders who do not follow what they preach? How do we manage women’s equality/exclusivity? How do we draw youth into a conversation about science and faith, when they don’t connect to faith? How do we teach inclusivity to individuals who harbour deeply exclusive belief systems?a How do we talk to youth who are too focused on politics as a way to be religious rather than having a spiritual center?
Next Steps • • • •
Regular and perpetual programs that address spiritual questions. Build up inter-religious knowledge. Research youth religiosity. Make regular opportunities for youth to meet people of other faiths.
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Social Media and the Media Using Social Media and the Media at Université de Québec à Montréal (UQAM) At UQAM, there is an interest in engaging with the media to change how Muslims and Islam are portrayed. Currently, people feel that discussing Islam is decontextualized and polarized and this conversation was about finding strategies to change that.
Promising Practices • • • • • • • •
Making use of language that makes sense to the media. Reporting on suicide prevention serves as a successful case study. Grounding what the media says within particular communities. Too often, the media profiles initiatives and people without accurately providing context. Working with the media to encourage ethical reporting. Using youth to lead social media campaigns as a means of developing their critical thinking and unifying their voice. Engaging with the mainstream media on issues of diversity. Examples include: CBC Ottawa’s Diversity Training, Media relations training with Muslim youth, Muslim Film Festivals as an opportunity for youth to tell their stories.
Challenges • • •
How can you shape messages and ideas within the current context of radicalization and de-radicalization? How can we acknowledge anger and then move on? How do we work effectively knowing that we cannot control the media?
Next Steps • •
Establish a youth advisory committee that supports social media and regular media campaigns that strive to change portrayals and perceptions Explore opportunities found in alternative, community, and mainstream media.
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Social Media: The Center for Faith and the Media The Center for Faith and the Media was an organization (since closed) that sought to train the media to present positive sources through two specific initiatives:
1. Running media relations training seminars for Muslim university students that helped them to change the narrative.
2. Bringing together Imams and local media for a public panel discussion that encouraged dialogue between two sides in opposition.
Promising Practices • • • •
Building relationships between opposing perspectives that allow groups across communities to come together, collaborate and speak out. Working with key figures who use particular social media tools to influence dialogue. Muslim film festivals and Muslim magazines Informing journalists about the details of Islam
Challenges • • • •
How do we deal with the fact that changing the mainstream media is a slow process? How can we better manage how the media covers negative events? How can we incorporate Muslim voices into the media directly? How do we address intergenerational gaps where adults and youth are not using the same tools?
Next Steps • • • • •
Access training resources from the Center for Faith and the Media by contacting the CYCC Network. Review the work of the US-based Sikh Coalition (http://www.sikhcoalition.org/), an articulate group that effectively bridges the media gap. Work with journalism schools to develop a curriculum that educates students about religious and cultural groups. Build personal relationships with the media to help inform them. Start small, be accessible and be proactive. Do not wait until after an issue arises. Pay attention to the tools key figures are using so that you can stay relevant.
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Youth, Family and Community Engagement Effective Targeting of Youth for Participation: Language & Approach This conversation revolved largely around the experiences of a Black Leadership Program held at the Nova Scotia Tatamagouche Centre. This program is held repeatedly and seeks to build leadership capacity to get youth engaged.
Promising Practices • • • • • • • • • • • •
Giving youth a space to talk. Helping youth feel respected. Listening to youth rather than talking at them. Collaborating with youth. Building partnerships to facilitate the navigation and awareness of resources. Taking the time to have one-on-one conversations that include invitations to the event. Figuring out where youth are hanging out and meeting them there. Taking the time to get to know the community of young people. Building relationships and connections with youth. Building and fostering trust among the young people. Being aware of who you are speaking to and what the surrounding context is. Being transparent. Talking about issues rather than avoiding them.
Challenges •
How do we get in touch with the youth who have already isolated themselves? • How do we deal with conflict between parents and youth? • How do we change systemic barriers related to poverty, language, race and identity? • How do we support youth through feelings of hopelessness? • How can we manage the logistical challenges of reaching young people? • How can we address the risk of gang violence? • How can Imams cope with the weight and responsibility on their shoulders? How can we help relieve their pressure?
Next Steps • • • • • •
Learn the local context. Ask about the families of youth. Focus on the agency and potential of young people. Talk about solutions – not just problems. Invite a wide range of people and experts to work together. Be concrete with youth. Provide basic training to Imams that help them make their work culturally relevant to youth.
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Engaging Youth in the Criminal System: Ottawa’s Somali Youth Justice Engagement Program The Somali Youth Justice Engagement program is a Public Safety Canada program run out of Ottawa that works with youth in juvenile detention centers. The program works with youth between the ages of 12 and 18 who are at risk of entering into the criminal system.
Promising Practices • • • • • •
Proactively working with youth before they enter the criminal system and continuing to work with youth after the charges. Holistic support is provided pre, during and post. Holding an office at the courthouse that works with families, lawyers, mental health and addictions workers. Being a condition for bailout. The program will testify on behalf of clients. Working within the local Somali culture, ensuring youth connect with someone they can relate to. Making weekly visits to detention centres to meet with youth and families to talk about issues (intergenerational conflict, parental expectations, lack of engagement). Providing support after detention (educational, employment training, skills development, partnership with an addictions centre).
Challenges • •
How can the program obtain sustainable funding? How can you find employment opportunities for youth with a criminal record? • How can you get dropouts to re-engage with the community?
Next Steps • • • •
Meet with Somali leaders across the country to talk about youth who are moving but still need support. Inquire about future funding with Public Safety Canada. Research the mental health model at Harvard that is targeted at Somali refugees. Build community connections and help volunteers
Promising Practices Spotlight: The Resilience Research Center’s Evaluation Toolbasket (http://resilienceresearch.org/evaluation/toolbasket) is a simple and easy-to-use set of tools that help programs and organizations complete their own internal evaluation. The tools are suited to many contexts – be it the start of a program or the end, a one-off evaluation or something that is ongoing. The toolbasket is full of qualitative and quantitative techniques, that give organizations a rounded picture of the impact it is having and how it can be improved.
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Engaging the Community: The United Way’s Neighbourhood Strategy In Calgary, 6 neighbourhoods came together to request the creation of a community hub. In working with the United Way, these communities mobilized to establish 1000 Voices (www.1000voices.ca), a gathering place where residents could access services and programs, participate in activities and share their voices and perspectives.
Promising Practices • • • • •
Conducting environmental scans that identify key players in the community and creating core teams with them that transcend boundaries. Building a core team of leaders that work with their respective communities on engagement activities. Building a network of networks that facilitates knowledge exchange between communities. When communities see their own leader, it becomes much easier to build trust with the program and recruit community volunteers Needs assessments are essential. Leaders must ask the community what actions they want to take.
Challenges • • •
How can we mobilize youth and build capacity? How can we support community leaders to take action? How do we work in large communities? Often, it is easier to work in small communities where there are less barriers to participation.
Next Steps • •
Build in skills in training programs to empower community workers to build capacity. As communities are engaged and organized, move towards issue-based organizing.
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Family Engagement & the Police: The MAAST Program The Multi-Agency School Support Team (MAAST: http://www. calgary.ca/cps/Pages/Youth-programs-and-resources/Youth-intervention/Multi-Agency-School-Support-Team.aspx) is a Calgary Police program run in partnership with local school boards, community organizations and Alberta Health Services. It is a referral-based program that takes a collaborative and comprehensive approach to supporting children between the ages of 5 and 12 who show risks of criminalization and/or victimization.
Promising Practices • • • •
Involving mentors who meet weekly with children to talk about trauma and history, while also supporting school staff and families. Including families in the support system. MAAST works with families to encourage trust, build rapport and provide support for existing trauma. Connecting parents with the community, and engaging community leaders. Keeping the program voluntary.
Challenges • • •
How do you manage interactions between various service providers? How do you manage the multiple problems families are dealing with? How can you find more resources to deal with complex families and problems?
Next Steps •
Advocate for more mandated parental involvement in separations and divorces
youth empowerment The Executive Director of the North American Muslim Foundation (www.namf.com) led a conversation on strategies for youth empowerment. He detailed three positive programs his organization has used to empower youth. 1. 2. 3.
Speech Competition: An opportunity for youth to practice public speaking while talking about a challenging topic they are facing. Orphan Walk: A walk through the city to raise awareness and funds for the NAMF. Media Project: A center where youth can express themselves and learn media skills.
Promising Practices • • • • • •
Providing a space for youth to share their hopes, thoughts and frustrations. Allowing youth to have unapologetic discussions of their ideals. Providing opportunities for youth to develop tangible skills and confidence. Creating positive presentations of your work to the external community. Keeping programs open to all who wish to be involved. Keeping things fun!
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How do you find the youth to get involved? How do you find the resources needed to support the projects? • How do you effectively communicate program successes? • How do you deal with intra-community competition for resources? • How do you effectively navigate politics?
Next Steps • • •
Build collaboration between people and organizations to improve access to resources. Think about partnering with the police, social workers, etc. Seek out businesses and business opportunities to support initiatives. Consider social ventures as an alternative funding model.
Young Immigrants and Education: Addressing Complex Challenges Promising Practices • • •
Creating opportunities for new immigrant youth to catch up in school. This might include supports for language acquisition. Providing committed mentors to youth. These mentors can help the youth learn the new culture and share their experiences with the youth. Ensuring culturally-competent counsellors and guides are present in the schools.
Challenges •
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How do you effectively integrate immigrant youth into the public school system? How do you get more resources for newcomer youth? How do you overcome the language barriers that make academic success more difficult? How do you manage the racial and cultural discrimination – particularly within ESL programs – that further alienates newcomer youth? How do you keep youth from internalizing stigmas?
Next Steps • • • • •
Offer specific upgrading opportunities, and expand opportunities where they do not currently exist. Look for successes elsewhere. Seek out more individuals interested in being involved in mentorship. Investigate successful mentorship structures within organizations. Implement cultural counsellors in schools for newcomer youth.
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Program Approaches & Evaluation The Clients-to-Citizens/Asset-Based Approach This approach is one that empowers citizens to speak out, identify their needs and take action. It is a grassroots and collaborative approach that works with the strengths of individuals.
Next Steps • • • • • • •
Promising Practices • • • • •
Building trust is essential, and comes through honesty, relationships and transparency. Identifying commonalities from each other helps break barriers between citizens. Acknowledging and celebrating success. Inviting people to share their work by bringing them together for engagement. Mobilizing and disseminating knowledge.
Challenges • • • • • •
How do we breakdown barriers for learning? How do we manage denial issues in the community? How do we combat the fear of stigmatization in the community, especially among newcomers? How do we change the “this is their issue” mentality? How do we support youth who are struggling with culture, comparison and expectations? How do we manage same-sex violence in relationships?
Avoid treating people as victims – instead, empower and believe in them. Mobilize communities based on their own strengths. Use women as activists and advocates. Learn through sharing. Bring residents and service providers together. Build coalitions that support sustainable work. Incorporate flexibility and adaptability into programming approaches
Promising Practices Spotlight: 1000 Voices (http://www.1000voices.ca/) is a community and human services area in Calgary. It is a space where community members can go to access services, launch community initiatives, share their ideas, hold events and take part in educational, social and cultural activities. It is a space that thrives on local knowledge, existing strengths and community engagement.
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Modular Community Programing with Youth
Research & Action: Using Evidence to Document Success
Modular programing is about providing youth with opportunities to learn about specific topics or skillsets. This conversation was about expanding and developing these opportunities.
In a world focused on evidence and data, capturing project successes through research can be essential to securing ongoing funding and support. Participants identified doing this well as a common and pervasive organizational challenge.
Promising Practices •
Selecting topics that are relevant to youth, such as media training, partnership building or learning about how the government works (i.e. Hamilton example of teaching youth how to present issues to their city counselor). • Using different types of community engagement to build community members in the public eye. • Encouraging volunteerism. Consider the mandatory volunteer service in Ontario that promotes a culture of long-term volunteering. • Introducing youth to skills that help them chart their own future. • Making attempts to engage the police, CSIS, and other bodies.
Promising Practices
Challenges • • •
How do we work with the police bias? How do we respond to the reduction of funding for chaplains by Corrections Canada? How do we stand up against system racism?
Next Steps
• • • •
Tracking community learning over time through Needs Assessments. Monitoring social media (hashtags and other statistics) as evidence of community buy-in. Tracking rhetoric. Gay and religious communities have had successes tracking homophobic and anti-Semitic rhetoric online, and then identifying data and trends. Using a variety of sources and remembering that data can come from everywhere. Personal stories are important and a good complement to evidence and statistics.
Challenges • • • •
How do we bridge the gap between the evidence we collect as community members on a daily basis and the evidence funders want to see? How do we make time for research when it is timeconsuming and difficult to program? How can groups progress when a need is seen? How do we make research easier to access?
Next Steps
• Advocate for evidence based programs, such as • Check out the CYCC Network’s online tools for evaluation. • Engage community resources. • Get better access to evaluation tools that are rigorous. • How do we manage same-sex violence in relationships?
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The Nine Principles of Resiliency
Dr. Michael Ungar, Scientific Director of the CYCC Network, gave a presentation on how we can nurture the natural resilience of children. His talk transcended cultural, geographic and socio-economic boundaries by focusing on nine powerful things that all children need.
1) Structure 2) Consequences 3) Parent-child connections 4) Lots of strong relationships 5) A powerful identity 6) A sense of control 7) A sense of belonging, spirituality and life purpose 8) Rights and responsibilities 9) Safety and support
Action Café
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The Action Café was a chance for participants to gather feedback on an idea, venture, challenge or opportunity they were working on. Speakers again shared a topic of interest, and participants organized around topics that interested them.
Islam & The Media: Creating Alternatives Narratives to Address Islamophobia MuslimLink (http://muslimlink.ca/) is an Ottawa-based online news source authored by a diverse group of Muslims. The website works to create narratives and counter-narratives that both challenge and complement mainstream media, while building connections across diverse communities.
MuslimLink wonders… • How they can connect more effectively with diverse audiences? • What has worked for other communities and other issues? Who else has learned these lessons?
MuslimLink has… • Diverse stories that capture Muslim perspectives from across Canada. • A strong social media presence that can be mobilized for outreach. • Effective research on timely and important issues. • A strong network of national organizations.
Next Steps Might Include… 1. Searching for other organizations and publications that have had similar struggles. 2. Thinking across time and place when looking for people and organizations who have faced similar struggles (civil rights movement).
MuslimLink is missing… • A defined audience to target and sell to. • Diversity beyond the Muslim community
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The Funding Question: Generating Funds for New Events & Projects After two days of sharing great ideas, many participants ultimately returned to the funding question. There was a common question about how small organizations find out and access funding opportunities for their events and projects. Many organizations have… • The capacity to build on what currently exists, rather than working to event a new project. • The ability to reach out to corporate sponsors. • The ability to search the internet and websites of large foundations. • The ability to look through the various levels of government, keeping in mind that funding sources vary at municipal, city, provincial and federal levels. • Creativity when it comes to fundraising ideas. Many organizations are missing… • Funding sources that are acceptable to the Muslim community. • Good grant writers. • A centralized online system that provides easy access and knowledge about available grants. • A strong and multi-pronged approach. • Opportunities to connect with other faith based organizations. • Methods for effectively measuring the impact of their programs.
Many organizations wonder… • Who is giving the grant and what is important to them? • How to find out about what grants exist? • What are new fundraisers and fundraising ideas? • How to communicate the problem that you are trying to solve and the gap are you are trying to fill? • How to communicate how your projects fill a need in your community? • How to demonstrate ‘quick impact’ projects? • How to communicate the outcomes of your project? Next Steps Might Include… 1. Building strong relationships with donors. 2. Contacting local consulates or government agencies to see what they want to see on a grant application. 3. Finding good writers and investing the time and effort into a strong application. 4. Crafting a good and transparent website that clearly explains exactly what you do. 5. Being transparent with the funding you currently have. 6. Asking funders if they will review a draft of your application before you submit it. 7. Remaining focused and targeted with fundraising activities. 8. Inquiring about corporate funding opportunities and what they require in terms of charitable status.
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Hosting a Community Summit: Building Bridges Across Organizations The Canadian Friends of Somalia is planning to hold a Toronto-based summit that seeks to build bridges and identify common challenges between organizations that support newcomers to Canada. Having held similar events in the past, the organization was looking for input on how to improve their work. The Summit currently has… • Contact with past participants. • Existing partners. • Connections with mobilizers and influencers in various cities and agencies. • Connections with women’s groups, religious groups, youth groups. The Summit is missing… • Corporate partners (recommended: Canadian Tire Jump Start, United Way). • A plan for the expansion of social media connections and heightened overall communication. • Invitations to traditional media at specific times. • A strategy for keeping the event targeted rather than becoming overly broad.
The Summit wonders… • How do we expand? • How do we keep the event sustainable? • How do we mobilize communities and youth to help with outreach? • Can we build a national network to support newcomer families? • How do we build linkages and exchange ideas? Next Steps Might Include… 1. Looking at the Calgary Police model for community connections. 2. Recognizing similarities with aboriginal groups and look at the best practices that run current throughout. 3. Considering hosting the summit in an alternate location in the actual community. 4. Considering incorporating a forum specifically for youth.
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Engaging Youth: Expanding Mosque Programs to Better Involve Youth Youth engagement surfaced multiple times throughout the event as a key element of successful programs. This conversation explored how mosques could run successful programs with young people. Many organizations currently have… • The ability to recognize youth contributions. • The ability to appreciate and recognize their volunteers. • The ability to learn and understand where young people are coming from. • The ability to provide food and transportation for youth who want to be involved • The ability to connect with youth through relevant programs such as afterschool tutoring. • The people that can connect with youth. • The ability to act as a reference for youth employment. • The ability to act as mentors to youth. • The ability to encourage youth to move onto bigger things. • The ability to support mediation through peer-to-peer conflict. Many organizations are missing… • Roles that give young people active roles in their communities. • Physical spaces that keep the organization accessible in the community.
• • • • •
Parental support. Feedback opportunities from youth. The ability to expose youth to different environments. Close relationships between mentors and youth. Courses that are integrated into schools about leadership.
Many organizations wonder… • How to get youth to attend a program consistently? • How to train organizations about the importance of youth engagement? • How to develop leadership in youth? Next Steps Might Include… 1. Identifying next steps and your vision, and creating associated phases and milestones. 2. Looking at short and long term outcomes. 3. Reaching out to youth through schools. 4. Providing concrete timelines for youth who want to get involved. 5. Building space for feedback and fun in existing and new programs. 6. Building opportunities for youth to grow within programs and organizations. 7. Following up with youth who don’t show up in a warm way – letting them know they were missed!
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Building Individual & Community Resilience: Project Communitas Project Communitas (http://communitas.ccmw.com/) is a project that works to strengthen individual and community resilience by developing inter-cultural and inter-faith community resilience projects. It uses webinars, community forums and toolkits to build social interdependence, active citizenship, dialogue and youth leadership in 7 cities across Canada. Project Communitas has… • An inclusive and engaged approach that asks those involved what they want. • A sense of trust when it comes to sensitive issues. • Resources from many different backgrounds. • Resources that help to package information in accessible ways. • Inter-faith and inter-community engagement. Project Communitas is missing… • The power and strength that would come from being a bigger organization. • Local context in each city that they work in. • Productive youth engagement strategies. • Incentives. • Strategies for grounding problems in minority and majority perspectives.
Project Communitas wonders… • How to keep their research context-specific? • How to best understand context before diving in? • How to better understand intra-community tensions and dialogue? • How to make space for youth to be involved? • How to reach out to youth that are disengaged? Next Steps Might Include… 1. Conducting research to better understand local context. 2. Fine-tuning the outreach strategy. 3. Working off informal relationship connection builders for outreach. 4. Networking with other programs doing similar work.
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Closing Circle To conclude the event, we returned once more to the circle. Each person had one final opportunity to share what they would take away from the past two days.
• Inspiration • Engagement • Effective practices • How to be more effective with funding • Get out and make a change • Hopeful • Enlightened • Making connections and connecting dots • Mobilizing knowledge • We are so much more than the stories we are told about ourselves
• Not knowing is bad, but not wanting to know is worse • Greatness comes from small beginnings • Confirm importance of work • Grateful • Every problem has a solution • New relationships • Supported • “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success." - Henry Ford
Feedback From the Event
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The most important thing I learned was:
The most important thing I gained from this experience is:
“The impact of a good role model is big for these youth.”
“New contacts and information on projects that have been successful in other regions.”
I gained:
“An awareness and understanding of the complexity and the context of youth extremism.”
hange: , to c o t g in o g I’m on d radicalizati
e aroun “my languag include youth etc.” angs, drugs, violence in g
I’m going to change:
“How I work with other organizations. I recognize the need to build strong relationships to get stronger supports and services for youth.”
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There's More Online | www.cyccnetwork.org
Thank you to everyone who participated in Wisdom2Action Calgary for your contributions to this report: Sameera Qureshi Casey Bohn Deanna Cameron Dubuque Stephane L. Pressault Abd Alfatah Twakkal Osama Berrada, MPH Leah Wotherspoon Jerry Shannon Colleen Kerr Issa Mosa Raul Espinosa Mahdi Qasqas Victoria Bryce Jimmy Bray Lindsay Seegmillar Mike Ungar Lisa Lachance
Stacey Ault Charlene Larose Aliya Shahzad Navaid Aziz Lalita Singh Komal Kardar Jermaine Campbell Basil Khan Farah Aw-Osman Abdi Hersy David Este Christa Sato fazal rehman Amarnath Amarasingam Richelle Wiseman Deanna Qualtieri Hicham Tiflati Dua Dahrouj
Naomi Hanna Farooq Khan Baljeet Khangura Mohamed yaffa Tanhar Khan Avery Popien Constable Mike Brown Tina Buchan Khadijah Kanji Kamran Bhatti Shazia Rahmani Abdi Hassan Jesse Rabinovitch Lama Al-Yafi Jasmine Mohamed Cam Stewart
Thank you to Public Safety Canada's Kanishka Project for providing funding support to Wisdom2Action Calgary. (The views of this report do not necessarily represent the views of the Government of Canada.)
The Wisdom2Action Event Series is hosted by The CYCC Network: CYCC Network
Find more information online: www.cyccnetwork.org @CYCCNetwork /CYCCNetwork
Funding for the CYCC Network is provided by: