July 2008
Welcome to the July issue of What’s Budding @ Maytree, your source for news about all things Maytree.
The GTA’s Leadership is a Little More Diverse
It has been a busy month for the DiverseCity onBoard team. They recruit and manage a roster of talented underrepresented immigrants and visible minorities, ready to serve on the boards of voluntary and public institutions. This high-quality roster has resulted in an impressive 17 appointments in June! Congratulations to:
- Uma Acharya, Board of Directors, Bazaar Non Profit Coop Housing
- Eduardo Castro, Board of Directors,Youthlink
- Bobby de la Cruz, Board of Directors, Harbourfront Centre
- Elvira Sanchez De Malicki, Health Professions Appeal and Review Board
- Raywat Deonandan, Board of Directors, Harbourfront Centre
- Vivien Dzau, Board of Directors, Dixon Hall
- Michelle Francis, Board of Directors, Landlord’s Self Help Resource Centre
- Zulfigar Gilani, Board of Governors, Seneca College
- Satpaul Singh Johal, Board of Directors, Job Skills
- Anju Virmani Kumar, Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network
- Richard Lim, Board of Governors, Seneca College (pictured)
- Manu Sarna, Board of Trustees, Casa Loma
- Kumar Sapkota, Board of Directors, Turtle House Art/Play Centre
- Racquel Sevilla, Board of Directors, Turtle House Art/Play Centre
- Elaine Shin, Board of Directors, Social Enterprise and Development Innovations (SEDI)
- Jason Tsang, Board of Directors, Ontario Nature
- Tsering Tsomo, Treasurer, ACTEW Board of Directors
Want to diversify your board? Contact Sangeeta Subramanian
Montreal is our Newest Ally
Assisting Local Leaders with Immigrant Employment Strategies (ALLIES) has awarded La Conférence régionale des élus (CRE) a grant to establish a multistakeholder group in Montreal. This organization will lead an initiative to establish a mentoring program and launch an employer and public awareness campaign. Together this work will draw attention to the challenges immigrants face in the labour market and the value their skills bring to improving the economy.
Learn more about other communities engaged in immigrant employment solutions across Canada.
Cities of Migration – on the Lookout for Good Integration Practices
Cities of Migration, a new Maytree project, is seeking 100 good integration practices from around the world.
On the search, Maytree project leader Kim Turner attended a conference in Chicago organized by Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR). Over 150 U.S. community foundations discussed leadership in promoting immigrant integration. Good ideas exchanged included citizenship training and the promotion of voting among immigrant populations. Check out their Immigrant Integration Framework and Toolkit.
A little closer to home, Maytree project advisor Pat Tobin went to Washington D.C. and New York to discuss with U.S. foundations how existing city-to-city networks might work with Cities of Migration to share best practices internationally. This summer, Cities of Migration will continue to develop links with such U.S. initiatives as the German Marshall Fund’s Transatlantic Cities Network and the Comparative Urban Studies Project at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
Do you have a good integration practice to suggest? Contact Kim Turner.
Maytree Leadership Network News
- Leaders for Change graduate, Deepa Mattoo, South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario, advocated for the rights of foreign trained professionals on CBC’s Metro Morning South Asian Heritage Month panel.
- School4Civics graduate, Desmond Cole was featured on The National as a commentator regarding the nomination of Barack Obama.
- Leaders for Change graduate, Andalee Adamali, Council of Agencies Serving South Asians, was part of the St. Lawrence Forum panel on Putting the Citizens Back into Planning.
Stay tuned! Maytree’s Leadership Network is set to take over the airways in an exciting new project we will be announcing this fall.
New Additions to the Network!
Maytree celebrated the completion of two programs this month, Fundraising 101 and Leaders for Change (pictured). In one of the participants own words, “As a result of this program, individually and collectively our dreams are bigger. Our vision is clearer. We are better trained and equipped. We have a greater sense of empowerment to face our challenges and change our communities for the better.”
We’d like to congratulate all graduates and welcome them to the Maytree Leadership Network!
Communities in Action Forum in Guelph
On June 14th, 25 members of the Maytree Leadership Network boarded a bus to attend the Communities in Action Forum in Guelph Ontario. This initiative brought together civic leaders to collaborate on initiatives that will promote and enhance civic participation. Maytree’s Alejandra Bravo presented on the importance of diversity in civic organizations.
Maytree Leadership Conference Workshop Summaries Now Available
What does it mean to belong? The 2008 Maytree Leadership Conference explored the links between citizenship, identity and multiculturalism – and their impact on the wellbeing of individuals and communities. Keynote address highlights, workshop summaries and resources are now posted online.
Research News
The Caledon Institute Releases a New Report On First Nations Education
Improving Education on Reserves: A First Nations Education Authority Act is now available. Prepared by Michael Mendelson at the Caledon Institute, this report provides a number of recommendations which aim to address the large high school dropout rates among the First Nation on-reserve population.
Policies and Protocols for People without Status in Canada Wanted
The Portuguese-Canadian National Congress is collecting examples of policies, protocols, and guidelines for serving non-status people. The result will be a policy template for working with non-status peoples (for example on issues of intake, confidentiality, etc) and an analysis of policy gaps. For more information contact Debbie Pacheco.
News You Can Use
TRIEC Annual Review now Available!
2007 was a year of growth and expansion for TRIEC. The organization added new programs, expanded others, and heightened public awareness about the issue of integrating skilled immigrants into our workforce. Most importantly, TRIEC strengthened its programs and partnerships throughout the GTA, in the regions where immigrants are choosing more and more to live and work. Read the full report.
Diaspora Dialogues is TOKing…
On July 31 at 7:00 p.m., Diaspora Dialogues is featuring three writers from its TOK Book 3 anthology. Fiction writer Clara Ho, and poets Monica Rosas, B.E. Hunt, and Molly Peacock will read their work at the Toronto Women’s Bookstore. For more information visit their website.
Communities Collaborating Institute 2008
Transform your community!
Citizen-led collaboration has become an important process for transformation and for realizing bold visions and systemic change. Tamarack, with its partners, has developed a one-week institute to help make the work of impacting communities easier and more effective. Join them September 15-19, 2008 at the third annual Communities Collaborating Institute in Kitchener, Ontario to find new ways to engage and transform your community. Register today.
Contact Us
Questions or comments about What’s Budding @ Maytree? Send an e-mail to whatsbudding@maytree.com.
