[ 2019 ]
Oct 9 2019
Fall Social/Networking Event [Montreal QC]
Event description: What is the Fil-Can Social and Community Workers Network?
The purpose of this event is to network and learn as we informally share resources that might be helpful in our work. As a growing community of social workers, social service providers, community workers and students training in these field, we would like to create a supportive and safe space to discuss issues and resources. Some of us were trained as social workers in the Philippines, some have been trained in Canada, and some might have been educated both here and abroad. A social event as such have been done many times at different places nationally. This time, we thought we would bring it to Montreal.
This event took place at Wilson Hall, McGill School of Social Work (2506 Rue University) and was organized by Neslee Ragasa with support from Monica Batac. This activity was funded through Neslee’s Freda L. Paltiel Award funding. We also welcomed visiting BSW student, Ira Mamis from Whitehorse, Yukon (Yukon College/University of Regina).
Photos by Dr. Jill Hanley, Mina Pingol, and Ira Mamis
Sep 28 2019
Filipino Canadian Futures [Montreal QC]
Info to come soon!
Jun 14 2019
Gender-based Violence First Aid [Toronto ON]
The network created and circulated a pre-survey amongst Toronto-based practitioners to get a sense of workshop participants’ practice contexts, in order to tailor this workshop.
Description: Learners can expect to build skills around how to respond to clients if they disclose experiencing gender-based violence. Focus will be on how to support survivors as “first responders” to client’s disclosure- whether at intake and/or initial assessment for example. Small groups and role-play will be utilized. Resources will be provided. Networking is encouraged between practitioners and agencies. Light refreshments will be served. Participation Certificate will be provided to workshop participants. Workshop can count towards Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers Continuing Competence Program.
Event took place at SEAS Centre (50 Regent Park Blvd).
Special Guest: Rachelle Cruz, Filipinx Speak Out Campaign
Rachelle Cruz is a Toronto-based writer, TV host and producer. Her media career started in print with The Philippine Reporter. She is a freelancer TV correspondent for Balitang America, ABS-CBN News, North America Bureau. Rachelle is also the National Ambassador for The Golden Balangay Awards. She started the campaign Filipinas Speak Out (#FilipinasSpeakOut) since coming out with her own #MeToo story in 2018. Filipinas Speak Out aims to raise awareness on sexual violence and empower survivors to speak up and seek help.
Workshop Leader: Nora Angeles. Tita Nora has facilitated various groups for women who have experienced violence (Scarborough Women’s Centre, Counterpoint) as well as anti-oppression workshops for over 50 organizations. She served as Lay Bencher at the Law Society of Upper Canada 1992-1999; and Director of Interpreter Services at Barbra Schlifer Clinic 2002-2018. Currently, she is the Chair of ADHIKA, a Canadian charitable NGO funding small projects for women and children in the Philippines, Canada, and Guyana.)
Facilitators:
Mithi Esguerra, chairperson of Gabriela Ontario, an organization of Filipinas working to advance the Philippine struggle for freedom and genuine democracy, while addressing local struggles of Filipinas in Ontario.
Fatima Barron (she/her) is an organizer and artist living and working in Toronto. Outside of work she organizes with Anakbayan Toronto and their new Womxn’s Committee. Anakbayan Toronto is an overseas chapter of Filipino youth and students struggling for National Democracy in the Philippines.
Veronica Javier is a Registered Social Worker with a Masters in Social Work and a specialty in Nephrology. Veronica is also currently an Adjunct Faculty member at York University School of Social Work working as a Faculty Advisor and Field Placement Supervisor.
Photos by Rachelle Cruz
June 5, 2019
CASWE-ACFTS Conference + Dinner with UBC/Vancouver students and organizers
For this year’s annual conference, we hosted a Dialogue Circle, chaired by Dr. Fritz Pino, titled “Putting Culturally-Relevant Interventions to Work: Filipinos in the Canadian Social Work Field.” We also attended the Race, Ethnicity, and Cultural Issues (RECI) caucus meeting. As several of the panelists stayed with UBC Professor Dr. Nora Angeles, we co-hosted a dinner get-together with Filipinx scholars, community leaders and members, as well as invited friends at her residence.
Photos from Monica Batac and Dr. Rusty Souleymanov
Apr 12 2019
Pinay Lives on Film [Montreal QC]
A partnered event with PINAY POWER II conference, PINAY Quebec, Dr. Kazue Takamura and Dr. Erik Martinez Kuhonta (Southeast Asian Lecture Series at McGill), McGill University, School of Social Work’s Neslee Ragasa (BSW student with Freda Paltiel Award), Mufasa- McGill University Filipino Asian Students’ Association, and invited guest Dr. Patrick Alcedo.
Photos by Shari Ramos: View the whole album here
Jan 18 2019
Problem Gambling in the Filipino community in Toronto
[Toronto ON]
In 2018, Kababayan Multicultural Centre engaged in a year-long project funded by Gambling Research Exchange Ontario, initiated and co-led by researcher Monica Batac and Executive Director Flordeliz Dandal. The “Building knowledge and awareness of problem gambling within the Filipino community in Toronto” project instigated a culturally-sensitive needs assessment and community organizing and initial outreach campaign. At this event, we shared updates from this project. In particular, we sought feedback and comments from frontline workers in the Filipino practitioner community regarding two knowledge translation products we were developing: a short video on problem gambling and a PowerPoint presentation for use by frontline workers and community leaders. This event facilitated an important dialogue in our community amongst frontline workers to further identify knowledge and service gaps, as well as future directions for this community-based, community-led initiative.
Speakers included Community Advisory Group members, Lani Aguinaldo (Counsellor, Problem Gambling Program, Addiction Services for York Region), Martha Ocampo (Community Activist and Race, Culture and Mental Health Consultant with Martha Ocampo and Associates), and Anna Maramba and Marvi Yap of AV Communications . Both Lani and Martha served as advisory committee members for this project. From we’ve gathered, Lani appears to be the only Filipino psychotherapist in the GTA specializing in problem gambling. Martha led a large community-based research project in the early 2000s in problem gambling in the Filipino community and has continued this work with us as part of the advisory committee. Both shared important insights on this underexamined and taboo problem area in our community.
To learn more about the project, please contact Monica Batac.
