C5. From Outreach to Community Engagement: Making Connections and Building Capacity through Peer Leadership (English and FRENCH)
Level: Intermediate
As newcomer women become engaged and build their capacities to participate fully economically, socially and politically, powerful shifts occur. Though a mix of strategy sharing and peer leader storytelling, participants will learn about a successful Peer Outreach Leadership Model delivered through the Newcomer Connection Program at North York Community House. The outreach efforts of the Peer Leaders have not only connected over 10,000 newcomer women and seniors to date from diverse language and cultural groups to community resources, but they have shaped a community development strategy to engage residents in social change initiatives.
Workshop participants will learn about a training model that builds on the skills and capacities of Peer Leaders to both empower others to participate in grass roots involvement, and to volunteer and work in the settlement services sector. The model has been successfully adapted to develop and deliver a South Asian Violence Prevention Project and a Newcomer Seniors Self-Reliance Project.
Jane Harvey-Misra is the co-ordinator of the Newcomer Connection Program a Leadership Development Program at North York Community House. Jane has a degree in Cultural Anthropology and Social Work and has extensive experience developing and delivering training programs for internationally-trained professionals and tradespeople.
Hui Geng joined the Newcomer Connection Program at North York Community House as a participant and community member in the Lotherton Action for Neighborhood Change Project. She finished Peer Outreach Leader training and Group Facilitation training and then went back to her community to start working as a Community Leader. Hui’s role is Community Outreach Facilitator. She recruits community members to identify community needs and encourage residents’ engagement.
