Syrian Canadian Foundation

Thank you to the speakers and guests from across Canada who joined us for our virtual event "A New Home in Canada." We want to share a few highlights that we're excited about: 1- 850 people from across Canada registered for the event. 2-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shared the link to our livestream as did many others and we ended up with a 415,000 reach and 144,000 views on our livestream. 3-We got to celebrate the first ever Syrian Canadian Minister, Omar Alghabra, and we ...were his first community event after announcing his appointment. 4- Hanen Nanaa tweet about the incredible opportunity she got to introduce the Prime Minister at our event went viral! Plus the Prime Minister commented on her Tweet! 5-We brought smiles to so many face. Many attendees took pictures of themselves at the event and shared them online. If you’ve got one of those pls share it with us. Thanks to our incredible speakers and performers: Bayan Khatib Tareq Hadhad Jenna Robar Marco Mendicino Ahmed Hussen Marwa Khobieh Omar Alghabra Rahaf Esmaeel Esmaeel Abou Fakher @khaledabedalwahid John McCallum @Elgant art Dave Pierce MAias Alyamani Ahmad Meree Hanen Nanaa

Are you ready? Our virtual event 'A New Home in Canada' will be be streaming live on Facebook in an hour! Make sure to tune in to our Facebook page and join us in the festivities! https://www.facebook.com/SyrianCanadianFoundation... " " . . . : https://www.facebook.com/SyrianCanadianFoundation

We are so excited to collaborate with The Migration Initiative and Fast Forward Global Initiative on a new blog series "Spotlight on Refugee Youth" We aim to amplify and mobilize refugee experiences in this series See Submission guidelines here https://www.themigrationinitiative.ca//spotlight-on-refuge

We’re excited to announce the updated program for ‘A New Home in Canada’. Please come back here to catch the livestream at 7 p.m.! We're looking forward to celebrating together!

Thank you Mayor Bonnie Crombie for sending greetings for our celebration "A New Home in Canada." You have been a strong voice for diversity and inclusion and we truly appreciate your kindness and leadership. And thank you for the shoutout to our amazing volunteers!

We are honoured to have the Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau speak at our virtual event tomorrow at 7:00pm EST.

We’re excited to announce our event program and list of speakers for tomorrow’s virtual event! We look forward to seeing you all tomorrow at 7:00PM EST!

ANNOUNCEMENT: The Eventbrite registration for our event "A New Home in Canada" will be closing today, in a couple of hours. tinyurl.com/scfanniversary

Women of colour are not only leading promising results in COVID19 vaccination developments, but they're also trailblazers in entrepreneurship both globally and at home. Thank you to the The Toronto Star for highlighting our program 'HER Startup', a first of its kind to work to empower refugee women in the world of entrepreneurship by not only providing training but access to capital. Check out the article here: https://www.thestar.com//time-to-unlock-the-economic-poten

Kim Agostino has been providing yoga to a wide range of students over the past twelve years. She is passionate about her own yoga journey which began as a result of her personal training and fitness instruction career 20 years ago She works AVIVA Yoga Studio Hamilton and YWCA Hamilton. 12 . 20 .... Aviva YWCA Hamilton. See more

Meet our guest speaker Alison Brindle from Breathe Easy Breathe Easy is an educational program that creates mindfulness content for children and those who love and care for them. Our self-paced course is designed to engage with your children, in ways that appeal to their own experiences and interests, through bite-sized videos, fun activities, and mindfulness practice. We firmly believe that building skills in mindfulness and meditation can help you to build resiliency and o...vercome challenges. Breathe Easy is facilitated by Alison Brindle, the Executive Director of LDAHH, and a mindfulness practitioner. Alison Brindle is the Executive Director of Learning Disabilities Association of Halton-Hamilton and is a mindfulness practitioner who teaches these techniques to children and those who love and care for them. She specifically focuses on helping children with anxiety and attention disorders, and their families. As the mother of a child with anxiety herself, Alison believes that she can offer a source of compassion and understanding that can only come from having walked that path herself! She is passionate to help others and their children learn mindfulness as one of the tools to manage their struggles. (Breathe Easy) . . . Breathe Easy LDAHH . , . . ! .

We have limited spots available to join our FlashFoward PhotoVoice Youth program! Are you or someone you know new to Canada? Do you live in Ontario and between the ages of 14-20? If yes, We invite you to join our virtual youth program FlashForward PhotoVoice, this program will help you express yourself through photography, art, and fitness. To join our PhotoVoice program and for any questions or concerns email [email protected]... Thanks to our funders United Way Greater Toronto for making this unique program come to life.

ABRAR .

Meet our guest speaker Lubna Shaban Lubna will be facilitation our session Tomorrow "Finding Your Passion" sharing her expertise with our women at "Friends & Coffee". Lubna is an author, motivational speaker, NLP Master trainer, and mother. She has over 10 years of experience working with newcomers in the non-profit and settlement sector and is passionate about women empowerment.... " " " ". (NLP) . 10 .

Our Executive Director Bayan Khatib has joined the Migration Initiative's advisory board! The Migration Initiative is a collaborative publishing platform for intersectoral dialogue on migration. Read more about the organization here: https://www.themigrationinitiative.ca/

SALE! Support the work we do at SCF by getting your shirt today! Only $20 +HST & Shipping get yours today while supplies last! Message us to get yours today! #newcomer #newcomers #immigrants #NewcomersToCanada #iirc #RefugeesWelcome

Tips with ABRAR on mental health problems which we discussed in our last week’s session. Stay tuned for this week’s new topic!

From our session last week talking about best-practice for parents. . .

Casting call for SYRIAN ACTORS! All experience levels! Series Overview: When a ghost haunts a neighbourhood bookstore and starts releasing fictional characters into the real world, three kids must team up to solve an exciting mystery surrounding the ghost’s unfinished business. TV series with a major streaming platform looking for Syrian (or of Syrian descent) individuals for the following 3 characters:... 1) A boy at least 12 years old 2) A boy 6-8 years old 3) A father in his 40's (or looks like he could be in his 40's) Families with 1 or 2 individuals matching the character descriptions are strongly encouraged! Sally (casting director) can be reached anytime on her cell 4168970088 or via email: [email protected]. She can answer any questions and will provide further information/instructions for the audition. For more information on Samir (12-year-old character): https://www.larissamaircasting.com/casting-call-for-a-serie samir/ For more information on Karim (the father) and Idris (6 to 8-year-old brother): https://www.larissamaircasting.com/casting-call-for-a-seri/ - . ) ( : 1 ) 12 2 ) 6-8 3 ) ) ( ! . 4168970088 : com.gmail@sallynakazi . . . / .

Tips for self care which we discussed in our last week’s session. Stay tuned for this week’s new topic!

Tips with ABRAR on parenting which we discussed in our last week’s session. Stay tuned for this week’s new topic!

After having a positive and meaningful experience volunteering with the English Tutoring Program, Sam Ali approached us with an idea of starting the very first student club dedicated to supporting SCF's mission and programming. We are excited to witness the impacts of this youth-led initiative and work with a group of dedicated undergraduate students at McMaster university.

This is an exciting opportunity for youth of ages 15 to 30 who are having a hard time finding employment opportunities. The Arab Community Centre of Toronto is now accepting applications for the Toronto Youth Job Corps (TYJC) program with funding from the City of Toronto and Service Canada. The TYJC is a paid employment program with two main components: 1- 5 week of life skills and employment readiness training... 2- 8-16-week work placement that matches youth skills and interests In addition, the program provides wraparound supports and connections to other resources to help youth achieve their employment and educational goals. Other perks of the program include: $150 completion bonus; customer service certification, bus tickets, and interview clothing for those who qualify.

From our session last week talking about the impact of good communication on the family. .

Here's what Rami, the Founder and CPO of Train with PUSH, a cutting-edge Toronto-based sport-tech company, had to say about the HER Startup program and our participants! Support the HER Startup Seed Fund and help refugee women launch their business by making a donation today: launchgood.com/refugeewomen "It was an absolute pleasure getting to know all the participants of the HER Startup program. Every single one of the attendees was motivated, energized and ready to take on the challenges of launching her own business in Canada. I highly recommend this program to all future instructors, investors, and refugee entrepreneurs."

Calling all newcomer students! Applications for our English Tutoring Program will be CLOSING in 3 days!! If you are a newcomer to Ontario, and wish to strengthen your spoken and written English this program is for you! We cover all CLB Levels, and our sessions will be offered online, once a week for two hours. You also have the choice of learning through one-on-one sessions with private tutors or in small groups. Save your spot today and sign up here! www.tinyurl.com/SCFETP

We asked instructors from our HER Startup program to reflect on their experience and this is what Omer Qadri (imomerqadri) had to say! Support refugee women entrepreneurs by contributing to the HER Startup Seed Fund! We're half way to our goal! Donate -> launchgood.com/refugeewomen "Facilitating five workshops for HER Startup has been a high point of my 2020 so far. Not just because I love teaching but because the Program Managers and the participants made the experience ve...ry fulfilling. Most importantly, the participants were contagiously inspiring. I went in as a teacher and walked out as a learner - each participant taught me the value of BRAVERY, RESILIENCE & OPTIMISM. Thank you for an impactful experience." - Omer Qadri, Mindset & Success Coach The HER Startup program is managed by the SCF and Jumpstart - Refugee Talent.

Today's Friends & Coffee session is all about Self-care! Our facilitator, ABRAR, will be presenting tools and resources to help our participants realizing the importance of self-care. We're also looking forward to having an engaging discussion with our participants, we always have a lot to learn from their experiences! ! ... ( ABRAR) . ! See more

Tips for Good Communication which we discussed in our last week’s session. Stay tuned for this week’s new topic!

Stress is a natural feeling, but it becomes chronic and unhealthy when we are not able to manage it, understand it and react to every stressful situation. .

4 A’s strategy for stress management we discussed in our last week’s session. Stay tuned for this week’s new topic! 4A .... !

Since the beautiful autumn season is here we took our Flash Forward Photovoice participants to @FallN’Leaves. They took lovely photos and enjoyed the cozy physical distanced outdoor pop-up experience with a pumpkin patch vibe in downtown Toronto. They are very excited to join us tonight for a virtual session full of activities, interactive discussions, fitness, and photography! Thank you to our instructors and United Way Greater Toronto for making this program possible ... The Flash Forward PhotoVoice program aims to create a safe space for newcomer youth to engage in social skills-building, personal development activities, fitness, and creative expression through photography and art. Limited spots are available email us at [email protected]

Today's Friends & Coffee session is all about stress management! Our facilitator, ABRAR, will be presenting tools and resources to help our participants navigate current stressors. We're also looking forward to having an engaging discussion with our participants, we always have a lot to learn from their experiences!

! ( ABRAR) . !

Tune in to know more about our Executive Director Bayan Khatib's journey and experience working with refugees! https://www.facebook.com/MuslimFoodBank/videos/248772553216847/

We're happy to announce our newest intern! Iman Dirie will be supporting our English Tutoring Program. She is an undergraduate student pursuing a BAH in Sociology at Trent University. Iman has volunteered with Plan International, where she was part of their Because I am a Girl Speakers Bureau as a public speaker for three years. Iman also held a role with the Girls Rock Organization and traveled around the world with them on a mission to empower disadvantaged youth through sport.

Even though Arab-Canadians are highly educated, their unemployment rate remains the highest among other minority groups and is almost twice that of non-visible minorities. Shireen Salti, Canadian Arab Institute’s executive director discusses the wide-ranging impacts of barriers to employment, especially for the Arab community, Canada's fastest-growing immigrant population. Read more here: https://newcanadianmedia.ca/unemployment-among-arabs-in-c/

Strong women can build strong communities. In partnership with ABRAR Trauma and Mental Health Services, we are excited to announce the launch of Friends & Coffee, our online wellness support group for Arabic-speaking newcomer women. Our program intends to support women to make positive changes in their lives by equipping them with the knowledge and tools to navigate their environments and encourage healthy lifestyles and relationships during the pandemic. ABRAR will also be o...ffering individual support sessions to participants who need it! Our first session is tonight at 6 p.m. via zoom, please email [email protected] to register! ( Trauma and Mental Health Services ) ( Friends & Coffee ) . . 6 : [email protected]

Introducing our newest team members! Rand is an experienced project manager and accomplished strategic and creative communications professional. She brings diverse program management experience and a passion for working in the nonprofit sector. Rand will be leading our English Tutoring Program, which aims to improve the linguistic and cultural literacy of newcomers to the GTA. ABRAR is the founder of ABRAR Trauma and Mental Health Services and a mental health counselor with six years of experience. She has volunteered and worked with many NGOs, such as SOS Children's Villages, UNICEF, and UNHCR, to provide counseling and support for children, women, and families during the crisis in Syria. She is an advocate of mental health and empowering minorities.