Report for Community Event: Can We Talk?

About New Visions for the North End

Report Writer: Ingrid R.G. Waldron, Ph.D. Assistant Professor School of Occupational Therapy Faculty of Health Professions Dalhousie University 5869 University Avenue Forrest Building Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada B3H 3J5 Email: iwaldron@dal.ca Phone: 494-4558

February 22, 2012

Table of Contents
Acknowledgements3 Introduction4 Key Issues/Challenges Facing African Nova Scotian & Aboriginal Communities in the North End .5 Community-Driven Initiatives & Programs for Resolving the Challenges Facing North End Residents.6 Employment6 Education, Schooling & Training6 Housing & Tenants Issues...7 Business & Financial Issues7 Criminal Justice System...8 Transportation..8 Parenting & Childcare.8 Health & Mental Health..9 Seniors.9 Youth..11 Community Engagement, Outreach & Communication.11 Cultural Identity.12 Other Initiatives & Programs..13

Partnerships for Resolving Some of the Challenges Facing North End Residents14 General...14 Business & Banking...14 Housing..14 Education...14 Community Agencies.15

Strategies, Methods & Avenues for Sustaining the Dialogue Initiated at the Can We Talk Event 15 Developing an Action Plan.15

3 Outreach & Leadership Development16 Community Engagement16

Suggested Next Steps.................................................................................................................... 18

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank the following individuals, businesses and organizations for supporting and assisting with this event: Event Funders: Event Organizers: Event Location: Hostess: Spoken Word Artist: Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation (Knowledge Sharing Support Award) Pink Dog Productions Halifax North Memorial Library (Darla Muzzerall, Manager) Charla Williams El Jones

Facilitators & Note-Takers for Break-Out Sessions: Pam Cooley Debbie Eisan Ryan Gannon Travis Malay Dr. Lena Walker Murleta Williams Norma Williams Dinner & Refreshments: Deli Green Bakery & Catering

INTRODUCTION
This report integrates discussions from the break-out sessions at the Can We Talk event that was held on February 16, 2012 at the Halifax North Memorial Library and findings from the Dr. Ingrid Waldrons research study titled: Challenges & Opportunities: Identifying Meaningful Occupations in Low-Income, Racialized Communities in North End, Halifax. The purpose of the event was to screen the DVD film titled The North End: In Search of a New Beginning (produced by Pink Dog Productions) in order to elicit dialogue amongst diverse individuals and stakeholders about key issues, priorities and challenges facing North End residents. The event, DVD film and research project were funded by the Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation. Event objectives and anticipated outcomes are outlined below. Event Objectives To bring together diverse stakeholders (government/policy, health professionals, community agencies, service providers, academics, students, community members, artists, etc.) to discuss the research findings and share creative solutions for some of the challenges, exclusions and inequalities that North End residents face.

Anticipated Event Outcomes To develop a document that incorporates notes from facilitated break-out sessions and the research report. This document will be posted on the Facebook page for the event and distributed to event participants and other key decision makers via an email list. To use the DVD film, social media and traditional media to sustain ongoing dialogue about key issues facing North End residents; To develop and sustain partnerships among diverse stakeholders in order to develop and mobilize around solutions and initiatives designed to eliminate some of the challenges facing North End residents;

5 To initiate the development of collaborative community-driven initiatives, projects and programs designed to eliminate some of the challenges facing North End communities; and To enable North End community members, agencies and interested individuals to take ownership of the initiatives, projects and programs that will be developed after the event.

Key Issues/Challenges Facing African Nova Scotian & Aboriginal Communities in the North End
Can We Talk Event Break-Out Sessions & Research Report Lack of a strong political voice; Members of the community are voiceless and not heard; Lack of self-determination; Lack of an infrastructure; Lack of government funding, resulting in income problems; Inequitable allocation of government funds; Racism in wider community; Stereotypes and stigma about the North End and its residents; Lack of cultural pride; Lack of community unity and cohesiveness; Educational challenges experienced by youth; Lack of youth employment opportunities; Lack of youth mentors; Lack of communication between seniors centres; Elder abuse on three levels: financial, physical and psychological; Concerns around safety and crime among seniors; Concerns around safety in larger community; Poor literacy among seniors; Low rates of home ownership; Difficulties finding affordable housing; Gentrification; Difficulties accessing affordable transportation; Poor health and mental health; Fixed income, resulting in poor nutrition; Lack of a grocery store; Isolation; and Lack of information about programs and services.

Community-Driven Initiatives & Programs for Resolving the Challenges Facing North End Residents
Employment Can We Talk Event Break-Out Sessions Developing more adult employment opportunities; Increasing employment opportunities in North End agencies for community residents; Bringing in community job training professionals; Creating awareness of available jobs; Developing emergency job training initiatives; and Implementing affirmative action hiring policies.

Research Report Delivering more employment workshops that assist individuals in finding jobs; Developing a referral service that connects individuals to available jobs opportunities; and Developing a program to assist individuals developing practical job skills that prepare them for re-entering the workforce after they have been released from custody. Education, Schooling & Training Can We Talk Event Break-Out Sessions Listing of programs/initiatives to be implemented within St. Patrick's Alexandra School; Securing and planning the St. Patrick's Alexandra School location for community use; Developing alternative education programs; Integrating classroom elders into the school system, particularly those who are interested in supporting students throughout their educational journey; Instilling cultural knowledge in schools; Hiring volunteers for after-school programming (e.g. tutoring);

7 Eliminating the cost of criminal checks for school volunteers; Implementing outreach activities that link schooling to outcomes; Implementing vocational or mentoring services that encourage students to apply for available scholarships; Ensuring affordable tuition; and Developing adult education programs.

Research Report Supporting individuals in obtaining educational diplomas and degrees; Offering computer training workshops; Offering more workshops on financial planning, budget management, creative expression, spiritual healing, self-esteem and parenting; Providing ongoing education and training to agency staff on how the following issues impact the health of clients: discrimination, access to transportation, education and literacy, cognitive and learning disabilities, financial issues, access to jobs and support networks; and Providing training to staff that support them in confronting their own assumptions and stereotypes around race, culture, sexual orientation, religion, poverty, disability, homelessness, mental illness and other challenges faced by clients.

Housing & Tenants Issues Can We Talk Event Break-Out Sessions Developing a national strategy on housing; Implementing strategies to increase home ownership; Developing a partnership between community residents and a housing company; Developing partnerships between community residents, Metropolitan Regional Housing Authority and Habitat for Humanity to deal with the issue of condemned places that have been turned into low-cost housing; Revising tenants rights to avoid evictions (Board required to undertake this); and Implementing rent control policies.

Business & Financial Issues Can We Talk Event Break-Out Sessions Building a grocery store;

8 Providing more community support for the upcoming Co-op store; Building a credit union; Developing business incentives; Developing a banking/retail/commercial area; and Developing micro-financing opportunities.

Criminal Justice System Can We Talk Event Break-Out Sessions Implementing more restorative justice initiatives that provide options other than jail; Arranging for the Community Justice Society to hold monthly orientation sessions for youth who may be in conflict with the law; and Ensuring that Aboriginal and African Nova Scotian communities have a voice in Victims Services (in process, but more work required).

Transportation Can We Talk Event Break-Out Sessions Implementing a community carpool service and Developing a buddy system that acknowledges the mobility issues experienced by seniors and persons with disabilities.

Parenting & Childcare Can We Talk Event Break-Out Sessions Offering parenting programs that provide support to new families and Providing more support to new mothers.

Research Report Developing programs that acknowledge the challenges that clients experience around finances and childcare by providing spaces where children can be supervised while parents attend programs and services and

9 Offering programs and services during the days and evenings and on weekdays and weekends that bring the whole family together and that, consequently, eliminate the challenges parents experience finding affordable childcare.

Health & Mental Health Can We Talk Event Break-Out Sessions Opening more health clinics; Utilizing the two-eyed seeing health model, which integrates a Western health model with Aboriginal/Indigenous healing traditions; Connecting with the Dal-Workplace Project, which focuses on healthy living; Developing and implementing more health promotion and education activities; Integrating public policy into health policy; Developing more volunteer initiatives around fitness/healthcare; and Encouraging Capital Health staff to reach out to the community to assist with resource counselling, health information sharing and other forms of support.

Research Report Offering more workshops on fitness, weight loss and healthy eating; Offering free exercise classes; Developing individual and group youth counselling programs that focus on sexual health and education; Offering free mental health support groups that provide supportive and holistic health services for clients who are dealing with the challenges of everyday life; Developing more culturally-specific health and mental health programs that reflect the worldviews, cultural traditions and spiritual and religious beliefs and practices of Aboriginal, African Nova Scotian and other communities in the North End; Developing more effective health and mental health promotion strategies that focus on the following: increasing awareness about physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health issues; reducing and eliminating stigma around mental illness; promoting healthy lifestyles; providing information on and referrals to substance dependence and mental health and counselling support services; assisting and supporting clients in accessing health and mental health services; and Implementing collaborative health promotion strategies involving diverse stakeholders, including health professionals, community agencies, community members, educators and the church.

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Seniors Can We Talk Event Break-Out Sessions Collecting demographic data on the senior population in the North End, including collecting data on Aboriginal seniors; Building a seniors community centre, complex or central space where seniors can meet (e.g. Spencer House); Implementing a seniors bus system; Holding free events for seniors; Bringing programs to seniors and bringing seniors into programs; Developing activities that promote inter-generational (youth, teens, adults and seniors) interaction; Developing partnerships between seniors and youth organizations; Conducting community outreach that involves community members visiting the homes of seniors; Developing a co-op program that pairs students with seniors; Developing initiatives that involve youth assisting seniors in the activities of everyday life (e.g. getting groceries etc.); Developing an initiative that takes cooked food to the homes of seniors; Developing a letter writing/pen pal program for seniors that involves story exchange and students writing to seniors. This would help develop the literacy skills of seniors in the community; Organizing Seniors Day events; Implementing frail-friendly environments in the community; Utilizing a pastoral care model for partnering seniors; Developing a seniors Buddy System; Developing an initiative that takes pets to seniors; Developing an initiative that sends nurses out to visit seniors in their homes; Developing an initiative that sends produce from the Community Garden to seniors; and Setting up a central phone number for seniors (Province will be setting up 211 line eventually).

Research Report Developing seniors programs and clubs that engage seniors in activities inside and outside their homes (e.g. knitting, crocheting, card games etc.); Providing opportunities and spaces for youth, adults and seniors to come together to share experiences and build a sense of community through meaningful interactions, connections and social networks (e.g. recreational and sports activities: ball and basketball tournaments and outdoor games);

11 Providing opportunities for youth to reach out to and connect with seniors in the community (e.g. a program that enables youth to volunteer a few hours of their time every week visiting seniors in their homes); and Developing an initiative that involves community members assisting seniors in the activities of everyday life (e.g. shopping, groceries, recreation, etc.), particularly in the evening when many seniors are hesitant to venture out alone.

Youth Can We Talk Event Break-Out Sessions Developing more consistent youth programming; Developing more inter-agency collaborations on programs for youth of various ages; Holding intergenerational events that bring together children, teens and seniors; Identifying role models and mentors for youth; Extending Family SOS to engage youth in leadership activities; and Engaging youth in community meetings and other important community events.

Research Report Developing more youth employment opportunities; Hiring community organizers to develop sport and recreational programs and events for youth; Developing individual and group youth counselling programs that focus on sexual health and education, youth parenting, financial management, housing and other issues; Providing opportunities and spaces for youth, adults and seniors to come together to share experiences and build a sense of community through meaningful interactions, connections and social networks (e.g. recreational and sports activities, such as ball and basketball tournaments and outdoor games); Developing youth mentorship programs that provide opportunities for adults and seniors to share their own life experiences with youth; Providing opportunities for youth to reach out to and connect with seniors in the community (e.g. a program that enables youth to volunteer a few hours of their time every week visiting seniors in their homes); Offering after-school programs during the days and evenings and throughout the week that provide youth with opportunities to participate in recreational, educational and creative activities; Developing youth programs that are offered during the days and evening and throughout the week, weekends and summer that engage youth in outdoor recreational activities; and

12 Developing programs that instill cultural pride in Aboriginal and African Nova Scotian youth. Community Engagement, Outreach & Communication Can We Talk Event Break-Out Sessions Following up on the Can We Talk event to ensure that initiatives are underway and that anticipated outcomes are being realized (e.g. through community facilitation); Using an email list of Can We Talk participants to spread the word about collaborations and/or upcoming events and projects; Inviting guest speakers from different backgrounds who can speak on key issues at subsequent meetings and events; Increasing awareness of other community groups; Increasing outreach activities by Black Educators Association; Increasing involvement of teachers in community initiatives; Increasing interaction with or community outreach to political leaders at all three levels of government; Ensuring that all members of the community are informed about 'coffee house' events and other meetings; Placing a Suggestion Box or Suggestion Board at North End Community Health Center or North Branch Library; and Emphasizing and continuing to use diverse forms of communication off the internet, including postering, flyers and newsletters. Many seniors dont use Facebook and are often frustrated when events are only advertised online.

Research Report Hiring outreach workers to conduct outreach in the community to identify community needs around services and programs (particularly for hard-to-reach individuals); Developing more effective outreach to men in the community in order to increase their awareness of and access to programs and services (particularly since men tend to access services less than women); Developing referral services that provide adults, seniors and youth with information on community resources, services and programs, such as housing, food banks and health and counselling services etc.; and Creating awareness of agency programs and services through the following promotional strategies: community outreach and direct communication; posters, brochures, newsletters and flyers; community newspapers; email listserv; webpages; Kijiji; social media; Halifax North Memorial Public Library; church; radio and television; and a Directory of Community Services, Programs and Resources.

13 Cultural Identity Can We Talk Event Break-Out Sessions Organizing more cultural events; Developing more cultural awareness initiatives that support the community in reclaiming their sense of identity and that celebrate various cultural communities and neighbourhoods; Developing initiatives that focus on the de-stigmatization of the North End; and Providing opportunities for residents to engage in dialogue that interrogates pervasive myths and underlying assumptions about a definition of the North End and its identity.

Other Initiatives & Programs Can We Talk Event Break-Out Sessions Collaborating with the North End Community Circle to create community cohesiveness; Creating community sustainability; Developing a community plan in collaboration with the Greater Halifax Partnership; Conducting an asset inventory; Creating more accessible environments; Collecting more accurate demographic data; Developing a Neighbourhood Watch Program; Developing cost-efficient programming; Ensuring that agencies in the North End receive more dedicated, long-term and stable funding from corporations and the City (e.g. funding that does not result in agencies delivering programming in patch work and that does not require community members to make choices between work and volunteering); Developing programs that integrate physical and learning/educational activities; Developing a community supper initiative; and Developing an initiative that provides more life coaches;

Research Report Ensuring that programs and services are more inclusive of and accessible to clients with cognitive, learning and developmental disabilities, low levels of education and varying levels of English literacy skills (e.g. helping clients fill out forms and reviewing other documents and guidelines with them in person); Implementing a clean-up project in the North End that brings community members together to clean up the North End (graffiti etc.); and

14 Developing a Neighbourhood Watch Program that hires volunteers to support community members who feel unsafe in the neighbourhood. Such a program may involve volunteers accompanying seniors on errands etc.

Partnerships for Resolving Some of the Challenges Facing North End Residents
Can We Talk Event Break-Out Sessions General Developing action teams that make partnerships more effective and Nurturing inter-agency cooperation in order to avoid funding disputes.

Business & Banking Developing partnerships between businesses, funders and community agencies to build self-sufficiency and develop skills; Developing partnerships with the business sector in order to expose youth to new ideas; and Developing partnerships between mentors and corporate sponsorship banks that offer personal financial education.

Housing Developing a partnership with a housing company; Developing partnerships with Metropolitan Regional Housing Authority and Habitat for Humanity to deal with the issue of condemned places that have been turned into low-cost housing; and Developing partnerships between carpenters and architects to develop house building and renovation projects, both of which would provide the community with jobs, training and skills development opportunities.

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Education Developing a partnership with Faculty of Health Professions at Dalhousie University; Developing partnerships with Dalhousies Black and Mi'kmaq services, which need to bring outside communities into Dalhousie (similar to program at Kings College); Developing a partnership with the Nova Scotia Community College; and Developing partnerships between high schools, universities and employers within the community. Community Agencies Developing a partnership with the Greater Halifax Partnership to develop a community plan; Developing partnerships between churches, the Black Educators Association and North End Community Health Center to develop programs, including a mentorship program; Developing a partnership with Family SOS; Developing partnerships among diverse groups to make Imagine Bloomfield a community hub; Developing partnerships between seniors and youth organizations; and Developing partnerships that offer local childcare programs.

Research Report Developing more inter-agency partnerships in the North End that provide agencies with opportunities to draw on diverse skills, experiences and networks, learn from one another, eliminate redundancy in programming and to respond collectively to community needs and Providing more opportunities for community members to contribute to decisions around the development of programs and services in the North End.

Strategies, Methods & Avenues for Sustaining the Dialogue Initiated at the Can We Talk Event
Developing an Action Plan Can We Talk Event Break-Out Sessions Providing opportunities for the community to develop and buy into an action plan; Prioritizing community needs and actions; Clarifying goals and objectives for an action plan;

16 Settling on an appropriate timeline for each goal to be reached and determining which individuals will take on each task; Determining how the goals and objectives will be reached; Finding resources to meet the goals and objectives; Developing more grassroots bottom up approaches; Moving beyond due diligence and providing genuine action; and Ensuring that there is transparency, which is necessary to build trust and provide safe spaces for all voices to be heard.

Outreach & Leadership Development Can We Talk Event Break-Out Sessions Developing an outreach program with community members in the North End and beyond; Determining strategies for conducting outreach; Determining the individuals that will be selected to conduct outreach and leadership activities, including determining who the champions and heroes in the neighbourhood are; Training outreach workers in the North End to honour the skills, wisdom, and resources within the North End (including youth); Reaching out to youth advocates, who are the leaders of tomorrow; Creating a wave of intellectual activists and leaders who are willing to shake things up, take the lead on social justice issues and initiate real change in the community (e.g. Rocky Jones and others); Seeking out those invisible leaders and powerful forces in the community (e.g. seniors, individuals involved in the St. Pats issue etc.); Reaching out to the most vulnerable members of the community with a progressive outreach program that is well-structured and provides ongoing training and support systems; Bringing in individuals from the broader community to assist with community initiatives in the North End, including policy makers and justice workers; and Ensuring that community members commit to staying involved and doing the work in the community they live in.

Community Engagement Can We Talk Event Break-Out Sessions

17 Organizing Community Meetings & Events Organizing a one-day forum as a follow up to the Can We Talk event; Holding regular bi-weekly or monthly open space town hall meetings and events modelled after the Can We Talk event to sustain momentum; Organizing community building nights and events; Holding structured small-group and large-group meetings that enable all community members to have a voice; Engaging in more government consultations; Engaging in more ongoing safe dialogue with partners; Making attendance at these meetings mandatory; and Ensuring that these meetings and events are a mandatory condition of parole and probation. In other words, individuals should be required to attend monthly meetings for a year instead of performing 15 hours of community service work.

Committees & Task Groups Organizing task forces and groups; Creating a steering committee; and Organizing youth-led youth groups.

Topics & Activities for Meetings & Events Organizing an ongoing series of meetings and events modelled after the Can We Talk event, with each meeting and event highlighting a different aspect of that events activities and topics, including film screenings, speakers and community discussions and Holding events that celebrate the North End community and its heroes in order to change the negative stigma associated with the North End.

Involvement of Key Decision Makers Community developers; Police liaisons; Representatives from NGOs; Youth; Politicians and policymakers (attendance at community meetings should be mandatory for these decision makers); Grassroots individuals and groups; and Visible and invisible community leaders.

Advertising & Promotion of Community Meetings & Events

18 Creating a North End Community (NEC) resource guide that lists all of the community services, programs and resources in the North End (flyer or business card size); Maintaining a database of all individuals attending community meetings and events; Ensuring that all individuals are kept up to date and involved in events and meetings through more effective advertising and promotion using traditional and social media, e.g. Facebook, Twitter, online blogs, email, radio, TV, newspapers; Posting information on events and meetings on community notice boards; and Advertising and promoting events and meetings in flyers, weekly notices and mail-outs.

Suggested Next Steps

The following are suggested next steps for implementing the recommendations that came out of the Can We Talk event and Dr. Waldrons research report: Collaborate with Pink Dog Productions to develop a communication and knowledge mobilization plan that engages with diverse and innovative online tools and platforms, including Facebook and Youtube etc.; Post project documents and resources on the Can We Talk Facebook page, including research report, Can We Talk Event Report and the DVD film The North End: In Search of a New Beginning; Dr. Ingrid Waldron to meet with the North End Community Circle (NECC) to connect research findings, DVD film and Can We Talk event discussions and recommendations to the activities being carried out by the NECC; Inform Can We Talk event participants about next steps and activities arising out of the event through email communication, community agencies, online blogs, Halifax North Memorial Library, flyers, newsletters, churches, community agencies, the Can We Talk Facebook page, newspapers, radio and TV; Organize a follow up event (e.g. all day forum) based on discussions and suggestions from the Can We Talk event, DVD film and research report. The objective of this event is to develop an action plan that identifies and clarifies the following: 1) Priority issues and associated community-driven activities, initiatives and programs; 2) Goals, objectives and timelines; 3) Resources for meeting goals and objectives; 4) Strategies for realizing goals and objectives; 5) Intended outcomes;

19 6) Task groups (including youth task groups) and steering committees; 7) Inter-agency partnerships; 8) Outreach strategies; 9) Community engagement strategies; 10) Community leadership activities; and 11) Communication and knowledge mobilization strategies.