Ifarada is a Black-led, owned, and serving organization located in the Durham Region that serves the population of Ontario and abroad. The organization began in 2017 and is transitioning to an accredited organization with the Canadian Centre for Accreditation. Since its inception, Ifarada’s service delivery and capacity have increased tremendously. The organization is supported by contractors who consult with the leadership team to ensure the organization achieves its goals. Ifarada is seeking a skilled consultant to guide and strengthen human resource management to align with employment law and expectations.
The organization is supported by a team of wellbeing professionals, contractors, volunteers, and student placement/interns. Typically, there are up to 30 professionals at Ifarada providing service to the community. Ifarada uses an advanced payroll system, and human resource orientation and onboarding. With an Africentric, Indigenous and holistic approach, the team has opportunities to explore their identity, their career and their strengths and this has contributed to a positive working environment. With our contractors, we strive to achieve this goal.
Request
The Human Resource Coordinator will support the bi-weekly payroll activities and submission, have a good understanding of payroll systems, and ensure the applicable modules are embedded into the payroll system [i.e., time tracking, legislated and personal leaves]. The Coordinator will review and update organizational policies to align with the vision/mission. The coordinator will consult with and discuss employee files with the executive director team. The Coordinator will be experienced [ 5 years and more], working in organizations, particularly non-profit organizations. The coordinator should have access to case law and upcoming changes in employment law, and can respond to urgent employee relations requests with accuracy and sound advice.
Deliverables
Prepare bi-weekly payroll entries,
Develop onboarding orientation for new employees and volunteers,
Develop and review human resources and volunteer policies,
Support the leadership team with auditing employee and volunteer files, and strengthening organizational culture.
Commitment
The coordinator will provide services to the organization for a minimum of one year.
Estimated Commitment:
100 hours of human resources coordination,
2 hours of training to the leadership team in auditing employee and volunteer files, and
25-40 hours of policy development.
Requirements
Please submit a proposal to: careers@ifaradainstitute.org including:
cover letter
resume
activity/deliverables schedule for a year,
budget and
three written references.
Deadline: The proposal is open until the position is filled.
Request for Proposals! Research Team
Ifarada is developing a new program focused on prevention and intervention for youth and
their families involved within the criminal justice system. This program is a multi-sectoral
community-driven direct intervention project that focuses on supporting identified
priority youth population, such as Black and Indigenous youth and their families. As part of
the program, Ifarada is hiring 4 youth-led positions to support, enrich, and enhance the
program.
Program Position:
Ifarada is seeking a researcher or a research team to assist with analyzing and assessing
the success of Ifarada’s programs to children and youth. The researcher will work with the
team to develop assessment tools and pre- and post surveys for service users.
The researcher will assist with developing individual and group focus groups on an annual basis,
with the support of the team. The researcher will analyze the data collected, and prepare a
summary report on an annual basis. The research team:
● Have an understanding of anti-Black racism and other issues that impact the lives of
Black and racialized children, youth and families.
● Understanding of how prosocial activities promote engagement in healthy and safe
activities, Education and employment outcomes by enhancing employment skills,
promoting education, and addressing difficulties in school and work settings.
● Engage youth and families in group and individual setting to complete focus groups.
The Research team duties include but are not limited to preparing research and summary
reports, analyzing statistical data, facilitating focus groups, and working with a diverse
group of staff team members.
Responsibilities:
● Prepare assessment tools [3-4] for youth and families
● Prepare pre- and post service surveys for youth and parents/caregivers/guardians
● Prepare focus group questionnaires, and conduct individual interviews and group
focus groups once per year. Estimated up to 20 select individuals.
● Analyze data and prepare charts.
● Prepare annual report.
● and other responsibilities.
Proposal Submission:
Candidates should submit a proposal that includes the following:
Cover Letter
Resume or CV
Previous articles or writings
Publications [if any]
Suggested timeline
Expected compensation
Accommodations
If you require accommodations throughout the process, please let us know so we can
create a plan for you.
Diversity/ Inclusion
Ifarada seeks to develop and enhance its team that reflects our community and service
users. Individuals from Black, Indigenous and People of Colour, 2SLGBTQ+, all abilities, and
other diversity are always welcomed to apply and state their diversity in the hiring process.
If selected for an interview, the meeting may occur virtually or in person, and interviewees
are provided with interview questions ahead of time.
Compensation
Rate is competitive, based on a yearly commitment of 100- 150 hours per year or 10 hours
per month. Applicants should include their compensation requirements in their proposal.
Thank you so much for your time and consideration in this role. Email your submission to: info@ifaradainstitute.org
Question and Answer
Please send your questions to: info@ifaradainstitute.org. The Question period will end on November 1, 2023.
1. When is submissions due?A research team will be selected by March 31, 2024. The team will be notified by on or before the targeted date.
2, What is your anticipated start date/period for this work? The project is aimed to begin April 1, 2024.
2. How long is the project or intervention?The project team can be available for the entire project. However, this is not a requirement for a researcher or research team. The team/individual is required to achieve deliverables within their contracted timeline, and the timeline is dependent upon the agreement developed with the team/individual. Overall, the project will continue for 5 years, and will complete over 5 reports during the period.
3. What is the difference between the assessments and the pre and post service surveys?Assessments will look at specific social-emotional-behavioral factors that influence an individual’s experience. If the intervention is successful, there should be marked changes with these factors and identified desired outcomes for the client/individual/family. Pre and post service surveys will be conducted to assess organizational and staff effectiveness in supporting clients to achieve their desired outcomes. Research demonstrates that the facilitator/therapist/counsellor play a significant role in client’s willingness to engage and motivation for change.
4. Is the intervention made up of different components such that any given set of participants participates in e.g. re-entry to society group, individual counselling and family counseling over the course of a set time period? Or is the intervention only comprised of one component e.g re-entry to society group? Neither. The main focus is assessment and participation as identified in the proposal.
5. Will it be a new set of youth participants annually, that is, is the intervention to last one year for a given set or participants?The participant selection will remain randomized and voluntary. We are unable to predict which individual/family will be selected for the research. Not all families/individuals may agree to participate in the research, and may not elect to have the results of their assessment shared. As a team, we understand and respect the choices of the participants.
6. What is the targeted number of youth participants per year?The targeted number will be up to 20 focus group participants, and data collected on all participants who have agreed to engage in the research. This will be randomized and based on feedback from the team. Please note participants may consist of parents/caregivers/guardians, assessment results of children and youth, pre-and post surveys of adults [i.e., parents/caregivers/guardians or youth 18 to 29 years old].
7. Will all the focus groups be on the same topics?The assessment tools and surveys will remain the same, with some changes in language or areas of focus if there has been shifts in culture, and the socio-economic landscape.
8. What is the rate for a researcher or research team?While the document is dated [2020-2021], the wage range for a researcher as established by the job bank of Canada is listed here: Toronto- Health Care Researchers. However, Ifarada will offer a competitive rate to ensure that the best team/researcher is selected with the capacity to complete the project with excellence. We will provide any accommodations and support to ensure the project is completed. In addition, it is anticipated that the researcher/team may dedicate up to 100 hours in total to complete 1 report for publication.
Glossary of Definitions
Ifarada: Centre for Excellence is guided by policies that support the organization from governance to operational. Review the following definitions and references.
Anti-oppressive
Anti-Black racism
Authority
Black
Board
Community
Conflict of Interest
Diversity
Equity
Executive Director
Holistic
Indigenous
Mission
Mission statement
Officer
Organization
Products
Racialized
Social determinants of Health
Staff
Stakeholders
Definitions
Authority
refers to the power or right to do something.
Board
refers to the group of people who support and guide the Executive Director, and represent Ifarada in the community.
Community
refers to the key stakeholders; professionals, service users, partners, and funders who may access or promote Ifarada and its work in the community.
Conflict of Interest
refers to any situation in which a personal or affiliated interest or relationship, impairs the ability of a Director to carry out the duties and responsibilities of a Director in an actual, potential or perceived manner. Potential areas of Conflict of Interest could include pecuniary or financial interest – when the Director (or his/her Associates) stands to gain by that decision, either in the form of money, gifts, favours, gratuities or other special considerations; in addition, a Director shall be in a conflict of interest where he/she makes or attempts to make any profit or financial gain as a result of exploiting his/her relationship with the Organization. Second, undue influence – interests that impede the Director in his/her duty to promote the best interest of the Organization. Specifically this could include benefit to the director individually or by virtue of his/her affiliation with any particular agencies, companies and organizations, professional groups, or as a client from a particular demographic, geographic, political, socio-economic, cultural or other group, and adverse interest – occurs when a Director is a party to a claim, application or proceeding against the Organization.
Diversity
Diversity at Ifarada is reflected in the following areas:
Service delivery – reflecting and respecting the varied cultural, social, and economic characteristics of clients and staff;
Environment – identifying, challenging, and/or eliminating systemic and individual barriers to participation and inclusion; and
Organizational Context – setting conditions which reflect the variety and range of differences, and perspective.
Executive Director
refers to the person delegated by the Board to operate the Agency. Mission refers to the reason for existence of Ifarada: Centre for Excellence (i.e. the results it desires to produce).
Mission Statement
is a written and confirmed statement that demonstrates how the organization will fulfill its mission, and guide their work within the community. Office refers to particular members of the Board chosen to fulfil specific duties in furthering and enhancing the work of the Board.
Organization
refers to the administrative and functional structure set up to achieve Ifarada: Centre for Excellence’s mission.
Products
refers to the benefits to be produced (intervention and support, knowledge, housing, compassion and life skills) as a result of the Ifarada: Centre Staff refer to all individuals gainfully employed at Ifarada: Centre for Excellence who are under the authority of the Executive Director.
Stakeholders
refers to all those who have any connection with Ifarada: Centre for Excellence or those that have an interest in any decision or activity of an organization. Stakeholder include but are not limited to clients, family members, employees, funders, volunteers, community partners, and donors.
Reducing Barriers in Trauma-Informed Care
This personal article piece was prepared by Tabetha, based on a webinar attended by the Ontario Association for Social Workers (OASW) (Chandrasekera, 2022). The post was edited by Ifarada.
Mental health illness or addiction issues is prevalent in the lives of Canadians.
This is indicated in research that shows early childhood/adolescent onset of mental illness, and one in two persons experiencing a mental illness by age forty (Chandreasekera, 2022).
Males have higher addiction rates than women, and as expected, people experiencing poverty are more likely to report poor mental health. The two continuum of mental health are positive – described as flourishing, and negative – described during the pandemic as languishing (Chandreasekera, 2022).
Mental health is substantially impacted by problematic substance use that leads to addiction. There are ‘4 Cs of substance use’ explanation as follows: craving, compulsion to use, loss of control of amount and frequency of use, and continued use despite consequences. An individual who uses substances has a craving for the substance followed by compelled feeling to use. Eventually, the user will lose control of the amount being used and how often they are using it, but this does not disrupt the usage. Instead, the person will continue to use regardless of what the consequences are. Addictions can be substance related (alcohol or opioids) or process-related (behavior addictions like gambling or poorly managed, excessive internet usage) (Chandreasekera, 2022).
Having established substance use and addiction can affect mental health, and further the individual’s social determinants of health
(Chandreasekera, 2022).
There were sixteen social determinants of health as follows: health, gender, housing, income, social exclusion, (dis)ability, education, employment, food insecurity, early childhood development, geography, globalization, health services, immigration, indigenous ancestry, and race. Avoidable, unfair, systemic inequities contribute to negative health outcomes. For example, access to healthcare as a direct line leading to needed services for certain resource-rich individuals was shown in contrast to other individuals with the same needs, seeking the same services but who had a more convoluted, time-consuming path. Thus emphasizing how a negative outcome can occur as a result of lacking in area/s of the social health determinants e.g., education, income, and/or social status (Chandreasekera, 2022).
Discrimination affects health. It can also result in oppression as represented by cultural imperialism, marginalization, exploitation, powerlessness, and violence. The stigma and discrimination resulting from mental illness means that many people would share information about a family member’s diabetes or cancer diagnosis willingly, but they would not be equally willing to share information about a mental illness diagnosis of a family member. Likewise, many people are concerned or afraid to be in the company e.g., relationship, workplace, or social setting of someone with a mental illness. As a result many people indicate they would not tell their manager or seek medical help if they had a mental issue. Stigma surrounding mental health can lead to micro-aggressive messages that communicate to a person that they are different and do not fit in. Different types of discriminatory acts against persons over time can result in traumatic stress. Some types of traumatic stress include single incident/specific life event, daily lived experiences and microaggressions, intergenerational trauma, chronic contextual experiences, collective experiences, or vicarious experiences. Not only can discrimination cause trauma, but that it is trauma. Because of discrimination, when tennis legend Serena Williams gave birth to her baby, she experienced complications afterwards. However, the medical staff did not initially take her seriously or did not attend to her complaints swiftly. It turned out that she had blood clots in her body. Serena had to advocate for herself while she was severely ill. There is a stigma that Black women are strong, thereby possessing a higher pain threshold than most. Consequently, when Black women alert medical staff to pain/discomfort they have, their calls for help are largely disregarded, because of racial stigma. If this can happen to a wealthy celebrity who has access to the best resources in the system, imagine then the conditions faced by the average minority person within the same system. Many people of color face these and other types of health inequities often with fatal results (Chandreasekera, 2022).
The data showed that people experiencing poverty were more affected by COVID-19 than their wealthy counterparts as indicated by number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations
(Chandreasekera, 2022).
Similar results were seen for ethno-racial groups when compared to White people; and along the same lines, the neighbourhoods with the highest visible minority and lowest incomes had the highest weekly new sporadic COVID-19 cases. This was in stark contrast to high income neighbourhoods with the lowest percentage visible minority which showed lowest weekly new sporadic COVID-19 cases (Chandreasekerea, 2022).
Discrimination can be addressed at the individual, community/program, and system/policy level. At the individual level the affected person must be assessed, validated, and supported. At the community/program level it becomes necessary to engage people with lived experience, collect data and use decision support tools to aid the process. At the system/policy level discrimination can be addressed by engaging people with lived experience, collecting data, and engaging in policy advocacy.
Discrimination is trauma. Therefore, discrimination must be addressed to achieve healing
(Chandreasekera, 2022).
Reference: Chandreasekera, 2022, “Discrimination is Trauma: Trauma Informed Care Approaches to Supporting Marginalized Populations” [webinar] Toronto: Ontario Association for Social Workers.
The Brain: Our Life Story
prepared by: Stacy-Ann, Graduate Student
Intro
Our brains are critical to us. From development within utero, to acquisition of learning from birth throughout the lifetime, to healing upon injury, and to development of attachment.
In order for a brain to function correctly it must be constructed in an ongoing process beginning before birth and continuing throughout our adult life. The early experiences we encounter impact the quality of the brain’s architecture by establishing either a durably built or a crumbling foundation for all of our learning, behaviour and health that follow in later life. Therefore, the basic architecture of the brain is continuously constructed from before birth and continues throughout adulthood.
The physical architecture of the developing brain is also influenced by the experiences that we have in our first years of life. Since the brain develops in stages, the more simplistic structures are laid down before the more complex ones, as a result, it is crucial to get it right during the early years, hence, “the years before five last the rest of your life”. Additionally, our brain plays a crucial role in determining our physical and mental wellbeing. It helps to promote our ability to maintain healthy relationships, as well as our capability to be productive, and achieve our best outcomes.
“The quality of a child’s experiences in the first few years of life– positive or negative– helps shape how their brain develops” (First Things First, 2020).
Moreover, in early development, the brain is especially sensitive to experiences and environments. It responds by producing proteins when neurons receive signals from external experiences. Therefore, in neural cells, these proteins are deposited in the nucleus, where they magnetize or resist enzymes capable of attaching them to genes. As a result, the chemistry that encodes genes in brain cells can change under both positive and negative influences.
With positive experiences, like learning rich content, and negative influences, such as a toxic environment and nutritional problems, can affect the chemistry in a temporary or permanent way. Consequently, epigenetic changes that occur early in life can leave a lasting impact on individuals physical and mental health.
Strategies for optimizing brain development:
Healthy eating, and exercise
Limited stress
Meditation or Mindfulness
Taking supplements like Omega-3
Dancing
Memory or learning games
Routine or schedule
Creativity and engaging in the arts
To Learn More..
Brain Story Certification is an online resource equipping learners on understanding the brain and development.
Reference: No Author (2022). Brain Development. Arizona: First Things First. Taken from: Website
The Child Trauma Academy provides helpful resources for parenting and supporting your child’s development throughout the life span.
Read more articles
Learn more about programs offered by Ifarada
Whether you are a parent, a guardian, or seeking new information, Ifarada seeks to provide education, therapeutic support, and guidance to help you navigate the ups and downs experienced in life.
The healthy relationship series hosted in November was the first of five series. The series focused on learning about the foundations of healthy relationship, understanding healthy boundaries, and exploring unhealthy relationships. This introductory conversation begins to identify intergenerational patterns in relationships.
The healthy relationship course covered the following topics: healthy relationships and building a foundation, intimacy and knowing your voice,
Healthy Relationships & Building Foundation: This session opened the series by identifying what healthy relationships are and are not with the use of various criteria. The foundation of a relationship was identified as being significant to its progress and success or failure. Some elements of a healthy foundation include having a strong support system (the inner circle) whose love is unconditional, having an adequate outer circle of friends, peers, and acquaintances, having well-established boundaries, and lastly, routinely caring for self in a way that focuses on self-reflection, management of emotions, and developing awareness. Though the listed criteria is not universal, the message was about becoming familiar with the various factors that are included in creating an adequate foundation to promote the best relationships. Another area that was examined was trauma and attachment. Together the group examined the different attachment styles and how early childhood attachment manifests in adult relationships. Further, the impact of trauma on relationships was explored as well as the types of trauma. This topic piqued the interest of attendees and the group was temporarily divided into smaller teams to continue the discussion. Peoples’ beliefs about relationships come from different sources like culture, gender roles, and societal norms among others. The group discussed how relationships are influenced by culture, gender, and sexual identity. In addition, this session covered ways to enhance one’s own relationship and develop and use healthy communication while comparing g mainstream beliefs about relationships.
Intimacy & Knowing Your Voice: In this week of healthy relationships the group explored themes of intimacy and having a voice. Everyone’s right to be safe in relationships and to make use of boundaries was emphasized. Some types of boundaries the group spoke about include emotional, sexual, material, financial, and physical. In keeping with the theme of knowing your voice, each person’s right and responsibility to ask for what they need was explained. To emphasize this, a list of criteria for affirming needs in relationships was shared including mutual respect, trust, and honesty. Trauma and how it relates to attachment styles were covered previously. This week trauma was discussed based on how it can impact the way individuals think, feel, behave, and respond to minor and major life events. Presenting different scenarios generated discussion about conflict management in relationships followed by sharing information about affirmative consent. At the end of this session, the team gave attendees an assignment to assess their needs in their relationships and to determine how they would work through communicating their needs.
Unpacking patterns in relationships & intergenerational trauma: Affirmative consent was reintroduced during this session. Affirmative consent explains how consent can be given, that silence does not mean consent, and that the definition of consent does not vary. The plan for this week’s session was to show how healthy relationship patterns are developed from childhood when children form attachment styles based upon those early experiences and responses (or the lack thereof) from parents/caregivers. The group then considered intergenerational patterns which look at how trauma is passed down. Using discussion generated from a given scenario the group examined the impact of trauma on a child which is further developed and replicated through behavior and perception. The group then identifies any themes that show up as fear of abandonment and/or inability to accept love. The reality of intergenerational patterns is considered as trauma can be transferred through family systems, race, culture, and/or identity. At this point, the group directly addressed questions of patterns observed in their own families and/or themes that have occurred in themselves or their families. To conclude the session the presentation focused on how patterns that do not serve individuals can be interrupted/changed. Patterns like intimate partner violence and substance abuse can be stopped. The group discussed actions to take towards breaking the cycle and disrupting patterns between one’s past, present, and future. Some steps include increasing awareness; exploring one’s emotions; repairing patterns by addressing shame, fear, and guilt; understanding the conflict and resulting emotional impact, and re-establishing healthy behaviors which can then lead to healthy relationships.
Featuring Guest host: Ms. Elizabeth Evans presented on unhealthy relationships and intimate partner violence. Ms. Evans explained that abuse occurs on a spectrum. I.e., some people do not worry until the signals are undeniable. It also means that the violence is not always physical and can be what she calls ‘silent violence’. A key message from Ms. Evans’ talk is to ‘listen to your gut; heed your intuition’ because there is meaning to the signals from one’s intuition. A recommended movie from Ms. Evans is called ‘Maid’. Adapted from Stephanie Land’s bestselling 2019 memoir, it follows a young mother, Alex (Margaret Qualley), as she scrabbles to save herself and her daughter, Maddy, two, from a crushing cycle of domestic abuse.
Reclaiming Ourselves: Self Love: This being the last session, the focus was on re-establishing self-love. Through the introduction of art activity, group members were engaged in self-reflection about what matters to each person, what helped in their personal growth, what are some strengths, gifts, talents, and cherished personality traits they each possessed? Following this the group discussed ways to create safety within relationships, identifying relationships that help and those that hinder, establishing boundaries, and using communication as a way to enrich relationships. The group also watched a video about deep listening and ended the session with a gratitude activity. This week’s series ending session was used to promote self-love and self (re)discovery. Some additional tips to actively connect with oneself were shared like the following: practice holistic health, find your purpose, forgiveness, mindfulness, giving back, and being grateful. Kemetic yoga expert, Ms. Natasha Eck closed the session by guiding the group through a brief exercise. Kemetic yoga is special because it focuses mostly on the breath not just physical bodily movements.
Access the online course
The healthy relationships series is also available online in the attached course. Register for the free course. The course takes approximately 2-3 hours to complete. The course includes attached articles, videos, and further information to enhance your learning,
The Usalama [Safer] Family Program is an initiative initially funded by the Canadian Women’s Foundation. Usalama, which is Swahili for safer focuses on the premises of building and restoring families impacted by the pandemic, intimate partner violence, internet exploitation, family conflict, abuse, trauma, and intergenerational experiences.
Thriving to reinforce safe and healthy relationships.
The Usalama program responded to the concerns presented in our organization such as, pandemic-related pressures and inequities, health inequities, family instability, and anti-Black racism.
The Usalama program provided family outreach services, such as psychotherapy, informal solution-focused counselling, and case management services. The program offered a healthy relationships program, weekly webinars and workshops.
The program was staffed by Family Outreach Workers, group facilitators, guest speakers and supervisors, and interns who provided services to over 100 women, girls, and families throughout the program. The program will continue to seek funding to achieve its goals, and address the needs for support, services, and programs.
Program Principles and Philosophy
Women and girls experience gender-based violence and inequities within their homes, communities, and region. COVID-19 has heightened concerns of intimate partner violence, human trafficking, and unsafe conditions for women. Black, Indigenous, and people of color are at greater risk due to racism, inequity, gender inequality, and lack of culturally safe resources. The program focuses on the following principles:
Empowerment
Trauma-Informed
Culturally Relevant
Our desired outcomes:healthier relationships, families engaged in healing, heightened self-awareness and empowerment, better mental health and wellness, and stronger family systems. We seek to: dismantle anti-Black racism and other forms of oppression, heightened education on creating healthier and safer families.
47 counselling clients engaged.
90 family outreach clients.
60-80 workshop attendees.
4 supervisors supporting the team.
15 interns and staff team members.
25 support group attendees.
Healthy Relationships Series
The Healthy Relationship Series brought an informative, supportive, and diverse virtual and in-person platform. The Series was developed by Nicole Perryman, CEO and the staff team. The series addressed issues such as self-awareness, self-compassion, intimate partner relationships, unhealthy relationships, intergenerational trauma, unhealthy and unhealthy relationships, communication, boundaries, and family conflict,
Healthy Relationships is a multi-series group workshop made for individuals that want to learn how to foster healthier, more fulfilling relationships with others. The Healthy Relationship series is founded in an anti-Black racism approach that steers away from white supremacist ideologies. Each week of the workshop focuses on a unique topic that relates back to the goal of strengthening interpersonal relationships.
Navigating Intimacy within Relationships
In this workshop, Navigating Intimacy Within Relationships, we defined and discussed what intimacy is and its various types. Intimacy is about discovering our innermost selves and sharing it with others. We explored the connection between intimacy and self-love, as well how to cultivate it in relationships through seven core elements of intimacy. Although commonly associated, intimacy is not just physical. Intimacy is also important in building a strong foundation for all kinds of relationships. We furthered the conversation as we reflected on why intimacy is important and common difficulties we can encounter when trying to create and maintain it. Although our past does not define our future, we are a product of our past. Our attachment styles, past experiences and trauma inform how we receive, express and communicate love and connection. This session contributes to our individual journey of introspection in uncovering how we can foster and evolve intimacy within relationships. After participating in this workshop, our hope is that participants would feel more comfortable with expressing intimacy and learn to build strong relationships with not only other people but themselves. True intimacy starts from within!
Building Healthier Boundaries in Relationships
In this workshop, the goal was for participants to look within and learn how they can form healthier relationships with those around them by asserting healthy boundaries. To begin, boundaries were defined for the participants; as well as contrasting healthy vs unhealthy ways of asserting said boundaries. Effective communication was also stressed in this session, because when we are not properly understood, this can lead to conflict. Assertive, passive, aggressive, and passive-aggressive communication styles were presented and defined for the participants to get a better understanding. These communication styles are important to understand when it comes to effective communication and avoiding people pleasing and other disorganized behaviours including conflict. When boundaries cannot be properly set or if they are overlooked, this can cause conflict and it was important to talk about this during this workshop. Different types of conflicts were listed and explained, with their related resolutions. After this session, our hope for the participants was that they would better understand why having clear boundaries would benefit not only them but the people with whom they interact.
Exploring Relationship Patterns in Families
During this session, we brought it back to basics of where we first learned to form relationships – our families. A video was played, normalizing the idea that family is a unique concept and no one version of family should be seen as the norm. This session, featured a lot of interaction from the participants as they shared personal experiences they’ve had with their own families. This fostered a strong sense of connection in the group that helped more people to share and open up with the group. In keeping true to our value of keeping an anti-Black racism approach, the topic of systemic racism and how that affects the family system was also brought up. It is no surprise that systemic racism plays a role on family systems, especially when it comes to: education, finances, health outcomes and criminal justice to name a few. The idea that systemic racism has a trickle-down effect on: intuitional, interpersonal and internalized factors was explored in this session and left for the group to discuss. Similarly, the idea of assimilation and acculturation were discussed to further show how Black family ideals can differ in a Westernized society. Topics of individualism and collectivism were discussed as well, further showing how family dynamics are different across cultures. This session left participants with many comments on the relatability, family has played a significant role in how they shape their relationships.
Stress and Relationships: Exploring the Impact the Pandemic has had on Relationships
This session focused on how the pandemic and COVID-19 has shaped not only us but our relationships and how we connect with those around us. Relating back to the week prior, the pandemic has truly changed our familial relationships. Participants shared how they had to become teachers for their children, while navigating working from home and missing their social life outside of the house. On the other hand, there were also discussions about how the pandemic has affected Black and other people of colour disproportionately. A quote was shared that brought up a lot of conversation in the group about this topic, “racism, not race, is a risk factor of dying of COVID-19.” With many Black and people of colour being in service-based careers, they were some of the most affected groups during the pandemic. Be that they had higher rates of COVID-19 infection or that their careers had to be completely shut down or modified during the pandemic, causing financial hardships. These kinds of stressors, brought on from the pandemic affected how we work, communicate and cope with mental health concerns. This week finished off with talking about mental health since that has been on many people’s minds lately. Discussions of mental health have become more normalized and this time was taken to further push that narrative. Participants related to the fact that many of their life events had to be cancelled or postponed because of the pandemic and the effect this has had on their mental health and wellbeing.
Me, Myself and My Vibe: Re-claiming our Self-Love
The final session of this series focused on self-care, positive self-talk, and mindfulness. This was a great end to this series because it brought the conversation back on the importance of taking care of ourselves. Many clients that struggle with developing and maintaining healthy relationships, tend to also struggle with taking care of themselves and how they treat themselves. An exercise on reframing self-talk to be more positive while still observing our feelings was done to show the participants the importance of having grace with themselves. Being positive does not always mean you have to be a cheerleader for yourself, but it is to assure that the way we speak to ourself validates our feelings while still respecting our concerns. Moreover, there was a focus put on self-care on a macro level. It may be hard for some people to engage in positive self-talk or self-care because of the situations they are in. If we are in environments that do not protect our health and wellbeing it can be hard for us to put priority on those aspects ourselves. This was an eye-opening take on traditional talks on self-care and we felt that this would be important for the participants to hear. Finally, we ended off the session with information on mindfulness and a video featuring guided meditation. Participants and facilitators alike left the meeting feeling more relaxed and in tune with themselves.
Ifarada has a minimum of one individual and up to ten individuals. The board of directors plays an advisory role within the organization. As an advisory board, the Board members provide input, guidance, and oversight on the organization. Furthermore, the Board members represent the community to which the organization serves. From time to the time the Board members may consult or provide services for the organization.
Organizations’s Purpose
Ifararda is a non for profit organization that provides African-centric and culturally-specific programs and services for young people, families, and elders. Through programs and services, Ifarada hopes to develop a strong healthy community through strong leadership, mentorship programs, self-esteem and personal life coaching, advocacy, and civic engagement. Ifarada recognizes the presence and experiences of oppression and racism have influenced outcomes for African families and community, and thus targets programs to address these disparities and create opportunities for growth within African communities.
Type of Non-for-Profit Organization
Ifarada is an emerging organization that provides: family services, community mental health services, and children and youth mental health services.
Ifarada is Black-led, Black-owned, and Black-focused.
Current Board Members
Elizabeth Evans
Lisa McGregor
Kaitlin Patrick
Matthew Persad
Sophia Okeyere
Tasia Richards
Okey Pauliocap
Adrianna Perryman (youth)
Emmanuel Asamoah
Principles of Governance
1) The Board is an advisory board that provides input, guidance and, oversight on the organization.
2) The Board supports the organization in serving the community and plays an advisory or active role in planning/administration, special projects, knowledge/training, and vision/planning.
3) The Board supports and participates in the organization’s feature of decision making which follows a key value, that includes collaboration, equitable and collective decision making, holistic and community-centered, and employs youth and elder wisdom and guidance.
4) Policies are formulated using an anti-oppressive practice framework that assesses who benefits from the policy and who does not benefit and is reviewed on an annual basis.
5) The Board and the Executive Director have a communal and collaborative relationship whereby the Executive Director communicates updates to the Board and seeks the Board’s input, guidance, and support within decision-making.
6) The Board may monitor the performance of the Executive Director against pre-identified and mutually understood policy criteria and any mutual obligations specified in the Executive Director’s written contract and subsequent performance reviews.
Memberships & Relationships
Ifarada: Centre for Excellence is a proud member of the Family Services of Ontario Association.
Ifarada is a licensed Stop Now and Plan (SNAP) provider, and currently preparing to deliver this innovative program for children and parents/caregivers/guardians.
Terms of Reference (Board Members)
Accountability
The Executive Director (ED) is collectively accountable to the staff team, the community, funders, and other stakeholders. The Board is accountable to the ED and the community to advise, provide insight and guidance to the organization
Authority
Individual Board members have no authority to approve actions by the organization, to direct staff, or to speak on behalf of the organization unless given such authority by the Board.
Time Commitment
Twenty hours per year by attending Board Meetings, Annual General Meeting, participating on committees and attending special events.
Term of Office
The Board members can serve multiple terms of three (3) years at a time.
Responsibility
Board members uphold the principles of governance and provide guidance, insight, and support in the organization and in sustaining the organization over time.
Principle Duties
Every member of the Board of Directors, including the Board’s officers, is expected to do the following:
Uphold the by-laws, code of conduct, conflict of interest and other polices that apply to the Board.
To actively support and become a voice for the organization, and share its involvement within their community.
Keep updated and review correspondence about the organization on a regular basis, and provide input and guidance.
Provide input in evaluating the Executive Director.
In the event the Executive Director is not able to fully complete its goals, to recruit and hire a subsequent Executive Director.
Participate in the evaluation of the Board itself (annual board self-evaluation).
Remain updated on current events, issues, and funding opportunities to support the organization and its initiaves.
Qualifications
Ifarada seeks membership of the Board by members who represent a diverse community (i.e., women, Black and Black-identifying individuals, People of Colour, Indigenous persons, youth, people with challenges), and are open to learning and participating in supporting the community.
Consider joining our Board today!
The upcoming annual Board Meeting is scheduled for Friday, April 8, 2022 at 7:00 PM
Ifarada uses a strength-based, holistic approach to organizational culture, development, and sustainability. The holistic approach is grounded in Africentric and Indigenous ways of knowing and highlights the importance of drawing upon knowledge, science, intuition, and spirituality towards creating a healthy working culture. As an organization, we search for the strengths within our community, and the people that serve the community. Our strengths help carry us through the painful process of change, growth, and development. It is within our strengths, we demonstrate our personality, our resiliency, our desires, passions, and our interests.
The model of leading organizational structure is adapted from Indigenous ways of government and leading. Review the following articles for further information [listed below].
Ifarada’s Org Chart
In the center, and focus of the work is the community we serve. The community is diverse, inclusive, and resilient.
Planning/ Administration
Developing sustainability and accountable
The executive director, program development, and the Board collaborate to plan and discuss the direction for the organization.
While the Board of Directors acts as an advisory board, the Board can provide insight, guidance, and support to the organization as it develops new initiatives, projects, and programs.
Creating programs and services that meet the community’s needs
The staff team, program developer, and executive director work in collaboration with planning for the organizations. The board of directors assists with guiding the vision. The fundraiser and marketing team assist with bringing the vision together.
Focus on the interests and functioning of the group are placed on highest importance. The community is at the center of our work, and the focus of our intervention. While working on a system level, we focus on the belief that we are creating better spaces for other generations. On a micro-level (the family) is the core of the intervention, and no one is left behind or left out.
For You, By You
Decisions follow an equitable and collective process that includes and respects the people who are part of the organization, and our community.
Wholistic-Care
The organization practices a holistic approach to supporting the community, the family, and the individual. This approach extends to the people who work within the organization. The organization cultivates safe spaces for people to feel included, worthy, and valued within the organization.
Elder to Youth
Our youth and elders are a valued source of knowledge, wisdom, joy, and activism, and thus we welcome their thoughts, beliefs, and opinions in directing the organization to achieve success.
Hiring Process
The organization is currently operating on project-based funding, as it does not have core funding to date. Thus, projects and community funding helps to generate growth for the organization. There are three main areas: identification of a community need and funding opportunity offered that the organization can compete for, and a vision/planning session that developed the program.
This chart details the process for hiring. For further information about upcoming opportunities, review: Opportunities.
New applicants can send their resumes, references, and attached certificates to the hiring email. Once selected for an interview, the applicant will receive a HIRING PACKAGE with information about the position, interview questions, and further processes. Applicants selected for an interview can provide three references that we can contact and complete a background check (i.e., criminal reference check/vulnerable sector check).
Articles to Review
Management in Contemporary Aboriginal Organizations
TD Impact Fund
Youth programming is vital to supporting the positive development and growth for youth. There are many benefits that support the purpose for youth programming which can be divided in several categories. These programs can serve to address the physical, development, and social needs of youth as they build the necessary skills to become successful adults. Youth programs come in various forms such as community service programs, mentoring programs and neighborhood youth centers. In July 2021, the TD Bank group awarded Ifarada with a grant that supported the youth programming: Young Queens, Nia Gwenda, Askira Girls, and Adrinkahene.
The power of groups…
Youths belonging to racialized communities are at a much higher risk for social exclusion, maltreatment, and risk-taking behaviour because of systemic racism, oppressive structures, and historical/intergenerational trauma stemming from the colonization of what is known as North America. Furthermore, Black and racialized youths are at a higher risk to develop negative peer association, lower self-esteem or self-loathing, disassociation from their culture or lack of cultural identity, internalizing negative and racist discourse about their community, and being ostracized from typical institutions of socialization
Understanding the Impact
Ifarada’s programs are led through the support of the Executive Director, and volunteers. With added staff team members, who facilitated the programs, coordinated the volunteers, and developed the content, Ifarada was able to increase its impact throughout the funding period.
12 Volunteers
From September to December, 12 volunteers from undergrad and grad programs facilitated 5 groups.
317 Direct Support
Participants check in with facilitators once per week on an individual level. Parents are also provided tips and strategies on how to support their youth.
49 Group Hours
Groups take place online on a virtual platform. Groups are 2 hours in length on a weekly basis.
31 Youth
From September to December, 31 youth ages five to sixteen years old participated in the group programs.
Key Themes
In 2021, our world continued to experience a global pandemic. This experience was difficult for our participants, our volunteers, and our families. In response to these difficulties, our programs focused on responding to COVID-19 and building our youth to manage and enhance their functioning.
Introducing…
Askira means “warrior”. Through unique programming, Askira girls focused on self-esteem building, social skill development, and emotional regulation.
Our impact…
Our participant’s ages 5 to 9 years old shared their experiences with the virtual program. Our programs included a strong emphasis on culture and ethnic identity. In addition, our girls participated in engaging activities that enhanced their functioning.
“I learned about my culture, and other cultures around the world, how I am unique”
“I like drawing my own tree ‘all about me’ and the staring contest to show how eye contact brings us together”
“Me as a warrior would have her black hair in a bun, and a blue suit and my real-life superpower is running fast, and being kind”
“I learned about different emotions, and other girls in the group also feel sad sometimes”
“Everyone is nice, I made friends in the group, and people listen to my story”
“My skin colour is brown and it is a good part of me”
COVID-19 Impacts on our family…
The girls shared about the challenges that have occurred in the past two years of their life, including feeling scared at times, lonely, and sometimes missing out on activities they had previously joined in with. The girls noted that the group was “fun” and a place to talk about their feelings. We supported the girls to learn about using their inner strengths, and safe people in their life to cope with difficulties that come up when going back to in-person learning. Facilitators came up with creative activities, to aid a fun atmosphere while learning about labeling, identifying, and coping with emotions; emotional regulation skills, and other topics such as helpful communication skills, and self-awareness. Breathing activities, such as candle breathing, were an engaging way to teach skills for emotional regulation and coping with big emotions. Children shared they would remember skills taught in the group in their school day. Parents noted it was a space where their child felt comfortable to join back each week, with accessibility due to Zoom access and facilitators’ helpful reminders of the sessions. Facilitators were aware of the technical issues that may arise as a barrier to participation and would call caregivers to assist if needed, or follow-up.
Youth identified how the pandemic impacted their lives.
Three participants of the group shared that they had had a difficult time feeling alone during the pandemic, and lockdowns.
Youth shared they had struggles adapting to the changes at school, such as not being able to eat with their friends, not sharing toys, getting up from their desk, or food, not speaking at lunch, and missing time to connect with friends.
Missing activities that brought joy, or their interests. Some youths shared about not being able to participate in activities like swimming, or band, missing the activities they used to do.
Through online activities, increased use of social media, which has impacted youths’ identity wellbeing, with sometimes experiencing bullying or viewing overt racism on social media platforms such as tiktok.
Fearfulness about Covid and feeling tired from the somatic experience of feeling scared.
The group supported these struggles by processing through talking and therapeutic art activities exploring the surrounding emotions, (for example sadness, loneliness, fear, anger, frustration), and facilitators building a safe place for belonging and social connection in our group. Finding strategies in the group to find opportunities to continue pursuing interests and activities in creative ways, exploring ways to support healthy friendship, discussing safety and supporting wellbeing in the virtual world, including social media personal boundaries, and moving away from internalizing harmful experiences on social media to support positive identity and self-esteem. Promoting use of coping strategies, such as mindfulness, self-awareness of somatic symptoms to cue participants to rest, breath, do something that makes them feel safe, and coping tools to support mental health.
Explore our other great programs
Upcoming Groups
Groups are held on a quarterly basis, with intakes occurring one month before the start date. Join any time to access our waitlist. Group dates: January-March, May to June, July-August, and October to December.
Register for youth programming
Registration for youth programming is open to participants and families at any time. Participants have access to a counsellor and family support.
(Chandreasekera, 2022).
