education

We meet weekly at sharing and learning circles. The topics and guests vary based on the community's needs. We welcome all parents in the R2W and beyond as well as community helpers to build system literacy and share resources. We also eat together. Our meetings are confidential and no photos of families will be taken or shared without consent.

AMA – “Ask Mary Anything” is a weekly opportunity to have the community's questions answered by Mary - our “Super Granny” Burton and the rest of the Fearless Team. You can submit your questions through our AMA form and watch for your answers on our youtube channel.

During Covid-19 our in-person meetings have been moved online - please see our Facebook page for updates!

On September 8th, 2017, approximately 80 residents of Winnipeg’s inner  city came together in a special event featuring the Bell Tower Family,  the National Diabetes Association and researchers from the University of  Manitoba to discuss FOOD AS MEDICINE. The conversation was highlighted  by our usual Food Not Bombs vegetable soup (veggies donated by Food  Fare) and some delicious Bannock Pizza from Neechi Commons. The  discussion asked community members to identify ways we could use food to  improve our health, how to improve services and costs so that all  members of our community could access healthy and culturally relevant  food. 

Here is a summary of our conversations grouped into the following 7 areas:

FOOD BANKS

• Easy access food banks for people with a disability, wheelchair or walker
• More emergency food available in the community
• More MILK available for seniors AND children at food banks

PHYSICAL WELLNESS

• Free Gyms
• Exercise classes for low income people
• More access to cultural/traditional health activities (example: singing/dancing/pow wow classes)
• More opportunities in the community for people struggling with addictions

COMMUNITY GARDENS/GREEN HOUSES

• More community gardens with traditional food (not just flowers)
• Free herbal tea
• Teach how to grow herbs and traditional herbs
• Year round community gardens (including green house and winter activities where applicable)
• Bring back Indigenous corn 

LIVING WITH HEALTH CHALLENGES

• Diabetes “rehab”
• eating well with diabetes
• Foot care if you have been amputated for diabetes reasons
• Heart care for people with high blood pressure, high cholesterol
• Increased access to alternative sweeteners (sugar and aspartame are both bad for us)
• More information about the harms and benefits of alternative sweeteners and sugar
• Access to appropriate foods for those who are diabetic or lactose intolerant

TRADITIONAL FOODS

• Increase access to traditional foods on the land
• How to braid sweetgrass  lessons
• More berry picking groups (and planting berries in the city and out of the city, when we can provide transportation)
• Sharing stories about how food can be medicine

ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE/HEALTHY FOOD IN THE INNER CITY

• More community shuttles to grocery stores
• Host a community vegetable sale at the end of every month (possibly at the bell tower)
• Lower prices for healthy, organic food
• Increased communications and access to farmers markets
• Increase access to free healthy  family dinners throughout the week  (like cooking classes that let you take what you cook home to your  family ex. “make and take”)
• Cheaper prices for local fish

KNOWLEDGE SHARING

• Opportunities to teach community members how to grow traditional foods (in the city)
• Cooking and preserving classes (for jams, pickling, etc.)
• Cook Book/cooking classes with healthy recipes and ho to cook on a budget
• More opportunities to learn about the teachings behind food (spiritually)
• Recipe exchange program between community members and nutrition experts
• Increased information about the dangers of dye food colouring in our foods
• Increase the marketing of healthy foods locally
• Art classes – make collages of healthy lifestyles
• Ban marketing junk food to children
• Ban free refills of sugary rinks at fast food restaraunts
• Healthy cooking video series for YouTube/Facebook
• Fire department could come to the bell tower to teach about first aid
• Free Seeds / Seed Bank or Library

 As you can see, there are various long term and short term initiatives  or projects we could be working on as a community to try and improve the  health of our relatives living in poverty or those who are already  living with chronic illness. We will be sharing the academic report with  community members when it is finished and will also be continuing our  relationship with the National Aboriginal Diabetes Association to ensure  we can do prevention and maintenance for our relatives living with  diabetes. 

Online Resources – We use our online resources and social media pages to educate the public about our activities and ideas.Check out our Ask Mary Anything Youtube Channel, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Wordpress!

Presentations – As more members of the community learn about the work of Fearless R2W, we are often asked to come and present our work. If you have an interest in public speaking, there is a standard Fearless R2W Presentation you can practice delivering. We also invite helpers with Fearless R2W to attend meetings out in the community, to meet with organizations, CFS or government officials to discuss our recommendations.

Pamphlets & Zines – We are developing a comprehensive pamphlet to introduce ourselves to parents in the neighbourhood as well as a Zine with Parents rights and different resources for parents.The Fearless Zine is an easy to make, easy to reproduce, easy to understand summary of our work and our recommendations.

Manitoba Legislation - We study the legislation on child welfare at our weekly Learning Circles to build our system literacy and to find out children's, parent's and grandparent's rights. Knowing the legislation means that we know the laws that social workers are held to, so we know what we need to do to bring children home.
Here are the main pieces of legislation to know:

• The Child and Family Services Act – Includes: Declaration of Principles, Office of the Children's Advocate (Part 1)
• The Child and Family Services Authorities Act – Includes: Break down of the 4 Authorities in Manitoba: Northern, Southern, Metis, General
• The Adoption Act – Includes: "Best interest of the child" descriptors
• The Divorce Act – Includes: Grandparent's rights
• Grandparent's Rights – More grandparent's rights are found in the CFS Act. The act that applies, depends on if the parents are divorced.

Community Networking – We learn from and call on many of the other organizations working with families on child welfare. Here are a few community resources to check out:

• First Nations Family Advocate Office
• Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth
• Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre
• Jordan's Principle
• Manitoba Human Rights Commission
• Winnipeg Regional Health Authority
• Manitoba Housing
• North End Community Renewal Corporation
• Urban Circle
• Bear Clan
• Macdonald Youth Services
• Ogijiita Pimatiswin Kinamatawin

This program trains volunteers to successfully pass provincial licensing and provide high quality security services in the City of Winnipeg; starting with select Winnipeg Libraries locations. Successful graduates become part of the Community Safety Hosts team and perform either specialized duties or general support.

NOTE: THE DEADLINE FOR THIS PROGRAM HAS PASSED

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE PARTICIPANTS WHO HAVE BEEN SELECTED STAY TUNED TO SEE SUBSEQUENT OPPORTUNITIES

Who should apply?
The primary purpose of this opportunity is to help young people aging out of care and those struggling with social support systems. This program offers an unparalleled opportunity for individuals to increase their skills and gain work experience. Application is open to all people who are ages 18-35, aging out of care and are struggling with EIA, Housing and systems.

If you are looking to make a difference, live in the North End and have a commitment to quality and best-in-class service, then you may be ready for this opportunity!

Qualifications and Assets:

• Applicants will be interviewed during the period of September 8-10 prior to being enrolled.
• All successful applicants will be required to attend an orientation night prior to program start.
• Successful applicants will be required to complete a Criminal Records Check and a Child Abuse and Adult Registry Check before the start  of the course (TBD).
• A computer with email and Internet access is mandatory but can be provided as needed. 
• You must be physically capable of sitting/walking/standing for up to 8 hours daily without impairment. 
• You must be able to communicate, both verbally and in writing, in English without impairment. Additional languages are an asset.
• Priority given to those who have had to rely on social supports as EIA, housing or CFS

Time Commitment:

• Program length is approximately 160 hours, plus online courses and elective courses.
• Classes, unless otherwise stated, will run from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday to Friday starting in the fall.
• Two full weekend sessions will be held each month (specific dates and location TBA).
• One online provincial testing session (2 hours) will be required.
• Home study/work, both online and offline, will be required during the program. Duration varies based on the learner's abilities.

Pass Criteria:

• Attendance at all sessions is mandatory
• Successful demonstration of physical and interpersonal skills (as required)
• Successful completion of all module post tests and final written exam (80% pass mark)

Benefits:

• Paid full-time throughout training and subsequent practicum
• ~$1500 value of certificates upon successful completion
• Certificates & training include:
  ○Manitoba Security Guard Training
  ○Fearless Family Advocate Training
  ○Traffic Control Safety
  ○Nonviolent Conflict Intervention
  ○Harm Reduction
  ○Trauma-Informed Care
  ○First Aid / CPR / AED
  ○Finding/accessing local assets
  ○WHMIS Awareness
  ○Psychological first aid
• Criminal Record and Child Abuse Registry Checks
• Manitoba Security Guard Licensing Exam
• Manitoba Security Guard License
• Many of the certificates and licenses are transferable to outside employment. The Security Guard license and Serving It Safe allows graduates to work year round in security and hospitality jobs if you so wish.

Application Process: 

• Send an email to csh@fearlessr2w.ca indicating the following:
  Why you wish to take the program and any safety/security experience you may have, if any,
• If you have ever attended, or volunteered in a similar role,
  hat you are committed to completing the entire training program and practicum,
  How you meet the qualification and assets, and
  Confirmation that you can and will attend all class dates.
   

“Housing Solutions for Indigenous Youth Aging Out of Care in Winnipeg” has been announced as one of twelve projects being funded from Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation as part of the National Housing Strategy.

This is a one year project, with HTFC Planning & Design as the main proponent, recieving $122,666 from CMHC to do this solutions lab featuring partnerships with Aboriginal Youth Opportunities (AYO), HTFC Planning & Design; Ready to Shift and Scale (RSS); Nigaanii Wabiski Mikanak Ogichidaa (NWMO) so far!! We are also grateful to have suppport from the University of Manitoba, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences throughout this initiative. AYO hosted a Meet Me at the Bell Tower Gathering last week on this topic and also hosted the first of their leadership lab team gatherings to kick off the project. Future gatherings and identifying additional partners will happen throughout the duration of the project.

“I am beyond excited to be a part in project because I know first hand how inconsistent and challenging navigating the systems are before and after you even age out. I am very happy the project uses Indigenous youth voices, like mine, that know from experience what’s not working, and what is.” – Kakeka ThunderSky 

Our Solutions Lab will address the issues of housing insecurity and homelessness that Indigenous youth in care in Winnipeg face when they age out of the child welfare system at age 18. Our project leverages the processes and methodologies of Solutions Labs to collaboratively explore the specific needs of Indigenous youth in Winnipeg who have grown up in the care of Manitoba’s child welfare system and who are at the point where their institutional supports are removed. ​ Many child welfare advocates and organizations have identified this pivotal point in the experience of a youth in care, a point at which they face a high probability of entering into a cycle of poverty and housing insecurity or homelessness.

We will approach this issue from different perspectives and worldviews, including those of people who:

• Are or were in the system (young people who have aged out or are aging out of care);
• Are working in the system (caregivers, child welfare caseworkers or administrators, policymakers, etc.); or
• Are “around” the system (as advocates or community organizers, or those who work for organizations involved with housing, including the CMHC).

Housing Goals – By teaming up with people in and around the system, we aim to build bridges of empathy and provide advocates and policymakers with a more complete picture of the issue.
Our hope is that the solutions that are co-developed in this process will be taken up by decision makers to close the gaps and further reduce the number of young people facing homelessness year over year.

Anyone wanting to get involved, support the development, or speak to someone about this initiative please contact us!

info@fearlessr2w.ca

Kishaadigeh–she who guards the lodge–is the name for the Manitoba Network Environment for Indigenous Health Research (NEIHR) funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research. This project  aims to up-skill research capacity and infrastructure for Indigenous  communities and organizations undertaking health research. We consider  the lodge as a place where relationships guide the development of  Indigenous research, from the initiation of an idea to the development  and implementation of projects, to the final outputs. The research  lodges will develop a pathway for existing and upcoming Indigenous  scholars to work alongside and within Indigenous organizations in a way  that’s culturally meaningful, ethical and impactful.

Kishaadigeh, which is currently hosted at The University of Winnipeg,  focuses on promoting Indigenous self-determination in research through  the development of community-based research lodges in partnership with  five Manitoba Indigenous organizations: the First Nations Health and Social Secretariat of Manitoba (FNHSSM), the Manitoba Association of Friendship Centres (MAC), the Manitoba Inuit Association (MIA), Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre (AHWC), and Fearless R2W.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE OFFICIAL KIISHADIGEH WEB PAGE!