Secretary of State Augustine announces funding for initiatives that focus on youth and family
ORILLIA, October 24, 2003 -- Secretary of State (Multiculturalism) (Status of Women) Jean Augustine recently announced funding for four projects that focus on youth and family.At an address to the annual general meeting of the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI), on October 22, Secretary of State Augustine announced support for the following projects: Empowering Racialized Young Writers to Combat Racism, Hate and Bias, a project with Communitas CanadaÑYoung People's Press; Community Builders Youth Leadership for Inclusion, a project with Community Builders; Getting to the Root, developed by the Somali-Canadian Association of Etobicoke; and the Family Violence Initiative, with COSTI Immigrant Services.
"Each one of these projects supports our goals of creating an inclusive society and combatting racism and discrimination," said Secretary of State Augustine. "By providing visible minority youth with the training they need to take part in setting public policy agendas, helping our youth in Northern Ontario with the resources they need to combat racism and discrimination in schools, examining how relations between different groups of young people can be improved, or developing culturally sensitive prevention and awareness information about family violence, these projects contribute to building a stronger Canadian society."
Empowering Racialized Young Writers to Combat Racism, Hate and Bias, a project by Communitas CanadaÑYoung People's Press, will provide journalism and anti-racism training to 300 visible minority young people through Writers' Circles in Toronto, Halifax, and Winnipeg. The funding for this project is $89,786.
The Community Builders Youth Leadership for Inclusion, a project by Community Builders, will deliver a program at 11 schools in Sudbury and Espanola, where 350 students in Grades 5 through 8 will take part in leadership workshops related to racism and mediation. The funding for this three-year project is $250,000.
Getting to the Root, by the Somali-Canadian Association of Etobicoke, is a project that began in 2002 and examines how to improve the relations between Somali young people and other ethnic groups. The funding for this two-year project is $102,910.
The Family Violence Initiative, sponsored by COSTI Immigrant Services, will communicate family violence prevention and awareness information through ethnic media in a culturally sensitive manner. The four-year project will engage immigrants and first-generation Canadians in Toronto, Hamilton, Windsor, and Kitchener. The total funding for this project is $519,151.
Also at Wednesday's meeting, Secretary of State Augustine introduced a new brochure entitled Funding for Multiculturalism, which outlines how organizations can apply for funds for projects that support multiculturalism.
Financial assistance is provided by the Department of Canadian Heritage through its Multiculturalism Program. Canada's Multiculturalism Policy promotes full and equitable participation in Canadian society for people of all origins, and encourages interaction between communities of different backgrounds. It also encourages public institutions to be respectful and inclusive of Canada's multicultural character.
Funding for these initiatives was provided for in the February 2003 federal Budget.
Information:
Adam Burns
Press Secretary
Office of the Secretary of State
(Multiculturalism) (Status of Women)
(819) 997-9900
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