When employees don't get their right.

 When we count the unemployment rate in a country, do we count contract, part-time, or on-call employment? They are kind of unemployment. Because they don't have regular work, they don't get paid well enough to survive, they don't get other benefits, and employers can kick them out anytime.

Sometimes part-time employee works full-time. This way, the employer doesn't need to give other benefits like a full-time employee. The same goes for contract employment. Sometimes, they work full-time and regularly for years, but they are still not permanent employees and don't get full benefits like them.

In Ontario, employees must get overtime after 44 hours a week. But in many cases, they don't; some get after 49 hours, etc.

The government should take care of these problems; otherwise, in a country like Canada, employed people won't get their rights, and they won't have the good life that they are supposed to have.

My response to clients’ situations and agency response

 I work at the front desk most of the time. Sometimes, I am the first responder for clients who come in person. I also receive phone calls from clients. To do this job, I have completed virtual training and the organization's “Customer Services” handbook.

When clients come to the organization, I greet them and ask how I can help them. They usually know what they want and inform me which departments they want to visit. If not, I listen to their problems and decide which departments can help them.

Sometimes, I get confused about where to recommend them. In that case, my colleagues help me out. They advise me on how to handle the clients. If the case is complicated, they come in front and solve it with the clients. I try to learn from their actions.

I am learning and showing respect to both clients and the agency. Sometimes, clients like my work so much that they look for me to my colleagues if I am not at the desk.

Biography 261: A poem on the wall

When I was a kid, I saw a poem framed and hung on the wall. It was kind of a sad poem. I don't remember all the lines. It was in Bangla. The last line was some thing like that "Jabar kale dekha hobe, ekhon chole jai. (See you before I die, for now, goodbye)."

The words were sewn on a white cloth in different colours, along with some flowers and leaves. The sign was also sewn with thread, "Sufia," at the end. That is my mom.

I asked my mom, "Why did you sew this, Mom?" She became irritated. (It's natural; whenever I ask anything, she gets annoyed. Actually, everybody gets irritated with my questions.) She said, "It's your dad's choice. He asked her to sew these words. She doesn't like that poem."

Later, it became dirty, so she took it out. I don't know where it is now.

Opportunities

 In life, you will notice that opportunities never come alone. When there is no opportunity, you have nothing. When you start getting some, it is not only one. It will come one after another. It happens for every kind of opportunity.

The most trouble you will face when it comes to the issue of choosing a life partner and career opportunities. I don't want to compare humans with jobs. Just trying to give an example of how they come.

The least good will come first. When you get that, others will start appearing.

Only people who love themselves, can be strong enough to say no, and can be selfish for themselves are the ones who can make the right decision.

Otherwise, if you are stupid and honest like me, you will only accept and stick with those who came first or with whom you made an agreement. But in the end, you will find that those you have chosen are not giving you any value. They will leave you at their first chance, both love one and job.

While speaking

 While talking with someone, I wanted to ask about related imported information. But in most cases, I didn't. I thought maybe that person wasn't informed by themselves because they didn't want to. But now I think perhaps I should have asked. Maybe next time, I will ask.

At the same time, when I speak with someone, I try to give as little information as possible. From my previous experience, I have seen that if you provide extra information (maybe related), that information is used to get you in trouble.

I speak very little. I heard that in my childhood, it was tough to stop me. I used to talk nonstop. However, my experiences changed me over time. Now, even if I want to speak with someone, I don't. I wait for them to start the conversation.

YMCA responses to Black, Indigenous, 2SLGBTQI+ and other marginalized communities.

 The YMCA Greater Toronto has a “Black Achiever Program” program for ages 14 to 19. This is a career cluster mentoring program. It runs through the school year. September to June. This program allows the self-identified black youth of high school to develop academically, professionally (career-wise), socially and mentally with the help of black adult professionals and role models.

In all other programs, the YMCA treats everybody equally.

Biography 260: Mom's Sharee (Saaree).

My mom had two steel-made almirahs. In my childhood, I thought those were full of shaaree. That's not 100% true, but she had lots of shaarees. She started buying Sharee when she was a nursing school student.

We four sisters wanted to wear her shaarese. She kept some Shaaree separately, which were old, and she didn't feel comfort to wear them. So, at home, whenever we sisters got a chance we use to wear shaaree, tried to role play like daily soap, dance, tried to decorat face like a bride, etc.

We didn't know how to wear a shaaree. We just used to put on. Still, I am not good at wearing shaaree. It's an art to wear it perfectly. The main thing about a shaaree is it can adjust with any body shape, and every girl will look beautiful if they can put it on perfectly.

At my relative's marriage ceremony, I went to the beauty parlour to wear a heavy saree. A small girl did it in a couple of seconds. I found that she is the best. and that was the only day when I wore the Shaaree perfectly. I was looking great, I understood it from my relatives eyes and sweet talk.

Living in separately.

 In Bangladesh, it is a tradition that mother-father and grandparents (paternal) will live with their boys, even after they get married. The boy's wife will be responsible to take care of all and tolerating everyone's tantrum.

People show they are very happy. Only actually, no one is happy. The relations between them have become bitter and worse. Most of the bride faces mental issues because of this. The boy is always with his parents and grandparents, so he never understands the bride's problems.

I never wanted to live with anyone else except my immediate family. I told my son that after marriage, you must live with your wife separately. We can live near an apartment or house if you need help (like taking care of kids and other staff). But we have to let your wife live life independently.

How the YMCA respond to its clients’ needs

 People with different immigration and job statuses come to the YMCA for different kinds of help. Whenever they call or come in person, the YMCA asks what type of help they need. The YMCA has two major departments that help clients: Employment Services and the Newcomer Center. If a client needs any specific help, the organization refers them to other YMCA Branches.

 

Clients get registered if they need to meet the organization's support. Then, they get to meet with a counsellor for help. If any counsellor isn’t available or accessible, then they get an appointment or keep on the waiting list to get an appointment. If the client isn’t eligible for the counsellor, they get the necessary information and are added to the regular email list to join workshops, job fairs, etc.

 

Information about the YMCA Greater Toronto Services is available at the front desk and on the website to inform clients about the support they can receive from the organization.

Biography 259: "Tanga Buri"

By Picasso

 We four sisters have grown up together. Once we were all kids, then one after another, we became older, and life moved forward to older teens and adults. Our brother was born a little late. So, he kind of grew up alone.

When we sisters were kids, we used to try to play together. In the beginning, it was great. Then different opinions started coming and finally ended up with a fight. My mom had to come and end all of this.

We had a common dance that we used to do. It's a funny dance, and we used to dance and laugh. While dancing, we used to say a rhyme, "Tanga Buri, Tanga bur," and then take one foot up and down. When one foot is down, make another leg up. Looks like a bird dancing. We assume we are all very old (Buri) and dancing like that. We laughed loudly while dancing because it was too funny to see what others were doing while they were laughing by watching mine. Our parents also used to laugh by watching us.

A modern help/solution from fraudulence.

The world has changed dramatically in this internet/WIFI era. Everything from daily life to corporate work has changed. In the same way, fraudulents have changed, too.

People, especially aged people, are the most sufferers. There is no way to get money back when a fraud took money from you.

We have to find a modern help/solution to protect from this online fraud. When we find a website/company online, we must have an organization or a part of the police help desk to verify whether the company or website is genuine and whether the offer has been given online is real.

This simple verification can solve millions of people's queries and help them save money.

YMCA Employment Services

 One social issue that the YMCA deals with is “Unemployment.” One of the central departments in the YMCA is “Employment Services.” Under this umbrella, we have several services based on the client’s Immigration Status, Employment Status and Age. Like,

 

Counselling: People who have immigration status “Permanent Residence” and “Canadian” and who are currently unemployed, in a part-time job or want to get a job according to their education can be eligible to have an Employment Counsellor to have a conversation one-on-one. The counsellor checked all the information and supported them in getting a job. The clients are referred to the Resume Building/Resource Department if the counsellor feels it is needed. The counsellor informs the client where they can apply and what kind of training is available or can be reached easily for their client. The counsellors also get help from the Job Development, Workshop and Job Fair departments to inform clients about upcoming events or jobs. Here, the client can talk directly with a professional to let them know their situation and get advice on how to succeed in getting a dream job.

 

Job Development: The organization has a Job Development Department to search for clients' jobs. This department collects the recruiter's offer letter and sends it to the counsellors and clients whom counsellors refer. The client then can go directly to the employer for an interview to get the job. Mostly, entry-level jobs are available here, which gives minimum wages.

 

Resume and Cover Letter Writing: The Resource department is responsible for resume and cover letter building. The counsellors send the client’s previous resume to the resource department, and then the resource team member updates the resume. Sometimes, the client doesn’t have a resume. In that case, the counsellor sends all necessary information or sends the client directly to the resource team or book an appointment with the resource team member to create a good resume. According to the client’s needs and experience, the team creates or updates the resume and sends it to the client.

 

Workshops: Another job of the Resource team is arranging Workshops. These workshops are based on employment and related issues, such as resume Building, Interview Skills, Financial Empowerment and well-being, Income Tax and Benefits, Cover Letter, Credit and debt, Management, Job Search Techniques, Better Job Ontario, Retirement and Financial Planning etc. All clients registered with YMCA Employment Services can be registered with the workshop department and get a monthly schedule for the online/In-person Workshops. People who have any status of Immigration (like student, work permit, refugee) status and any job status can join.

 

Job Fair: All interested people can join the Job Fair arranged by the YMCA. The resource team also arranges Some special job fairs, which are only for registered clients. All people with any status of Immigration (like students, work permits, refugees) and any job status can join.

Biography 258 : Friday

 At a young age, Friday was very special to us. The moment I am telling you is when we returned from Saudi Arabia and lived in a rented apartment. We were waiting to complete our own building. I was newly admitted to a primary school.

Every Friday was a government weekly holiday. That was the only day in the week that we had school and office closed. The whole family was staying at home. My father used to do his weekly grocery shopping from Khilgaon Kancha Bazaar.

I have always liked the meal cooked on Fridays. Because it tasted very good. Now I understand; it was because of fresh ingredients from the bazaar. Another reason was that my dad used to stay home, so she tried to make more new items that day. I remember our big launch table was full of different food items. My dad also used to enjoy Friday meal taking with all family members.

On that day, BTV (Bangladesh Television) started its channel in the morning. On other days, only after 5 pm. They played cartoons, kids' programs and many other special programs that day. We sisters used to watch it together. We used to play together after lunch. While our parents were sleeping. No matter how much we tried to keep our volume low, finally, we ended up shouting, fighting or laughing that my mom used to come up from her afternoon nap and beat us up. Because she couldn't sleep because of our high volume of noise.

Now I can understand her position. She used to make special breakfast in the morning when we were all at home. Then, my father brought a weekly bazaar. Those were very raw in shape. Like chicken and fish, all were alive; vegetables needed to be washed, cut and cooked. She had to cut all and packup for the rest of the week, including cooking for that day, she had to clean the house. Everything has to be done in a very short time.

We, sisters, used to clean shaak (like spinach, mustard leaves, etc)  for her while watching TV. That took hours for us to separate all from roten one and wash them. Mainly, my older sister and I did this job.

Maybe I liked Fridays because the whole family used to enjoy the day together. My parents used to wake up early in the morning. As we didn't have school, we stayed in bed as much as possible. My father had the only day to spend time with us. So, he tried to wake us up by calling our names, making the TV volume high, and sometimes singing at high volume while my mother was making breakfast. We sisters became annoyed with him but never woke up early. We always tried to keep sleeping as much as possible. This was our only day to sleep more in the morning.

Now I understand how my father missed and tried to spend time with us. My mother was working alone from very early in the morning. She sometimes became very angry with my father, and he always tried to enjoy time with us by watching TV or playing. He never tries to make us study.

We were happy that our parents didn't disturb us in studying.

How long does it take to ruin a woman's image?

 How long does it take to ruin a woman's image in society? If you say something about her character, it will take only 4 seconds.

People won't believe it immediately if you say anything good about her. They will be wondering, can it be true, maybe, or you are getting some benefits that make you say good about her?

People will immediately believe those lies if you say something bad about her. They might know the woman very well, but they won't hesitate to believe anything bad about her.

Biography 257: Sewing capabilities

 My mom learned to make dresses for women at a young age. She used to make her own blouses when she was a nursing student at Dhaka Medical College, and she also made dresses for my older sister when she was born.

I remember when we were in Saudi Arabia, and even after moving back to Bangladesh, she made dresses for our sisters for Eid. For my brother, she used to make a kantha (a homemade blanket made from old soft clothes).

After that, I sometimes saw her make Luchni (Hot pot holder) with old clothes.

She knew how to make flowers on dresses with thread and needle and make sweaters, cardigans, caps, etc., with wool. She also learned how to work with cross and knit dress materials.

She always said that her older sister knew this kind of work much better than she did. Once, I asked my older aunt if she could teach me some of her work. She was ready, but at that moment, everyone was busy, so this never happened.

Learning from my mom was impossible. She is the most impatient teacher in this world.

But she had lots of patients to make dresses and cardigans for us. While she was working more hours than a full-time employee and full-time housewife and raising 5 kids.

I am so proud to have had the chance to study at Matijhil Govt Girls High School. In this school, we had a course to learn all of this, and I also learned about sewing, knitting, and cutting dresses. Because of school work, I made some good things. Then again, I am proud that I had the chance to study at Viqarunnina Noon College. Here, I had a course called "Home Economics," and I learned more about this kind of work.

Later in my life, I have always used my knowledge. People around me had so much faith in me that they used to buy anything for me to fix by sewing.

Rice in Canada

After moving to Canada, I faced some problems with the new environment. In Bangladesh, I used to eat "Nazir shah" rice. This rice is slim (slimmer than Basmoti), long and tastes good. I couldn't find this rice in the store. Here, most of the rice is big and thick. In Bangladesh, poor people eat only that kind of rice because they don't have any other options.

So, in the beginning, I used to take Basmati rice regularly. Now, I slowly learnt how to eat those big, fat rice. Now I can eat that rice regularly.

In Toronto, I found Nazir Shah rice in some Bangladeshi groceries. Let's not discuss the prices.

You won't find rice for Polao anywhere except Bangladeshi groceries. If there is no Bangladeshi grocery in your area, you will have to depend on Basmati rice only.

Child Help and Support Room (Proposed)

 Parents, especially newcomers, mostly face trouble with their kids when they need to go out to any office or work. They don't have anyone to keep their children, and they don't know how to access the childcare facilities. So, they had to take their children with them to the organization. Children usually don't like seeing their parents engaging with officer workers, so they start panicking. The whole office faces trouble handling the children. I have planned a child help and support room to solve this problem. It's unlike Childcare, where parents had to book the room first. It's for walk-in children to take care of, give support to, and educate the parents about childcare.

The project:

There will be a room in the organization or children's help and support. This room will keep children when their parents are busy with a counsellor or language test. Every month, the space will arrange a workshop on Canadian childcare information.

 

Clients:

Clients who have brought their children with them can keep them (The children) in the Child Help and Support Room while attending a counsellor or taking any test. The visitor could be any client. Mostly, the newcomers don't know how to keep their children in Childcare.

 

Agency Partner:

Non-profit organizations that work with newcomers.

 

Details about the Project:

In the Immigration Service Department, there are opportunities to give language tests, people can join language learning programs, get help from counsellors, etc. People need 2 to 3 hours to take the test and hours with the counsellors to discuss their problems and support. The children who come with them sometimes become bored, and they cry, scream, or try to run to grab their parent's attention. The parent faces trouble keeping the children calm, working with counsellors, or giving language tests.

 

Sometimes, counsellors inform the management how they face trouble with the children and parents.

 

The counsellors and other staff in the organization felt trouble handling these situations. Sometimes, the counsellors had to keep the baby so the parent could do their tests.

 

In the Child Help and Support Room, a parent can bring their children with their counsellors or receptionist. After their work, test, or counselling, they will come with the counsellor and pick up their child. They will learn about monthly workshops on Canadian Childcare and Community help from the room.

 

Each month, the Child Help and Support Room will arrange a workshop on the Canadian Childcare system, how they can keep their children in Childcare, get government support, seek help from the community to take care of their child, etc.

 

This workshop will be in person, via Zoom (participants can join and interact) and stream on YouTube directly. Some people may not be good at Zoom; they can watch from YouTube.

 

Agency Description:

 

The Child Help and Support Room project will benefit the newcomers and the Organization,  The Immigration Service department will benefit primarily. Then, parents from their department can quickly attend the test and counselling without any interference from their children. The children won't go through any tough times. They will enjoy their time in the Child Help and Support Room with toys or other activities. The newcomers will benefit from getting their support quickly and will get information about the Childcare System and Community help. In the future, when they need to work or join in any activities, they can keep their child in the daycare and get help from the community.

 

Project Description:

 

The clients who visit the organization can keep their children in a separate safe space and get information and support about Childcare in Toronto. And they can attend any test, class or counsellor without any interference from their children.

 

The project will be to help walk-in clients, and there won't be any booking system. The organization will appoint a professional childcare person with two job placement students to work in the room. Each month, they will arrange a workshop to give information about Toronto ChildCare facilities, how parents could keep their child in Childcare, how to get government subsidies, etc.

 

The organization will use one of their available room, and the new cost will be once to set up the room, like carpet/foam, cushions, toys, and some accessories and to appoint a Child Care facilitator and pay their wages. But it will benefit all: the clients, organization workers and placement students. All will be able to work in peace of mind. Moreover, the clients and students will be able to learn about the Childcare system in Ontario.

 

Setup may take one week, and we will continue the project on trial for one year. If we find the task helpful, we can extend it for more years. To understand the project's success, we will take the clients' verbal opinions about the service each time they took it and the organization staff monthly. Then, we will check the success rate. We will continue extending the project life if it is more than 80%.

 

FINAL Needs Assessment:

 

When a client comes to the organization with their children, there is no extra space where the children can stay busy. Naturally, the children won't like to sit in a chair with their parents. They run inside the office, try to touch everything and play with it, and sometimes scream to get the parent's attention. To improve this situation, we need this "Child Help and Support Room."

 

Community-Based Assets & Community Partners:

 

-          Ministry of Education and Child Care: We will contact them for funds.

-          The city of Toronto: for funding

-          Value Village: We will ask to donate toys, dresses, and other necessary items for the room. We may buy some from them if needed.

-          Dollarama: We may need to buy toys and other necessary items.

-          Walmart: To buy cheap furniture, diapers, and all other necessary items.

-          Manager of the YMCA Greater Toronto (Milner, Scarborough): Needs his permission and help in funding.

-          Security Company of the Building: Contact them and make a policy if any child goes missing.

 

 

Conclusion & Outcomes:

 

This " Child Help and Support Room" project will help run all programs smoothly for the parents with the children in the organization. And parents will be able to learn and get support in the Child Care System. In the long run, parents will prefer to take support from this organization because they can bring their children without worrying about them during their work.

Biography 256: Korma

 Eid means happiness. My mom used to cook Polao (Fragrant Rice), Korma (Chicken with sweet yogurt), Kabab, etc. I loved her Korma. I remember that, on one Eid, I ate polao with Korma too many times, and before the guests came, everything was finished. By the way, I wasn't alone who ate Korma. Mom had to cook again. It was difficult to cook for a long time in the kitchen during summer hot weather. For me, Eid means I have to eat Korma made by my mom.

Nowadays, I always try to make Korma in Eid. But my one never tasted like my mom's.

Whenever I get an invitation to Eid, I ask, did you make Korma? People may think, they have made some items, still I am looking for Korma, how greedy. No wonder she has gotten lots of extra weight.

Facebook Friend Request

 Facebook always recommends friends' IDs to whom you can send friend requests. Earlier, whenever I found any known person, I sent them a friend request. Most of them accepted, some didn't accept, and some declined. I didn't mind. It's their choice. Just get to learn who looks friendly to me but doesn't want to accept my friend request.

With time, I have understood that I shouldn't disturb people. So, I let people stalk me without any disturbance. I only accept friend requests from the people I know and ignore those who irritate me.

Pitch about a “Children’s Room”

 Hello. I am Shahana Shafiuddin, a student in the Community Worker Program at George Brown College. I propose a plan to reduce organizational issues when a parent brings children to the office.

When parents, especially newcomers, come to Non-profit organizations and look for services or help, they sometimes must bring their children because they don’t know any other place to keep them. While the parent is filling out a form, taking counselling services, giving a test, or waiting for their appointment, it can be difficult for a child to sit quietly without making sounds or running in the open space, which can be annoying for other clients, office staff, or their parents.

I plan to create a children’s room where parents can leave their children for a couple of hours while working in the organization. They can also learn about the childcare system in Canada.

This will help parents, other clients, and office employees to work without any stress about the children. So, everyone will be happy to work better, and clients will be pleased to come to the organization to get help and suggest it to others. These steps may encourage other organizations to provide better services to parents.

Biography 255: My mom

 My mom is a workaholic woman. And she likes to work fast. She worked full-time. More than full-time, there are always extra hours with or without payment. And she still managed to work at home. She did everything she did alone: House cleaning, cooking, doing the dishes, inviting people at home, and making food for them.

It's not that she doesn't want help, but none of us could work up to the mark for her. If we do anything, that makes her more crazy. So, I decided not to work or help her, as it wasn't working. If I don't do anything, she will say, no one is helping me. If I do anything, she will find 500 more faults to accuse me of and scold me for the rest of my life.

Many times, if a guest came to our home without any notification (on those days, cell phones weren't available), my mom made a full meal for them (Polao rice, curry, salad, etc.) within an hour. Even guests were surprised to learn how she did it all alone in one hour.

Now a day, she doesn't have the strength to work like that. But still, she works as much as she can, then rests in bed.

Though I always kept some distance from her to avoid making her angry, I helped her as much as possible with distance. I used to put all our wet clothes on the roof and bring those back (from level 2nd to level 6th by stairs with a bucket of clothes), go to the nearby grocery shop to get anything emergency (mostly eggs for father), pay bills to the bank, tried to give her some pocket money, giving gifts.

But it was impossible to make her happy with gifts. No matter what I bought, she didn't like that. So, I always bought gifts in a way that if she didn't like them, then I could use them. Let me give you an example. On her birthday I bought a pair of slippers. She said she won't take it. So, I started wearing it. One day, she said, you bought a beautiful one for yourself and gave a bad one to me. I reminded her that it was actually for her, but she rejected it. 

If I give them money, she doesn't spend it on herself; she saves it and spends it on her children when needed.

After school, she never took money from her parents. She always earned money and gave it to them to help their lives. Then, this expanded to her families, her in-laws, poor people from the village, poor people from the city, orphanages, etc.

Unhelpful Thinking Pattern

 a)      I’m no good at anything.

b)      She hasn’t called back yet, and I’m afraid something’s wrong.

c)      My partner has a terrible memory. It never happened that way!

d)      He only tells me I look pretty to make me feel better.

e)      I don’t think the interview went well. I’ll never get a job!

f)       No one will ever love me.

g)      There’s no point in playing unless you win.

h)      I tell my friends you’re either for me or against me.

i)        He never understands why I get upset.

j)        I know I shouldn’t go along with it, but I don’t want to let them down.

I felt happy for all.

 If you look around online, everybody is happy. Some have a new job, some have a promotion, some have visited new places, and some are happy because they have met their friends and family. I feel happy for everyone. I don't compare myself with anyone. Everybody has their own achievements and their own life stories.

No one shows how scared they are. How did they spend their time in life? So, everyone is happy.

I used to believe that when people said they were happy. But when I know them better, I see how much they suffer daily.

So, when anyone shows happiness, I feel happy for them. At least in one matter, they are delighted. I don't want any sorrow in anyone's life, neither mine. Watching others' troubles never made me happy. No matter how much I dislike them.

Project Proposal for Child Help and Support Room

    Project Proposal (Demo)

for

Child Help and Support Room

Child Help and Support Room

Parents, especially newcomers, mostly face trouble with their kids when they need to go out to any office or work. They don't have anyone to keep their children, and they don't know how to access the childcare facilities. So, they had to take their children with them to the organization. Children usually don't like seeing their parents engaging with officer workers, so they start panicking. The whole office faces trouble handling the children. I have planned a child help and support room to solve this problem. It's unlike Childcare, where parents had to book the room first. It's for walk-in children to care for, support, and educate the parents about childcare.

The project:

In the organization, there will be a room for children's help and support. This room will keep a child when their parent is busy with a counsellor or language test. Every month, the space will arrange a workshop on Canadian childcare information.

 

Clients:

Clients who have brought their children with them can keep them (The children) in the Child Help and Support Room while attending a counsellor or taking any test. The visitor could be any client. Mostly, the newcomers don't know how to keep their children in Childcare.

 

Agency Partner:

The project will be held at YMCA Greater Toronto. This organization works for newcomers and job seekers. Their primary work area is Employment and Immigration Services.

 

Details about the Project:

In the Immigration Service Department, there are opportunities to give language tests; people can join language learning programs, get help from counsellors, etc. People need 2 to 3 hours to take the test and hours with the counsellors to discuss their problems and support. The children who come with them sometimes become bored, and they cry, scream, or try to run to grab their parent's attention. The parent faces trouble keeping the children calm, working with counsellors, or giving language tests.

 

Sometimes, counsellors inform the management how they face trouble with the children and parents.

 

The counsellors and other staff in the organization felt trouble handling these situations. Sometimes, the counsellors had to keep the baby so the parent could do their tests.

 

In the Child Help and Support Room, a parent can bring their children with their counsellors or receptionist. After their work, test, or counselling, they will come with the counsellor and pick up their child. They will learn about monthly workshops on Canadian Childcare and Community help from the room.

 

Each month, the Child Help and Support Room will arrange a workshop on the Canadian Childcare system, how they can keep their children in Childcare, get government support, seek help from the community to take care of their child, etc.

 

This workshop will be in person, via Zoom (participants can join and interact), and streamed on YouTube directly. Some people may not be good at Zoom; they can watch from YouTube.

 

Agency Description:

 

The Child Help and Support Room project will benefit the newcomers and the Organization, YMCA Greater Toronto. The Immigration Service department will benefit primarily. Then, parents from their department can quickly attend the test and counselling without any interference from their children. The children won't go through any tough times. They will enjoy their time in the Child Help and Support Room with toys or other activities. The newcomers will benefit from getting their support quickly and will get information about the Childcare System and Community help. In the future, when they need to work or join in any activities, they can keep their child in the daycare and get help from the community.

 

Project Description:

 

The clients who visit the YMCA Greater Toronto can keep their children in a separate safe space and get information and support about Childcare in Toronto. They can attend any test, class, or counsellor without any interference from their children.

 

The project will be to help walk-in clients, and there won't be any booking system. YMCA will appoint a professional childcare person with two job placement students to work in the room. Each month, they will arrange a workshop to give information about Toronto ChildCare facilities, how parents could keep their child in Childcare, how to get government subsidies, etc.

 

YMCA will use one of their available room, and the new cost will be once to set up the room, like carpet/foam, cushions, toys, and some accessories and to appoint a Child Care facilitator and pay their wages. But it will benefit all: the clients, organization workers and placement students. All will be able to work in peace of mind. Moreover, the clients and students will be able to learn about the Childcare system in Ontario.

 

Setup may take one week, and we will continue the project on trial for one year. If we find the task helpful, we can extend it for more years. To understand the project's success, we will take the clients' verbal opinions about the service each time they took it and the organization staff monthly. Then, we will check the success rate. We will continue extending the project life if it is more than 80%.

 

FINAL Needs Assessment:

 

When a client comes to the YMCA Great Toronto with their children, there is no extra space where the children can stay busy. Naturally, the children won't like to sit in a chair with their parents. They run inside the office, try to touch everything and play with it, and sometimes scream to get the parent's attention. To improve this situation, we need this "Child Help and Support Room."

 

Community-Based Assets & Community Partners:

 

-          Ministry of Education and Child Care: We will contact them for funds.

-          The city of Toronto: for funding

-          Value Village: We will ask to donate toys, dresses, and other necessary items for the room. We may buy some from them if needed.

-          Dollarama: We may need to buy toys and other necessary items.

-          Walmart: To buy cheap furniture, diapers, and all other necessary items.

-          Manager of the YMCA Greater Toronto (Milner, Scarborough): Needs his permission and help in funding.

-          Security Company of the Building: Contact them and make a policy if any child goes missing.

 

 

Equity Diversity & Inclusion (EDI):

 

 

 

The action plan has been taken to move towards diversity, equity, and inclusion. The workshop and support have been taken for people from all over the world. Everyone will be treated the same without considering their race, religion, financial, age and physical appearance differences. 

Logic model:

 

 

Logic Module (Continues)

 

BUDGET

 

 

EXPECTED REVENUE	CASH	IN-KIND	TOTAL	NOTES
Foundation grant	50000		50000
Government grant	3191		3191
In-­‐kind contribution		750	750
TOTAL	53191	750	53,941
EXPECTED EXPENSES	CASH	IN-KIND	TOTAL	NOTES
Childcare Worker	52000		52000
Soft mat	26		26
A laptop	200		200
Diaper	100		100
Baby formula	110		110
Snacks	250		250
A Refrigerator	180		180
TV	300		300
Tissues	25		25
Toys		500	500	From YMCA
Dresses		250	250	From YMCA
TOTAL	53191	750	53,941

 

Indicators:

 

If 50% of parents would like to have this child's room, we would consider this a success. We will check all the data after six months of starting the project. The main front desk will record how many parents use the Child Help & Support Room. And The child help & support room will keep the data of their success workshop and support data to know how many parents started taking support or benefit from Canada Childcare Service.

 

Conclusion & Outcomes:

 

This " Child Help and Support Room" project will help run all programs smoothly for the parents and children in the organization. Parents will also be able to learn and get support in the child care system. In the long run, parents will prefer to take support from this organization because they can bring their children without worrying about them during their work.