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Presenter Joy Henderson, stresses the importance of Allyship as practice to counter the inequities brought on by privilege and power. The Regent Park Neighbourhood Association (RPNA) was formed in early 2015 by an equal parts small group of both Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) resident & Market resident living in Regent Park. The Association looks to represent the interests of all resident of Regent Park by providing a broad range of advocacy services, as well as building community through events and meetings. Mission: “The RPNA seeks to create a safe space where where resident voices are amplified on issues that are important to our neighbourhood & take action.” - RPNA In the first of a series of monthly meetings, the RPNA hosted a virtual community meeting to celebrate Black History month. The featured guest was Joy Henderson, a former Regent Park resident, and Afro-Lakota Child and Youth Care Practitioner/Professor, and writer. Joy Henderson's has...

It wasn’t so long ago that young people growing up in the low-income community of Regent Park, once Canada’s largest community housing complex, would venture outside their community to neighborhoods and the city beyond.  Today, with the popularity and use of cell phones, Regent Park youth have the world at their fingertips.  The advent of modern technology is something that shook the core of the world. It fundamentally changed the way we perceive our own humanity, has changed our habits, exposes us to new worlds, connects us to the larger world, and has completely uprooted the established normality of the upbringing of young people. The current generation of young adults, teenagers, and kids are growing up in a world with resources that would be beyond belief to previous generations of Regent Parkers just a few decades ago.  Because these young people were born into a world where these technological advancements were in the process of being made as they grew up, the...

Agencies serving the Indigenous community in Toronto estimate that there are 70,000 residents living in Toronto. Many indigenous habitants reside in the downtown, low-income neighbourhoods of Regent Park, Moss Park and St. James Town. However, far too often Indigenous residents are invisible and only reflected in issues related to homelessness. In an effort to change this, there is a need for stories that better reflect the diversity of Indigenous communities. In recognition of this fact and in honour of international Women’s Day, we present a conversation with Sandi Bourcher. Sandi Boucher is an Indigenous author, story teller, social activist, and motivational speaker who identifies herself as a Red Thunderbolt woman of the Moon Clan, and a proud member of Seine River First Nation located in Northwestern Ontario. Sandi feels that her role in life is to empower people by renewing their beliefs in themselves and by increasing their awareness of their own capacity and their own ...

Community ambassadors promote Covid-19 Vaccine Awareness With the emergence of the new COVID-19 variant Omicron residents of Regent Park along with community organizations have mobilised to confront the specter of this new challenge. Rallying around getting the word out about where to go and what to do has always been the mainstay of Regent Parkers sense of community – no matter the issue – Regent Park people tend to look out for one another. In this short video, Lamisa Ahmed, a youth ambassador with the Vaccine Engagement Regent Park, and Murshida Samsun Mueen, community ambassador with Regent Park Community Health Centre, join Walied Kjolagli Ali, a community vaccine educator to unpack the plethora of new and old phenomena that now crowd the corona virus landscape. With so much information competing with one’s attention, no one can be faulted for losing sight of even the most fundamental concerns, and so it is no surprise that Walied asked Lamisa to once more remind people...

Regent Park Youth Video-Podcast, Climate Conversations, speaks to Assistant Professor Rochman of the U of T Trash Team Our new youth video-podcast, Climate Conversations (CC), led by Jabin Hauqe, Victoria Nanneti and Harris Ali, focuses on learning about and discussing climate change, environmental consciousness and issues. In this very first episode of CC, the Regent Park youth hosts spoke to Chelsea Rochman, Assistant Professor and researcher at the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department at U of T, as well as the Co-founder and Program Lead for the U of T Trash Team. Rochman spoke to Jabin, Victoria and Harris about the Trash Team initiative, waste management/research and waste literacy. Getting us thinking about small changes that urban communities like Regent Park can implement in our daily lives, to have an impact on reducing plastic pollution. The U of T Trash Team is a 5 year old organization of students, early career researchers, U of T staff and volunteers whose goal is t...

TCHC launches the 2022 scholarship program for TCHC youth residents ​​​​​​​​​​​​The Investing in Our Diversity Scholarship Program recognizes the commitment of young people involved in anti-racism, diversity initiatives, and in building safe and healthy communities such as Regent Park and the surrounding areas. Between the cost of tuition, books, food, and transportation, it can be tough for many students to find the money to cover the cost of postsecondary school. Regent Park youth can apply today for the Investing in Our Diversity Scholarship. A scholarship recipient can receive:  Up to a $4,000 scholarship award towards tuition fees for the first year of postsecondary education or training (college, university, trade school, or apprenticeship).  Opportunity for second-year scholarships of up to $4,000 to be applied directly to tuition fees, if you attend one of the following institutions: Ryerson University, University of Toronto, York University, Humber College, George ...

Miguel is a long-time resident of Regent Park area. He is also a member of the Regent Park Neighborhood Association, the Coalition for Community Benefits, and the Tenant Representative for 220 Oak St, a Toronto Community Housing building. Miguel is also an Indigenous man originally from Peru. Miguel’s activism is born from his personal lived experience as an indigenous person, and as someone who is living with physical and mental issues. In his own words, Miguel has said, “my life long project.. is to leave a better society, a better place for everyone, and a living legacy.” In May of 2021, with the discovery of residential school burial grounds of indigenous children, Canadian society was rudely awakened to a history that had remained hidden, forgotten and set aside… a history of oppression, and some say genocide. “The remains of 215 children, some as young as 3 years old, have been found buried on the site of what was once Canada's largest Indigenous residential school —...

Award winning and popular Regent Park hospitality hub PaintBox Catering & Bistro closed indefinitely according to a letter written by its founder and owner Chris Klugman and published in the restaurant’s website and social media, citing being defeated by the pandemic. “PaintBox is closed” says a written statement to customers and partners.   “I am writing this letter with a heavy heart to inform you Paintbox is closing effective immediately – and to apologize for any inconvenience or challenges this may cause anyone. This was not an easy decision to make. However, like many companies and organizations, this 22-month long pandemic with no end in sight has simply been too much to manage. With a new surge and other variants on the horizon, with a renewed government lockdown and cancelled catering, Paintbox is out of financial resources and no longer tenable.” Klugman said in the letter. Chris Klugman expressed his deepest thanks to Daniels Corporation President and CEO, ...

Lindsay Jackson, a community development officer with the city is leaving her position in Regent Park. The SDP also known as the Regent Park Social Development Plan, is a community wide initiative consisting of various city funded projects and activities aimed at building social cohesion and inclusion. The role of the SDP Planning Committee is to set the agenda for the SDP Stakeholder Table, which is the main decision-making body for the Social Development Plan. The SDP membership is made up of TCHC residents, Market residents, Agency representatives and Grassroots groups.  On January 13, 2022, the SDP Planning Committee held their regular weekly meeting over Zoom. This week’s meeting of the SDP Planning Committee was facilitated by Lindsay Jackson and Lloyd Pike, a long-time resident of Regent Park. The first item on the agenda was Lindsay’s announcement that she will be leaving the SDP to take on another position with the city. Lindsay Jackson was a community development wor...

Janine Hodgson and Sanjura Sharma reports on the SDP Evaluation and Benchmarks Committee The other major item presented at the January 13, 2022, SDP Planning Committee was a presentation by Janine Hodgson and Sanjura Sharma, who are support staff from Young Street Mission involved in the Evaluation and Benchmarks Committee. The role of the Evaluation and Benchmark Committee is to evaluate the progress, success and challenges of the Social Development Plan and its various committees and activities. As part of the presentation, Sanjura reviewed the work done to date by former evaluation coordinator, Pavathra Sulanthar, including the success of the pilot evaluation report that was published in July 2021. Janine reported that they will be meeting with the SDP working groups in February to begin the co-development of self assessments tools that will help evaluate the performances of the SDP working groups. The Evaluation and Benchmark committee will also be exploring how to assess th...