POINT BY POINT

Newsletter of

People & Organizations

in North Toronto

Introduction to POINT People and

Organizations in North

Toronto is a non-profit

community information

service agency.

POINT’s mission is to

serve the people of the

community by

improving and

increasing awareness

of the social and

health services in

North Toronto, through

information, education

and community

engagement.

TOPICS WE CAN

HELP YOU WITH:

Housing

Employment

Legal

Children

Youth

Seniors

Newcomers

Recreation

Health

Volunteerism

A beautiful sunny day in the Niagara Peninsula

On July 29th, POINT organized a day trip to

the Niagara Peninsula for North Toronto

seniors. We met at the community centre

bright and early, before heading over to

Parkdale Golden Age Foundation to pick up

the rest of the participants. Once we all were

settled on the bus, we set off to the

Peninsula!

Upon our arrival at Ridge Berry Farm, we

gathered under a tree so big our whole group

could fit underneath it with ease. The shade

that it provided also served as a much

needed escape from the heat of the sun.

With no time to waste, our group was brought

on a tour of the farm area, whereby we

learned about First Nations tribes and their

history on the land. We discussed the wide

variety of berries which are certainly not

found at your local Metro, such as, black

raspberries!

The farmer and his wife both live on the

property in a beautiful Second Empire

Victorian home which looks like it came

straight out of a movie. We then got a sneak -

peak into the art scene of blown glass where

we learned about the history of the art form

and influential artists such as Louis Comfort

Tiffany and Baccarat.

High tea was served in old fashion formality

with white tablecloths, flower pots, china cups

and serving tiers. We filled our bellies with

scones, sandwiches and freshly made jams

from berries picked in the yard.

Following lunch, we got a chance to get our

hands dirty when we had the opportunity to

go into the farm and pick some fruit for

ourselves! After a long day in the sun, we all

enjoyed a beautiful scenic and air conditioned

bus ride home.

It was truly a wonderful day for all who

attended. A special thank you to all the staff

at Ridge Berry Farm and our lovely volunteer

Yongwhan for making the day such a

success!

This issue

Niagara Peninsula Day Trip P.1

Community News P.2

What’s New? P.3

Upcoming Events P.4

Services in North Toronto P.5

Contact Us P.6

ISSUE

2015

01 People & Organizations in North Toronto

200 Eglinton Ave West Toronto, ON, M4R1A7

416.487.2390 | www.pointinc.org

VOLUNTEERISM

How your volunteer experience

can help you get a job.

Many people have said that

their volunteer experience

has been pivotal to their

success in their careers. But

the real question is how? We

explored and spoke to a

number of long-time

volunteers to get to the

bottom of it. We learned that

people are finding ways to

turn their volunteer work into

actual work, as well as, gain

employable skills through

giving back.

A recent survey showed that three-

quarters of employers prefer to

recruit people with volunteering

experience on their CV rather than

those without it. Voluntary work is

unlikely the main factor that

persuades an employer to take on

a particular applicant, but it will

certainly help your chances.

At the very least, employers favor

people who show enthusiasm,

energy and drive and there are a

few better ways to demonstrate

those characteristics than by doing

volunteer work.

Volunteer work can also equip you

with many of the skills that will

make you an appealing candidate

in the job market. In the sector in

which you are volunteering, the

skills you acquire and the

relationships you develop can

sometimes lead to paid work, but

even if that’s not your aim a stint of

volunteer work can greatly

strengthen your CV.

What skills can I

gain from

volunteering?

It depends on the

kind of work you

do, but whatever

that is it will always

provide a set of core skills that will

be invaluable in the future.

Practically all volunteer work

requires you to develop the central

skills of team-working,

communication and relationship

building, all of which are

necessities in the job market.

Demonstrating that you’ve

developed these skills in the

volunteer sector will strongly

increase your appeal to

prospective employers.

Beyond these core skills,

volunteering can also provide the

opportunity to develop strong skills

and experience in a huge range of

specific areas. Depending on the

area you’re working in, you can

pick up skills in anything from

administration, IT, public relations,

running projects, fundraising,

campaigning, writing and dealing

with the public to gardening,

driving, plus many

more. All of these

skills will boost

your chances on

the job market.

For those already

in work

volunteering can bolster your CV,

giving you a new load of skills and

experience that you normally only

get from different jobs, and putting

you in a much stronger position if

you decide to move on.

If you’re unemployed, volunteer

work can help you get out and

about. You never know- the people

you’re meeting and working with

might have contacts who are

offering the kind of paid work

you’re looking for.

“There are few

better ways to

gain employable

skills than by

volunteering”

6 Steps to Turn a Volunteer Position into a Job Be Committed Organizations recognize consistency. Show up and demonstrate your dedication!

Build Relationships Make an effort to engage with different employees. Don’t underestimate the relationships you’re establishing.

Stay Connected Even if you stop volunteering, keep communication going between yourself and the organization.

Learn about the Organization Get a sense of the culture of the organization. Be Passionate Show enthusiasm, passion and energy for the work you’re doing.

Show Your Skills Think about how you can demonstrate more intangible skills.

Midtown Toronto Youth Council POINT is in the process of

recruiting youth who are

interested in participating with

the council. The Midtown

Toronto Youth Council (MTYC)

will provide an opportunity for

youth to take an active role in

actualizing programs and

services which they want to

see in their community.

Many would agree that our city is

failing to meet the needs of our

youth. More than ever it is likely for

a young adult to feel excluded,

disengaged or apathetic about the

services in their communities. The

result of this is that more and more

youth are engaging in maladaptive

behaviors and/or social activity.

Not only are youth becoming

increasingly discouraged about the

state of affairs of their

communities, but of the belief that

their thoughts, feelings and ideas

are either neglected or ignored.

The MTYC is an attempt to

challenge this notion and an

opportunity to explore whether, if

given the opportunity, youth will

take an active role in implementing

change in their communities.

The council will appoint a Youth

Chair who will act as a liaison

between the MTYC and POINT.

Together, we aim to start a

conversation about the gaps in

youth services, provide a platform

for youth to discuss the kinds of

programs and services that are

needed and desired in North

Toronto, in addition to, bridging the

gap between youth and social

service agencies.

For more information, contact jrovet@pointinc.org.

What’s New with POINT?

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Looking for ways to give back to your

community? POINT is looking for

enthusiastic volunteers to assist with

programming, outreach, teaching basic

computer classes and more!

IPHONES, ANDROIDS & GADGETS

POINT is now offering classes to help

you navigate the new world of

smartphones and social media!

SOCIAL MEDIA

Check out POINT’s new social media!

www.facebook.com/POINT.NorthToronto

www.twitter.com/POINT_Toronto

www.linkedin.com/company/people-&-

organizations-in-north-toronto-p-o-i-n-t

COMING SOON…

NEW POINT WEBSITE!

Stay tuned for more details.

How has POINT made an impact?

“I have been coming to

POINT for a couple years

and I get so much help from

your staff and I am so

grateful for them. They

make me feel respected

and give me privacy. They

listen to my concerns, no

question they always help

me and make time for me to

talk to them. I have been so

fortunate to have their help

when I was being

discriminated at home.

POINT helped me to write a

letter to my landlord and

legal counsel so that I could

start to feel safe at home

again. I have never had an

organization help me so

much and I am so thankful.

If I have any issues, I know

I can always count on

POINT to help me.”

“Last summer, I was lucky

to go on the day trip to the

Distillery District. It was my

first time leaving my

apartment and socializing in

years. On the bus, I was

talking to staff about this

and they invited me to a

community dining luncheon.

I now come to the lunches

every week and am so

thankful to POINT for

inviting me.”

200 Eglinton Ave West Toronto, ON, M4R1A7 416.487.2390 | www.pointinc.org

POINT Newsletter Issue 1 Year 2015

Have a suggestion?

We want to hear from

you!

For all

recommendations,

suggestions for

improvement, article

ideas and more, please

contact our C.I.S.

Coordinator at

jrovet@pointinc.org

We thank you in

advance for your input!

Upcoming Events

• 5th Annual Jazz Concert Fundraiser!

Wed. October 21st | 7:00PM | 1585 Yonge St.

POINT, in partnership with, Yorkminster Park Meals on Wheels and

Yorkminster Park Baptist Church Refugee Sponsorship Committee, invite

you to our annual jazz concert fundraiser! This year will be featuring the

Toronto All-Star BIG Band. This is an event you don’t want to miss! For

more information and/or to purchase tickets, please contact our office

416-487-2390 or Heather at 416-485-1573. Tickets are $35.

• North Toronto Seniors Cookbook!

POINT is excited to announce that we will be compiling our own North

Toronto Seniors Healthy Cookbook and we’re looking for suggestions! If

you would like to be a featured author, simply follow these steps;

1. Choose your favorite healthy recipe.

2. Ensure you have all details for the recipe, including ingredients,

measurements and cooking instructions, written clearly (so that

they are easy to follow).

3. Send the recipe (with your name) to jrovet@pointinc.org.

*Submission deadline: November 7th

2015

Greetings everyone,

The fall has arrived and so has our new quarterly POINT newsletter. Read about the

POINT events held this summer along with new and updated programs being offered this

season.

The POINT organization would like to thank the Midtown community, our volunteers and

partnering agencies for their active involvement and ongoing support. Thanks!

Please feel free to contact the POINT office and provide us with your input and feedback as

to how we are doing. We encourage an open dialogue with all in the community to better

understand what is needed and what POINT as an organization can offer to meet the needs.

The POINT Board of Directors is also looking for people who would be interested in

volunteering their time and expertise to work on various Board committees. If interested,

please contact the POINT office.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Thanks,

Anka Jamnik-

POINT Chair

Chair’s Corner:

POINT is providing advertising space for self-employed service providers in North Toronto. To enquire about advertising opportunities, please contact jrovet@pointinc.org

200 Eglinton Ave West Toronto, ON, M4R1A7 416.487.2390 | www.pointinc.org

CONTACT US 416-487-2390

point@pointinc.org www.pointinc.org

LOCATION

POINT is located within the North Toronto Memorial Community Centre at

200 Eglinton Avenue West (1st Floor) Toronto, ON

M4A 1A7

PEOPLE & ORGANIZATIONS IN NORTH TORONTO STAFF Diane Werner--------------------------------------------------Executive Director Jordana Rovet-------------------------------------------------C.I.S. Coordinator Moumita Mostafa----------------------------------------------Administration John Patton-----------------------------------------------------I.T. Manager

POINT BY POINT

Newsletter of

People & Organizations

in North Toronto

ISS UE

01

2015

People & Organizations in North Toronto

POINTING THE WAY!

POINT acts as a catalyst putting people and services together. In practical terms, we work together with local residents, social agencies and other organizations to make things happen. We assess our community’s needs. We identify “gaps” in social services. We work with existing services to fill those gaps. And if a service doesn’t exist we work to create one. POINT provides up-to-date information to the community through the POINT Community Information Service (CIS), an in-person and telephone response service.

For all community information needs, please contact our CIS Coordinator at jrovet@pointinc.org