I n T h i s I s s u e
Tree Planting in Malton
NEWSLETTER
O c t o b e r 2 0 1 1
P u n j a b i C o m m u n i t y H e a l t h S e r v i c e s
Staff
Chief Executive Officer:
Baldev Mutta
Chief Operating Officer:
Amandeep Kaur
Financial Manager:
Bharat Shah
HR Manager & Executive Assistant:
Jasmin Bhalla
Operations Manager:
Asma Khan
Case Manager: Mental Health
Program:
Mandeep Grewal
Addictions Worker:
Daljit Basra
Case Manager-Integrated Seniors
Team Program:
Nirpal Bhangoo
Coordinators-Seniors Program:
Rupinder Singh, Gulwinder Bhui,
Robert Sidhu
Family Enhancement Counsellor :
Sandeep Sekhon
Volunteer Coordinator:
Teena Bhuchar
Youth Workers:
Orlando Morgan, Harpreet Dhami,
Satveer Rajania
Community Development
Coordinator-MCB Project:
Neeli Grewal
Project Coordinator- Health
Promotion:
Fazila Vaid
Settlement Counsellor :
Neelam Rampal
3. Message from the CEO and COO4. Staff Appreciation5. Community Report6-7. Malton Tree Planting8-12. Seniors Section13-14. Flyers15. New Hire16. Volunteer Program17. Peel Event Flyer18-20. Malton News22-23. Scotia Bank StartRight Contest24-25. Addictions Program News
11730 Airport Road, Brampton, ON,
L6R 0C7
Head Office
Malton Office
2829 Derry Road EastMississauga, ON,
L4T 1A5
Phone: 905.790.0808 fax: 905.790.0802 toll free 1.877.290.0808 Email: [email protected]
In ThIs Issue:
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PCHS is very excited to share that Malton Com-munity Building Project (MCBP) will be devel-oping a short 9 minutes documentary about its achievements. A filmmaker has been engaged and a one trailer will be coming out soon to showcase the Malton Community building project. We are pleased to reveal that the SAHARA Seniors Pro-gram participants are extremely talented. They are in the process of releasing a short documentary on how they developed the SAHARA Community Garden. The script was written by seniors and the seniors themselves directed and producing the video. The video is now being edited and will be released shortly. Please stay tuned for the release of these two videos.
It is very exciting that PCHS was able to partici-pate in the one day workshop to discuss the next steps in the cancer research on “cancer Screening Issues in the South Asian Community”. A com-mittee will be formed to take this project to the next step. In the near future the
findings will be released to the public and sub-sequent actions will be taken. PCHS is one of the partners with
Peel Health, St. Michaels Hospital, Cancer Care Ontario, and CIHR.PCHS is also pleased
to share that the 2nd An-nual Tree Planting event in Malton was very suc-cessful. It was part of the Malton Community Build-ing Project. It was an event which was filled with fun, dance and food. A video can also be see by clicking this video link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbou1zpPZzU.
CEO presented at the OPHA conference. His presentation title was “Engaging Priority Popula-tions”. The presentation outlined the need for organizations to become culturally competent. The history of PCHS was shared with the audience and the examples of how PCHS enhances access to service by delivering its programs on Saturday and Sundays and also late evenings. Primarily, the clients needs are accommodated by professionals.
PCHS participated in another important confer-ence, which was organized by Council of Agencies Serving South Asians (CASSA). The theme of the conference was “A Diagnosis for Equity”. The conference was held at the CAMH head office in Toronto. PCHS is moving towards engaging CARF so that it can become an accredited organization. More news to follow.
Amandeep KaurCOO
CeO & COO MessAGe
Baldev Mutta CEO
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PChs sTAff APPreCIATIOn
DAyPCHS celebrated Staff Appreciation Day on Oct 12, 2011
at La Gondola Banquet & Catering. Staff enjoyed and had a
chance to know each other better.
To shape up a day different activities were organized along
with wonderful Italian Food.
· Baldev Mutta(CEO of PCHS) discussed about future direc-
tions of PCHS
· True Colors activity by Satinder Arora, CEO of Positivity
Group. Staff participated and enjoyed a lot!
· Presentation on new technology- CLOUD Computing by
Gurpreet Singh, IT Consultant
· Recognized all staff by presenting a PCHS Personalized
Mug which has employee’s name on it.
· PCHS Youth Outreach worker - Orlando Morgan taught a
few dance steps to all staff which was amazing!
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The Seniors Program has two components:
• This is a partnership program of three agencies – Punjabi Community Health Services (PCHS), Supportive Housing of Peel (SHIP) and Peel Seniors Link (PSL). This program provides services to seniors in their homes who at risk but with intervention can remain at home living independently. This service will be provided in North West Brampton with a focus on promoting seniors’ health and wellness. The Integrated Seniors Team provides risk management, assessment and education, personal support services and access to supportive housing options.
• SAHARA Senior’s Program is a linguistically and culturally appropriate program for South Asian Seniors. The program supports caregivers so that seniors stay at home with dignity and care. Seniors can attend the day program which includes a variety of activities such as arts and crafts, health education and awareness, resource development and participate in the Community Garden. The program also educates seniors about falls prevention and diabetes. Seniors are assisted in organizing cultural celebrations.
News
PCHS
senIOrs
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sAhArA senIOrs PrOGrAM
SAHARA Senior’s program serves to be a support group
for seniors, especially those who are staying home and
go through the feelings of loneliness and despair. In this
program seniors get a chance to share their feelings with
each other and get emotional support from the group.
To cheer them more, PCHS also celebrates their birthday
every month. Seniors enjoy when they cut the cake and
have other fun activities with other seniors. They feel that
they are special and this adds a special glow to their faces.
They also share their own life experiences in the group.
PCHS always conducts different workshops on different
topics according to their needs which are important for
them.
Here are some workshop details that were conducted in
the month of October 2011.
Oct 6th : Legal information
Oct 14th : Diabetes
Oct 21st : Meditation
Students and Volunteers in the program
PCHS also gives the opportunity to students for
placement so they get the practical experience. For this
term, SAHARA Seniors program have one student and
one volunteer. They are a tremendous help to PCHS and
SAHARA Seniors club. They have co-facilitated the group
and are doing a wonderful job.
Let us learn about their experiences in their own words:
Sachin Kumar Rabra (Placement student)
I am a Student from Sheridan College, and doing
placement at PCHS. Working with seniors, I feel like, I am
with my grandparents. As I am an international student
in Canada, serving seniors with my best efforts gives me
a feeling of back home. I am learning many things which
are generating positive passion for social service worker
field. I am enjoying my placement at PCHS.
Sneh Lata Wadhwa (Senior volunteer)
The seniors clubs run by PCHS are a great blessing
and pleasure for the elderly people. There are plenty of
facilities e.g. yoga, entertainments interaction, puzzles
word building, cracking jokes. We seniors sometimes
suffer from loneliness, depression and frustration. But
all these issues are vanished now. When we go to attend
senior’s clubs at PCHS,our minds are diverted and forget
all our worries and anxieties.
Our group leader Gulwinder Bhui is a gentle, soft spoken
lady. She is understanding and always has a smiling face.
She pays a lot of attention. She deserves our praise for the
efforts in treating with affection. We are grateful to PCHS
for all these activities. May God bless all these seniors
clubs and all those who conduct them?
I hope and i pray that some more benefits will be given to
all these seniors in the future to come.
GOD BLESS PCHS
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sAhArA senIOrs
COrnerAn Overview of a focus group conducted with sahara seniors
Sahara Seniors Program at Mississauga organized by
PCHS had a wonderful and exciting Thursday group
on 20th October, 2011. At the start of the meeting, the
coordinator Gulwinder Bhui announced that we would
enjoy our schedule routine of Yoga for half an hour
followed by a tea break for 15 minutes. The exciting
news was that Asma Khan, Operations Manager of
PCHS would conduct a special interesting event for the
seniors.
Asma arrived with a producer along with some camera
crew. She announced that a local TV channel will be
shooting a documentary film on a very burning topic.
She also requested all the seniors to participate in the
program and share their valuable experiences.
The topic was: “Why South Asian Women are under
pressure/stress to produce male child only”
Since it was a very interesting topic,so the discussion
took place for about two hours to cover the subject.
Almost all senior ladies as well as gents participated
in the talk and considered it a great social evil. Their
revealing was an eye opener because it was so elaborate
and minutely explained whereby one can presume that
majority of them have got the taste of this evil at some
point in their lives.. Moreover, their active participation
in the discussion also brought to light how the seniors
value such programs.
On the basis of various intricacies explained on the
subject, we can sum up few of the reasons for this
pressure or the fear of having girls and dealing with
issues as follows:
SOCIAL ASPECT
1. Demand for dowry
It is an evil and is deeply rooted in the society. This
menace has ruined and shattered many families and in
certain cases even death has taken place.
2. Honour killing
This menace is also prevalent to large extent in many
communities. If a girl marries in another community
under compulsion or love marriage, is punished
severely, even killed and in some cases forced to
commit suicide.
3.Personal Safety
It relates to fear of rape and kidnapping of girls every
day.
4.Aborting female foetus
Ultrasound is a method that shows the foetus’ gender
and if it is found that the pregnant lady is bearing
female foetus then abortion is forced on her.
ECONOMIC ASPECT
1. Marriage Celebration
To celebrate marriage 4-5 parties are arranged for the
entertainment of the guests like Engagement party,
Mehndi celebration, Reception party etc. which is co
expensive for normal families.
2. Recurring Expenses for life
Customs require that daughters and her in-laws be
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An Overview of a focus group conducted with sahara seniors
given gifts, sweets on most of the festivals occasion and
at child birth that again becomes a burden for parents.
STATUS ASPECT
Lavish spending on clothes and jewellery and
Entertainment extravaganza on marriages are just Show
of Economic Status/Political Status or Social Status.
Such spending has various repercussions on the poor
and middle class families who cannot afford.
EDUCATIONAL ASPECT
Majority of people in the South Asian culture
discriminate among their children. They look after and
educate their male progeny well but hardly care about
their female off spring. They consider waste of money
on educating their female children because they have
to give away their daughters in marriage and they will
be part of her in- laws family and mostly performing
household duties there.
MODERN TREND
Currently, the picture is not that gloomy and has
improved with time. Still some areas or communities
in the South Asian culture rely on their heritage ideas
but as a result of spread of education and awareness
of modernity, many families have shed their long
established practices and now caring their progeny
equally for all purposes and educating them well.
Developed areas in the region is moving ahead and
acquiring modern skills and understanding. Some
Governments in the area are also contributing a lot and
have passed laws for compulsory female education,
thus helping the poor families to educate their children.
Some social organizations are also participating along
with governments providing incentives to those
students and researchers who have excelled in various
fields of modern education and technology. Children
in the area are competing in all the fields of education
and contributing in the uplift of the country as well as
playing a major role in the world development.
At 4:00 pm, the meeting ended and all senior thanked
PCHS Organization for its welfare activities for the
community.
We look forward to participate in more activities like
these!
MULKH RAJ MONGAMember of Sahara Seniors Program, Mississauga
A panel of speakers will share their journey in civic engagement of diverse communities in the areas of governance, operation and policy making within their Institutions & organizations.
Municipalities
Public Sector Institutions
Community Organizations
A panel of speakers from Foundations & Community Initiatives that promote equity and inclusion will present the resources available to support Institutions & Organizations
Launch of a Resource Tool for Institutions & Organizations: Collection of Existing
Resources & Best Practices
Prosperous Peel: From Integration to Inclusion
Keynote Speaker: Ratna Omidvar, President
Maytree Foundation
Partners:
Date: Monday, November 14, 2011 8.30 a.m. – 12.30 p.m.
Location: Peel District School Board, 5650 Hurontario Street, Mississauga, ON L5R 1C6
Presents
Immigrant Civic Engagement: A Conference for Institutions/Organizations in Peel
Funded by:
Diversity Best Practices Resources For Institutions
Mayors, Municipal Councillors, MPs, MPPs, City Managers, Commissioners, Policy Changers, Board of Directors, CEOs, Executive Directors, Senior Management Staff from Institutions & Organizations
Who Should Attend? RSVP By Monday, October 31, 2011
To Seerit Samran At 905-276-0008 Ext. 112 or [email protected]
Registration & Breakfast: 8.30 - 9.00 a.m.
This event is sponsored by the Government of Ontario
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A panel of speakers will share their journey in civic engagement of diverse communities in the areas of governance, operation and policy making within their Institutions & organizations.
Municipalities
Public Sector Institutions
Community Organizations
A panel of speakers from Foundations & Community Initiatives that promote equity and inclusion will present the resources available to support Institutions & Organizations
Launch of a Resource Tool for Institutions & Organizations: Collection of Existing
Resources & Best Practices
Prosperous Peel: From Integration to Inclusion
Keynote Speaker: Ratna Omidvar, President
Maytree Foundation
Partners:
Date: Monday, November 14, 2011 8.30 a.m. – 12.30 p.m.
Location: Peel District School Board, 5650 Hurontario Street, Mississauga, ON L5R 1C6
Presents
Immigrant Civic Engagement: A Conference for Institutions/Organizations in Peel
Funded by:
Diversity Best Practices Resources For Institutions
Mayors, Municipal Councillors, MPs, MPPs, City Managers, Commissioners, Policy Changers, Board of Directors, CEOs, Executive Directors, Senior Management Staff from Institutions & Organizations
Who Should Attend? RSVP By Monday, October 31, 2011
To Seerit Samran At 905-276-0008 Ext. 112 or [email protected]
Registration & Breakfast: 8.30 - 9.00 a.m.
This event is sponsored by the Government of Ontario
FREE
CPR Skills & AED Awareness Event for South Asian Families
Saturday, November 26, 2011. From 11:00 am - 2:00 pm At: Mississauga Valley Community Centre,
1275 Mississauga Valley Blvd, Mississauga, ON L5A 3R8
Community Partners: To register call: 416-489-7111 ext. 437 or email: [email protected]
(A light lunch will be served)
Supported by: First 100 participants will receive a free Heart&Stroke
CPR Anytime™ Family & Friends™ kit. (One per family per household valued at $40)
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new hIres
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My name is Teena Bhuchar, I am currently enrolled in the Family and Community Social Service program at the University of Guelph Humber. I was a placement student at Punjabi Community Health Services for a year. I worked with the Addictions team, and Family Enhancement, and now I got hired as a Volunteer Co-coordinator. At PCHS, as a placement student, I got the opportunity to gain experience and help the South Asian community. I look forward to helping new volunteers enhance their learning in the field of Social work by getting them to volunteer in different programs.
Teena BhucharVolunteer Coordinator
VOlunTeer PrOGrAM
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PCHS sponsored Shanjot Singh and Satvinder Mutta to particpate the the annual PEEL 5k walk and run fundraiser. They Placed 66th and 62nd finished in under 30 minutes.
Ontario’s new Accessibility Standard for Customer Service is not only about physical changes to your premises.
It’s also about providing good customer service to everyone.
Join Peel’s business community to find out how Ontario’s new accessibility laws affect your business, and learn how to increase your customer base.
Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2011Embassy Grand Convention CentreBrampton, ON7:30 - 11:30 a.m.
In celebration of International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
In Partnership With:
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The Youth Centre Program provides services to Youth from the South Asian and the Black community. Research has indicated that Youth are experiencing problems in the areas of education, relationships and career development. Some South Asian and Black Youth are involved in drug use, gang activities & violence. PCHS has developed a collaborative approach in addressing these concerns. Two Youth Outreach Workers, one for the South Asian and the other for the Black community are available to help youth from both communities.
MAlTOn yOuTh Centre
InItIatIve
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MAlTOn COMMunITy
BuIlDInG PrOjeCT
In the month of October there were a lot of exciting events and trainings happening. MCBP in collaboration with Toronto and Region Conservation, Evergreen, and the City of Mississauga or-ganized a community tree plant-ing event. The event was held on October 1st, 2011 at Victory Hall. In this event we had over 100 participants and 33 volun-teers. The participants planted over 200 trees within a very short period of time. Everyone was well engaged in the event and enjoyed all the activities of the day.
MCBP in collaboration with the City of Mississauga and the Neighbouring High Schools in Malton planned strategically to recruit candidates for the Lead-ers in Training Program. The Applications were being filled
out by students for 1 week and then the recruitment procedure started where interviews were conducted. 70 youth raised their attention to the LIT Program however only 30 youth with be recruited. The training will begin on November 3rd, 2011.
On October 30th, 2011, MCBP hosted a Halloween Event at the Malton Community Centre. This event was targeted towards ages 12 and under. It was a very successful event, over 50 kids at-tended with their parents. There was free face painting, crafts, treats, games, and music. All chil-dren were required to wear their costumes to this event.
The Maytree Buiding Blocks Training Program took place on October 24th and 25th, at the Yorkdale Community Arts Cen-
tre, Toronto. The training was at-tended by some 15 leaders from different community groups and organisations across GTA. The leaders were given an in depth training about the working of the governments at the three levels – federal, provincial and municipal. The training aimed at providing the participants with an understanding of the func-tionalities of the governments and that how they could use this tool in bringing about a signifi-cant change in their communities or for dealing with the issues of their communities. The leaders would also attend a follow up training session in Jan/ Feb of 2012, whereby they would be provided with the resources and tools to further train their com-munity members.
Tree PlantingLIT RecruitmentHalloween EventMaytree Building Blocks
PCHS is thrilled to announce The Expressive Arts Studio is supported by Telus Toronto Community Board and desiFEST. With their generous donations, we are able to create a space for Youth to come and explore their artistic side through various forms of art.
The benefit of the Expressive Arts Studio to the community is tremendous. There is no other facility like this available. It provides a safe haven that is completely dedicated to Youth and their pursuit of the arts. They have an opportunity to use their culture as content or inspiration to contribute to the rest of the community and region. Youth also, have access to successful professionals from the arts who will be able to mentor them and share their experiences dealing with challenges and rewards. There is a substantial value for individuals to have various art forms to work through their frustrations, tell their story, and in the end to have a visual representation of themselves to share. These Youth feel that they don’t have anyone who is listening to them and supporting their ambitions - this program will have both the staff (mentors) and technical expertise to show the Youth that PCHS cares and wants them to succeed.
The
ExprEssivE ArTs sTuDIO
COMING SOON
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Join us at the 4th Annual South Asian Diabetes Expo
diabetes.ca 1-800-BANTING (226-8464)
Community partner: Media partners:
Date: Saturday, November 19, 2011
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Location: Sagan Convention Centre & Banquet Hall 7180 Edwards Boulevard Mississauga, ON L5S 1Z1
Contact Information: Register now at 416-408-7190 and be entered in an early bird draw! Diabetes.ca/south-asian-expo.
Expo highlights:• EnjoykeynotepresentationsonDiabetes And HypertensionbyDr.AllyPrebtani,endocrinologist,and
onDiabetes, You Are Not Alone! Empowering Families & Communities On Diabetes by Dr.NikhilRajaram.
• Freebloodglucoseandbloodpressuretestingaswellaswaistmeasurement.
• DiscoverThe Salt Connection To Hypertension & StrokebyAartiKalra,registereddietitian,followedbyDecoding Eating Out At RestaurantsbyChefSivaSwaminathan.
• DiabetesSelf-ManagementPanelDiscussionwithahostofhealthcareexperts.
• InteractiveYMCAandBollywoodfitnessdemonstrations!
• Exhibitorareaofferingdiabetesproductsandservicesaswellasopportunitytoaskquestionsofhealthcareprofessionals.
ThiseventissupportedbyaneducationgrantfromEliLillyCanadaInc.
FREE admission, parking and door prizes. Light refreshments and lunch provided.
Advertorial
accounts and accessing government programs.
“I try to go the extra mile to help customers understand the services available to them,” concludes Heather. “I’ve been in their shoes and I know one can achieve independence by talking to trusted advisers, doing research and helping yourself.”
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ADDICTIOnsSOUTH ASIAN ADDICTIONS PROGRAM
The South Asian Addiction Program provides help and support to clients who are dealing with the problems associated with alcohol and drug abuse. The Case Manager completes assessment and provides one to one counselling to the individuals including their family members. In addition, the clients are supported through a group program, a day programs, relapse prevention program, family enhancement program, women’s group program and current disorders group program.
ADDICTIOns
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South ASiAn AddictionS
ProgrAmAlcoholIn our society, culture has made the use of alcohol a social norm. It
is socially accepted for men to drink during celebrations and happy
occasions. It is now socially accepted to drink daily in the evenings
to relax after a hard work day.
Alcohol is a depressant drug. That means it slows down the parts of
your brain that affect your thinking and behaviour, as well as your
breathing and heart rate.
The problems that come with the use of alcohol is not talked about.
Alcohol has many effects…
- Physical health – Brain, liver, kidneys, pancreas, esauphagus, etc
- Mental Health – can lead to depression, alcohol induced psychosis,
etc
- Family – increased tension in the home, change in the roles of fam-
ily members, experimentation by the children
- Finances
…and the list goes on
In a 2008 survey, 77 per cent of Canadians aged 15 and older re-
ported drinking alcohol in the past year. Another survey, of adults
aged 18 and older; found that alcohol use in Ontario had increased
from 78 per cent in 2006 to 82 per cent in 2007. This increase was
especially evident among women.
Even though Ontario’s laws restrict alcohol use to those 19 years of
age and older, many young people drink. A 2009 survey of Ontario
students in grades 7 to 12 found that 58 per cent had used alcohol in
the past year, and 23 per cent had been drunk at least once in the past
month.
It’s important to understand these numbers and changes that are oc-
curring in the generations to come.
Punjabi Community Health Services has programs that are available
to help those that not only have problems associated with alcohol use
but also for the concerned family members, relatives and friends.
1. South Asian Addictions Program – makes assessments and refer-
rals to appropriate services including withdrawal management and
rehabilitation treatment. This is a case management program.
2. South Asian Addictions Group Program – is a psycho-educational
group program that provides education on addictions; to better
understand what it is, all of its components and how to manage and
change the pattern of use.
3. Sahara Men’s Group – is a psycho-educational group that focuses
on both substance use and anger management – concentration on
how to manage the problems within a marriage.
4. SAHARA Relapse Prevention Program – This group program
helps clients manage their sobriety by helping one another
5. Family Enhancement Program – This program is essentially cou-
ples counselling where the husband and wife are offered a platform
to understand each other and build skills together.
If you have any questions or would like an appointment, you can con-
tact the addictions department at PCHS at 905.677.0889, Ext 238.
Karindeep GrewalAddictions Case Manager
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Culturally appropriate services provided in English, Punjabi, Hindi, and Urdu by PCHS staff in the areas of:
Mental Health, Addictions, Seniors Issues, Parenting, Domestic Violence, Health Promotion Programs,
and Community Building Initiatives.