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February 2024

Native Child and Family Services of Toronto Completes Clarendon Station Cabin Revitalization with help from Government of Canada Funding

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

[Toronto, ON] – Native Child and Family Services of Toronto (NCFST) is proud to announce the completion of its On the Land Camps revitalization project using non-repayable Government of Canada contribution from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario).

In the summer of 2020, NCFST piloted the On the Land (OTL) program delivering land-based healing activities to urban Aboriginal families, to address the adverse health and wellness impacts of the pandemic. Building on the pilot’s successes, NCFST expanded on 20+ years of our annual summer camp programming to provide new, year-round OTL camps, creating valuable culture-based outdoor opportunities for Aboriginal children, youth, and their families to reclaim healthy spirits and rebuild healthy communities by reconnecting to culture and the land throughout all four seasons.

In 2021, NCFST purchased its own campground property in Eastern Ontario’s Clarendon Station, and began running the OTL camps in spring 2022. With the funding from FedDev Ontario, NCFST completed the revitalization of cabins at Clarendon Station by ensuring campgrounds are suitable for all seasons by insulating and modifying cabins and kitchen space for safe use and meeting Public Health/building codes. These changes will allow for NCFST to deliver year-round On the Land camps to Indigenous community members, with regard to winter safety.

“Investing in strong, cultural programming like the On the Land Camps created by Native Child and Family Services of Toronto (NCFST), ensures that youth and families have a space to come together. This project promotes physical activity while offering a space to connect with culture all year round.  The Government of Canada is pleased to support projects that put people first and empower communities.” The Honourable Filomena Tassi, Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.

“Investing in culturally relevant programs for Indigenous children, youth, and their families, is not just an investment in their future; it is a commitment to fostering resilience, connection, and holistic well-being. By embracing traditional knowledge and practices in outdoor education, we pave the way for a more inclusive and sustainable future.” The Honourable Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth and Member of Parliament for Toronto–Centre

“The Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario team was helpful and supportive, with straight-forward claim and reporting processes. This allowed us to focus on the project – getting contractors on board and scheduling the work within the funding timeframe.” Norman Clarke, Senior Manager, Real Estate and Procurement, Native Child and Family Services of Toronto.

“Engagement with the Land across all seasons is vital to wellbeing for First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples. NCFST is honoured to be able to provide enhanced winter land-based programming to community members. We thank the Government of Canada for its generous support.” Melissa Hamonic, Director, Holistic Services, Native Child and Family Services of Toronto.

The revitalization project enables NCFST to continue to foster a vibrant, welcoming and culturally responsive community space in a rural outdoor area that supports socially distanced outdoor activities to improve mental health, strengthen intergenerational bonds, decrease parent stress, reduce social isolation, increase physical exercise, increase cultural connectedness and build a sense of belonging.

About Native Child and Family Services of Toronto

Native Child and Family Services of Toronto (NCFST) is a multi-service urban Aboriginal agency providing holistic, culture-based programs and services for Aboriginal children and families. NCFST strives to provide a life of quality, well-being, healing, and self-determination for children and families in the Toronto urban Aboriginal community. We do this by implementing a service model that is culture-based and respects the values of Aboriginal people, the extended family and the right to self-determination.  To learn more about NCFST, please click here.

About FedDev Ontario

For 14 years, the Government of Canada, through FedDev Ontario, has worked to advance and diversify the southern Ontario economy through funding opportunities and business services that support innovation, growth and job creation in Canada’s most populous region. The Agency has delivered impressive results, which can be seen in southern Ontario businesses that are creating innovative technologies, improving productivity, growing revenues, creating jobs, and in the economic advancement of communities across the region. Learn more about the impacts the Agency is having in southern Ontario by exploring our pivotal projects, our Southern Ontario Spotlight, and FedDev Ontario’s Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Native Child and Family Services of Toronto
Randall Arsenault
Manager, Communications, Public Relations, and Events
(416) 639-9039
[email protected]

Edward Hutchinson
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario
[email protected]

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August 2023

Native Child & Family Services of Toronto Recognition of OTF Funding

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                     

TORONTO, ON – On Thursday, local MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam met with Native Child and Family Services of Toronto to recognize funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, a $663,200 GROW grant and $100,100 Resilient Communities Fund grant. The grants have allowed for the second and final year of Native Child and Family Services of Toronto’s After Hours Mental Health and Crisis Support Telephone Service (After Hours Help Line) to run as a safe response to meet urgent community needs through immediate telephone access.

“I am immensely proud to congratulate Native Child and Family Services of Toronto on their funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. The After Hours Mental Health and Crisis Support Telephone Service has emerged as a lifeline for residents facing urgent mental health challenges. The invaluable support provided through immediate telephone access, a full Outreach Worker, and Case Manage has undoubtedly impacted the lives of countless Indigenous youth and families. I applaud the Ontario Trillium Foundation for their astute vision in recognizing the importance of this initiative and providing support,” said MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam.

Native Child and Family Services of Toronto continues to support the community members with their full suite of in-house social services, including access to Indigenous healing, housing support, a wide array of mental health and addictions services, family/domestic/intimate partner violence support programs, and anti-human trafficking programs.

Three years of funding provided by the OTF GROW grant has allowed for Native Child and Family Services of Toronto’s Bekaadendang (Being Peaceful) Program to scale up the prevention component of our culturally-informed anti-human trafficking model to strengthen urban Indigenous youths’ social and emotional skills to prevent human trafficking.

The grant allowed for the hiring of a full time Outreach Worker, a full-time Case Manager and training peer mentors, an Elder, and a person with lived experience to deliver skills-building workshops to high-risk Aboriginal youth in Toronto. The workshops enhanced the participants’ resilience by equipping them with the skills and tools to make informed decisions. The Outreach Worker grew the program’s capacity-building efforts by offering trainings to community partners and schools, reaching additional Indigenous youth across Toronto.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF), an agency of the Government of Ontario, and one of Canada’s leading granting foundations celebrates 40 years of grant-making in Ontario and making a lasting impact in communities. Last year, OTF invested over $110M into 1,022 community projects and partnerships, which included funding for the Government of Ontario’s Community Building Fund. Visit otf.ca to learn more.

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For more information contact:

Freida Gladue
Manager of Communications
Native Child and Family Services of Toronto
437-244-2816
[email protected]

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MEDIA ADVISORY: Ontario Trillium Foundation Grant Recognition

WHAT

On Thursday, August 3rd at 1:00 PM, local MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam Will be at NATIVE CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES OF TORONTO (NCFST) for a recognition of Ontario Trillium Foundations support towards NCFST’s Crisis Support Telephone Service and Bekaadendang (Being Peaceful) Program for Toronto’s Indigenous community members.

MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam and an Ontario Trillium Foundation volunteer, will attend the event to mark the work done as a result of receiving a grant from the Foundation.

Melissa Hamonic, Director of Holistic Healing, will be talking about these programs and their impacts on community.

WHO

  • Kristyn Wong-Tam, MPP for TORONTO CENTRE
  • Ontario Trillium Foundation volunteer
  • Melissa Hamonic, Director of Holistic Healing, NATIVE CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES OF TORONTO
  • Freida Gladue, Emcee, NATIVE CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES OF TORONTO

WHEN

Thursday, August 3rd at 1:00 PM

WHERE

Native Child and Family Service of Toronto, 30 College Street Toronto, ON

Photo and Interview opportunities available

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For more information, please contact:

Freida Gladue, Manager of Communications
Native Child and Family Services of Toronto
437-244-2816
[email protected]

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August 2022

Decolonizing Child Welfare Webinar Learning Series #6 – August 23, 2022

Webinar #6 of our Decolonizing Child Welfare Learning Series focuses on the services we offer when vulnerable children must be removed from unsafe circumstances and placed in alternative care. In this webinar, we address some of the most crucial questions arising from the experience of Indigenous children and families with colonial child welfare systems.

  • How do we meet the holistic needs of children and youth placed in care? What are the dimensions that guide us?
  • How do we work alongside the Alternative caregivers to guide them, in helping our children and youth who are placed in their homes?
  • How do we work to keep children connected with culture, family and community while they are in care?
  • How do we work to keep children to family, extended family and community and culture?

Please join us to explore the programs, resources we use, and the challenges we face as we work to help children to heal and stay connected to family, community and culture.

This event has passed, please find the recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M00RnANQRR0

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May 2022

Decolonizing Child Welfare Webinar Learning Series #5 – June 28, 2022

Webinar #5 of our Decolonizing Child Welfare Learning Series focuses on Holistic Healing, Prevention and Early Intervention programs.

NCFST offers a wide array of programs available to children, youth, individuals and families open to all self-identifying community members, whether or not a child welfare file is currently open. Holistic programs seek to empower families to access resources and supports that can avert crises that may necessitate child welfare, and to support Youth in strengthening resilience and personal growth in contemporary cultural contexts.

In this webinar, we describe how our culturally grounded holistic healing and early intervention services work to provide the necessary resources and supports to families to prevent the need for Child and Family Wellbeing (child welfare) involvement or help families succeed so that time involved in child welfare services is minimized. Please join us to learn how our services can work together and can work with external Indigenous and mainstream services to strengthen parents and children at risk of involvement in child welfare services or who are already working with child welfare services as part of their healing journey.

This event has passed, please find the recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1mziO-41Uc

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Red Dress Commemorative Art Project – Virtual Reveal Event

In honour of National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit People (MMIWG2S), NCFST revealed the Red Dress Commemorative Art Project in a virtual presentation. This Art Project was created to honour the lives of MMIWG2S through the facilitation of virtual “Bead In” community engagement sessions. These “Bead In” sessions were guided with cultural teachings and beading instructions along with a variety of guest speakers who each shared their own experiences, stories, and ways of healing trauma through art.

Participants created two beaded red dresses: one red dress was beaded to keep in honour of #MMIWG2S and to memorialize a family member or friend, and the second beaded red dress was given to #NCFST to contribute towards a community art exhibit, including a photobook, that will become a living legacy of their artistic expressions. 

Chi-miigwetch (Thank you) to the Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) for their support with this project and many thanks to our Support Staff, Elders, Knowledge Carriers, Beading Facilitator, and all the Guest Speakers. This community art exhibit will continue to honour our lost loved ones and raise further awareness of MMIWG2S.

Watch this video to hear teachings, impact stories, ways to navigate trauma, as well as ways to increase #MMIWG2S+ awareness.

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November 2021

You’re Invited: Decolonizing Child Welfare Webinar Learning Series – December 13th

Webinar #2 of our Learning Series focuses on the most important decisions made in child welfare arising from the Intake and Assessment process.

Please join us to explore how Child and Family Wellbeing teams respond to concerns about the safety of children and how we connect families and children to early interventions, holistic healing, and prevention services that lessen the need for intrusive child welfare interventions and keep children safe. Attend the discussion to hear how we ensure that families stay together and are safely supported with culture and community.

This event has passed, please find the recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgFUgGQF13M

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Select here to view previous webinars

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September 2019

Orange Shirt Day at Native Child and Family Services of Toronto

Today the staff at 30 College Street and the Scarborough Child and Family Life Centre wore orange shirts to honour residential school survivors and spread awareness of the children that were taken from their families in an attempt to erase their culture and identity. It is also important to recognize and remember the children that never made it home.

#orangeshirtday #everychildmatters #residentialschoolawareness #intergenerationaltrauma #reconciliACTION #truth

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