In addition to aiding Gordon Ridge with their financial health and food security needs, Nichola has been instrumental in creating partnerships with other corporations to provide opportunities for residents to improve other aspects of their health. For instance, Gordon Ridge has their own Rookie League in partnership with the Toronto Blue Jays’ Jays Care Foundation. Another way for Gordon Ridge residents to be physically active is through the swimming pool or the breathtaking multi-sport court that was funded by Canadian Tire’s Jumpstart & Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment’s MLSE Foundation.
 
Nichola also provides a way for residents to gain skills through careful maintenance and focus on their mental and environmental health with the different gardens they have including a honey orchard. What is produced from this garden improves the community’s food security and sustainable agriculture leading to strengthening their financial health via entrepreneurial ventures. ​

Final Thoughts and How Can Others Support
For Nichola, she believes it is important to give back so others in her situations can have similar opportunities. She shared that when your back is against the wall and circumstances are against you, services like these can really make a difference, which is why it is important to use your voice to advocate so “we become responsible for the breaths that we breathe”! 

On Wednesday, October 13, 2021 SCHC hosted an event to celebrate receiving three different grants from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. At this event (click here to watch the recap video) stories were shared about how these grants provided significant assistance to SCHC and the impact it has had on the community. One of the grants, was for SCHC's Lawrence East Partnership Program (LEPP) and we played this video above to our guests which shares the story of how one resident took lead in creating a beautiful garden that provides an improvement of the residents' environmental and mental health. After watching the video above, see below for pictures and more from Janice. 

It has been a couple of months since I have been working with Afghan Women Organization (AWO) as a community health ambassador. So far, I am in love with my job. It gives me more opportunities to connect with our community and help many community members dealing with difficult times. 
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Our team and I are trying our best to reach out to as many individuals in South Scarborough to get them vaccinated. It is extremely important for everyone to get their vaccines for their health, families, and our community.

During this time last year, I did not have a job because of the pandemic. I was home all day since school was online. I was bored and started looking for a job. I went into AWO and asked, “Are there any volunteer or job opportunities available?”. They mentioned that they needed volunteers so that is when I started volunteering with them once per week for the food bank. Aside from that, I also had connections with people that worked with this organization. I told them I was looking for job opportunities and they mentioned this role. I applied for the job, finished my interview, and landed the position!

Personally, I am a social person. Whether it is talking on the phone or reaching out to people on the street or plaza, I enjoy talking with others. I love this job because it is one where I communicate and connect with others to help keep them safe.

As an Afghan, the latest events in Afghanistan have really affected my mental health. I am not physically there in Afghanistan so sometimes people say, “if you’re not there, you might not feel the pain of what is going on there”, but it impacts me very deeply physically and emotionally. It is not easy for me to see our Afghans in Afghanistan fleeing, being displaced, being killed, and children being orphaned. It really hurts for me to see this through social media and not be able to do anything.

I was unable to focus and concentrate on my work. Although I was here physically, emotionally, I was in Afghanistan. I was thinking about what might be happening to my nephews, relatives, and classmates that I studied with for so long. It is an extremely hard time for all Afghans!

I was able to cope with the stress and feel much better through the help of my colleagues and my friends. I came to know that by being sad, depressed, and crying all the time, it was not going to change anything. It is not just me going through these feelings. It is everyone that sees what is happening in Afghanistan. Even though my colleagues are not Afghans, I can see how worried and concerned they are. It is not just about me worrying for my family. It is about humanity! We are all human and we should care for each other and be there for each other. It has impacted me very negatively and thank God for the help of my colleagues and my friends, I am now able to get back to my work and be strong enough to fight for Afghans that cannot use their voice right now.

Being an ambassador helped mold my personality and resilience. Within this job, I feel more active and motivated. I see seniors that are 60 or 65 years old that have not received their first dose yet. By helping them get their vaccine, I am proud of what I am doing for my community and for those in need of help, especially for those that have no family or friends that can help them. I would have never thought that I would face these types of people, but we came across isolated people that are not able to go by themselves and do not know where to book their appointments or how to go get their vaccines.

I am currently also supporting the settlement of Afghan refugees in Toronto. In this role, I translate to some of the Afghan refugees in Toronto who do not know the language. I try to get them to understand why they should get the vaccine. Any activity, related to my job or not, I like what I am doing, and I like the experience that I get from there. I like meeting new people because it is a new experience and I learn so much from them.

By helping our Afghans and Afghan refugees, I am happy that they fled their country at such a difficult time. Meanwhile, it hurts when I see some Afghans, their family, and their children say things like, “I miss our neighbours, I miss my friend, there is nobody I can communicate with here”. It is during those times I remember how I was when I came to this country, and that helps me feel and understand them better. I know that there is nobody else you can communicate with and even if there is, they do not know the language. It is a new country, new people, and new culture. It is kind of hard to see them go through a hard time, but I am happy to see that they survived from Afghanistan and came to Canada.

I knew what was going on in Afghanistan, so I was really trying to avoid social media. It bothered me knowing that I could not do anything. Seeing Afghans through social media and then working with them in real life was not that easy. I am trying to be strong enough to handle all of this because I know that this is not just me. There are many Afghans out there in a similar situation as me.

Since my job in South Scarborough is more involved with newcomers and refugees, it connects me with Middle Eastern such as Pakistani, Afghans, Iranian, and more that do not know the language. I am glad that it connects me with my community, society, and Afghans more!

Our vaccine engagement ambassadors have been determined and working hard to help as many Scarborough residents get vaccinated despite challenges in their personal lives. It is with the help of our amazing vaccine engagement ambassadors that we can look forward to a healthier life!
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Let’s stay safe! If you have any questions or concerns and would like to contact one of our vaccine engagement ambassadors, email vaxsouthscarb@schcontario.ca or call 416-736-9372. If you do not have your vaccine passport, make sure to click here to find out how you can download yours.

Many Scarborough residents have not yet been vaccinated. However, that is why we have our hard-working Vaccine Engagement Ambassadors to promote vaccinations and help remove barriers for people of Scarborough to get vaccinated.
 
Here is Kashmira's story, a Vaccine Engagement Ambassador at The Housing Help Centre, one of SCHC’s Vaccine Engagement Project Partners.

Tell me about your role/work in on the ground engagement with community members to help get Scarborough vaccinated.
My role in the Scarborough community is to engage Indian, Pakistani, Punjabi, Gujarati, Hindi, and Urdu speaking people along with other communities. I make them aware of vaccines, their effect, how people can go and get the vaccine, how and where they can book their vaccine appointments, where to get the vaccine, what times are convenient, and more. I help book appointments and work with people online and through outreach. I prefer outreach because when you see a person face to face, that is when they trust you. Outreach has been a great success and now, it becomes part of my everyday life. Whenever or whoever I meet, I always ask, “Did you get the vaccine?”, and when they responded "no", I would ask why and provide them with information on how they can get vaccinated. In the past, I worked in an office environment all day so this job felt different and it has been an exciting experience.

What are some of the challenges in communicating with and reaching non-vaccinated people?
One of the challenges is that I have 16 hours on hand and within 16 hours, it’s hard to come out with a big output. The requirement for this job is 16 hours and in that time, I have to communicate with all kinds of people, including those who already had COVID. Sometimes, they disagree to take the vaccination because they think they are auto immune. 

The biggest challenge is working with isolated communities with mental health challenges. It takes a few weeks to work with them to get vaccinated. Finding a good time to communicate with them is difficult but it is very important as they often travel using public transportation and can easily get COVID-19 and spread it.

What are some of the barriers/challenges our community faces in getting vaccinated?
Most of the barriers or challenges our community faces in getting vaccinated is the time frame to get vaccinated conflicting with their work time, or those who are unaware of second dose appointments. Some residents have waited for months thinking that their family doctors will call them and book their appointment, but I had to ensure that they are aware that you can get the second vaccine once 21 or 25 days are over.

I work with different age groups and find it most difficult to work with youth who are not involved or connected with an education system. It’s different talking to youth compared to adults because adults will talk about getting the vaccine for family’s safety and I can connect with them through questions like “Is your family safe?”. I can use safety with adults but that does not go for younger generations. When talking to youth, I noticed that the best way to convince them is through using phrases like, “Hey buddy, you cannot go to the club and if you want to go to club, you have to do this”. 

I have learned that it is important to be consistent when talking to anyone because multiple conversations to build relationships and checking in with them often have an impact on making a decision. 

By Jadiha Aruleswaran, Client of the YEO program.

​Trying to keep fit when stuck at home can be a big chore, but with Abirah’s Wellness Wednesday tips, they have been a great inspiration to ensuring we live our healthiest lives while we are stuck at home during this pandemic while also giving us the skills and knowledge so we can stay healthy long into the future.

​Wellness Wednesday is a weekly series that aims to provide our viewers with wellness tips and tricks. These posts are meant to motivate people to be the happiest and healthiest versions of themselves that they can be. As of now, the series include a variety of posts such as mood check-ins, healthy snack alternatives, daily affirmations, stress management techniques, a self-care countdown, chair yoga stretches, and many more. 

Definitely the pandemic! During the time I joined SCHC, every post I came across was related to the covid-19 pandemic. As someone who was involved in a lot of extra-curricular activities and loved talking with friends, I noticed that a lot of my time was spent staring at a screen with barely any movement throughout the day because of the lockdown.

It started to get a little overwhelming and zoom fatigue really started to hit me. It was as if there was nothing new to look forward to. I realized that it wasn’t just me but many of those around me were also feeling the same way. A lot of my friends and family I knew were sort of stuck in an unhealthy loop as well and that started to become the new normal.
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This new normal did not feel so good and that’s when I took small steps to incorporate self-care into my daily routine. I noticed a huge difference in my mood and outlook on the pandemic. That’s mainly why I wanted to introduce a motivating wellness series! I wanted people who were feeling down and unmotivated to view the pandemic as a way for them to focus on themselves and to make their health and wellbeing a priority. 

​For me, Wellness Wednesday is important because it is a platform to share the different tips and tricks that I learned with others. I like to make sure that those around me are taking care of themselves. Being able to publish these Wellness Wednesday posts on a wider social media platform allows more people to benefit from the small wellness tips that I’ve used. 

There are so many aspects to health that we do not consider on a daily basis. When we talk about health, there’s emotional health, environmental health, physical health, mental health, social health, spiritual health, and so much more. Tapping into those different aspects of health gives a variety of wellness activities and tips that I am able to use to create new posts every week.

​There’s a lot of things that I want viewers to take away from seeing these Wellness Wednesday points. Firstly, I hope that viewers understand that taking care of yourself does not need to mean a huge change in your way of living. Small steps can take you a long way! Secondly, I want viewers to understand that self-care can look different for each one of us. Some may like going on relaxing walks while others may enjoy a heavy workout. However, both are perfect examples of taking care of yourself. Lastly, I want viewers to prioritize their health! If you notice that you’re overworking yourself, step away for some time and take a break because you deserve it!

​I really miss exploring new hiking trails and nature sites within Toronto. My family and I would always go on random walks and long drives to different places like Bruce Peninsula National Park, Dundas Peak, Albion Falls, Tommy Thompson Park, and many more. With the pandemic, we did not get a chance to visit new parks and trails so that’s definitely something I’m looking forward to as things begin opening up again.

​I would like to see viewers continue to engage with our posts and to let us know if they have any wellness tips that they would like us to showcase. For future posts, as restrictions are lifted, I hope to have more Wellness Wednesday posts related to outdoor activities.

Wellness Wednesday continues to inspire viewers daily, and as Covid-19 restrictions continue to be lifted, the lessons learned from these posts will be instrumental in easing the transition from an healthy indoor life to an active outdoor lifestyle. To learn more about Wellness Wednesday and to catch Abirah's upcoming posts, visit our Instagram page here or you can follow Abirah's posts directly by using the hashtag #schcwellnesswednesday.

If you ever drove by the Comfort Night Mattress & Furniture, you may have noticed a plethora of plants in front of their display windows. It has definitely caught the attention of many, but for us here at SCHC, the story behind it truly moves us. The plants that you see are part of a bigger picture and mission set by Mel & Steve, to plant 400 butternut squashes that will be donated to SCHC's Food Bank and to inspire others to do the same. It was important for us to go down and see for ourselves and learn more about this garden from both Mel & Steve. Read below to learn more about the story and what inspired them to do something like this.

How would someone describe you? 
Mel: My friends would say that I am a very friendly and loving lady.
​Steve: Although Mel is shy, she is always looking to see what she can do to help somebody. I have watched Mel change since she started this garden because this is something she knows and understands. She is able to give back to people who need it.

What motivated you to start this garden?
Steve: We were motivated to start this garden because there was wasted land here. We were cutting the grass one day, and I was thinking, we got to be able to do something better with land than just cut the grass. That is when we decided to turn it into a garden! It took a lot of work initially but now that it is here, this garden will be like this for the next 4 to 5 years. It is nice to know that everything it produces is for other people.

What would you say to encourage someone to donate?
Steve: Anybody can donate. Donations do not have to be money. Donate is whatever you are good at. Anyone can find out what they are good at and do it in a way to help somebody. Mel is good at gardening and look at what she has done. Not only is there a garden in the front, but it also continues all down the side of the building. This was not planned. She was having fun and I simply decided to extend the garden down the side of the building. I am so very proud of Mel, and I think what she has done here is just incredible.

What made you choose to donate to SCHC Food Bank as opposed to other food banks?
Steve: We were new to this area and wanted to affect the local community in a positive way. One day, I had gone with a lawyer, friend of mine, to pick up a truckload of food to distribute Downtown. It was all gone in a few hours. It must be difficult to be in a position where you have to ask for food. Mel and I decided to try and do something where you did not have to ask for it and were able to just take it. We spoke to Michael Thompson and some of the neighbours walking down in this area; and acting on their suggestions we contacted the SCHC. What you see here is the results of all of those conversations.

What is your personal philosophy on what should be done about food insecurity?
Steve: Security is simple. As far as food goes, this country can produce enough food to feed the world. It is just not doing it because big agricultural companies are taking over huge tracks of land, and everything is about dollars and cents. This is a small garden but if you took the land that was available in Scarborough, you could feed all of Toronto. It is not that difficult. There are a lot of Mel’s in the world who can take time out of their day to grow a garden. It takes time to set it up initially, but I guarantee, you would find farmers that would come in and help get something like that started. Four years ago, Mel did not have anything. We bought this property the weekend before we got married and look where it is at today. This is a very small part of it and there is a lot of work behind this that you do not see.

Is there anything else that you would like to add that I may have missed?
Steve: This garden is all Mel! I hope we get a chance to give it away to people that need it. I do believe that if there were more Mel’s around, we would not have an as serious food shortage that we do have today. 

The story of this garden is truly inspiring especially since the pandemic has brought more attention to the fact many Scarborough residents face food insecurity ​on a daily basis, that's why we launched the Food Fight. To learn more about how to get involved and support the food bank, visit our food fight page here or you can donate directly online here. 

Our church recognizes the important work of SCHC and has been a supporter of the SCHC Food Bank for several years collecting food and providing an annual donation (for the last couple of years it has been $1,000.) We also have participated in SCHC's Wishes for The Holidays program. 

What do you want people to know about food insecurity and why should they give back? 
Why the $10,000 goal? 
 
Our church has done a major fund raising mission project approximately every two years. In past years we have targeted and raised $20,000 each time, but this year, since the church is not open due to COVID we were less ambitious and targeted $10,000. In past years, our Mission Projects have supported both local and foreign activities where people were in need. The local ones included supporting the computer lab at Evangel Hall Mission, renovating the kitchen at Portland Place, supporting ARISE ministry to people caught in the sex trade in Toronto. Foreign missions included supporting providing wells for clean water in Malawi and roofs for schools and churches, also in Malawi.

This year we selected the SCHC food bank because of the added pressure on food banks caused by COVID. We are also promoting donations of food to the food bank. As of June 24, we are a little over 1/4 of the way to our goal which we think is good since the project did not start until mid-March! 

We know that an annual goal of $10,000 is a big donation for anyone to make, which is why we are extremely thankful for the commitment Don and his team at the Guildwood Community Presbyterian Church has made this year and all the years they have been supporting us. The food bank is a dependable source to many Scarborough residents who face financial health issues. That is why we launch our Food Fight campaign to help collect as many donations as we can to help support those in need.

​It doesn't have to be $10,000 because every donation matters and counts towards helping feed those experiencing a hard time. If you'd like to donate in any capacity please visit our donation page and select either Food Fight or Food bank to make your contribution! 

My mother joined all the classes that were offered, from computer classes to yoga classes to drawing classes, and more. She said that the computer sessions were helpful for her because she learned how to access zoom. It made her feel more confident when she sat in front of a laptop. During the drawing classes, she got many compliments from her kids and her grandkids. They were impressed which made her feel really happy. She did not know how to draw before so being able to realize this profound talent of hers made her super proud and happy. My mom's hand also shakes a bit so with the drawing classes, she was able to draw with precision. It was quite admirable to see. Even with the yoga classes and breathing exercises, she did not know anything prior to attending. 
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My mother has been a homemaker, had not really done anything much for herself. Attending these classes not only helped her physically and mentally, it helped her gain confidence that she can do something for herself too. She feels motivated to try new things and being able to see these small changes in my mother’s life has made me really proud of her.

Rashme Nanda, 17, is a volunteer at the SCHC hub in a child and youth health program. She joined through the MYSL (Mind & Spirit Youth Leadership) group. She wants to make changes for her community and encourage people to have more empathy.

Hi, my name is Rashme Nanda, and I'm a volunteer here at the Hub in a child and youth health program. I always feel like a family here, and everyone is welcoming that every time I want more of it. It’s amazing that you start with strangers, and then they become your family. 

What led you to come here in the first place?

I started coming to SCHC for the MSYL (Mind & Spirit Youth Leadership) group. It was an amazing experience. There's just that sense of security and safety once you're in a room with people that aren't going to judge you. You always feel welcomed here and just progressing with people that you start off as strangers with, and then you kind of become family. I love staying here at the hub, and even my WiFi connects automatically now!

What is your family's reaction to you spending so much time here?

They love it but not a big fan of it because I'm not home so often. They love that I've changed so much where I can kind of be myself more openly around people. When I first started, I was a very introverted person that I wouldn't talk to anybody. This place has helped me be more myself outside my home.

Who do you think is your greatest mentor? 

My greatest mentor would be Charanjit. I was a very introverted person when I first started here, and Charanjit helped me overcome many difficulties. I was the person who would never speak up for anything. If somebody asked me, hey, do you want to do this? I'd be like, Yeah, I'd barely make any noise. Now I'm here talking to you, and it took three years to get where I am. It took a lot of work and persistence. He made me try different things and pushed me outside of my boundaries. He encouraged me the most to initiate things, and that's what I look for in a mentor. 

Have you ever witnessed a change in someone here? 

I remember we were having recruitment for our youth MYSL, and once the recruitments came in, there were a bunch of people that I didn't know. I saw this boy walk through the door, who I've been friends with since third grade. I haven't seen him in so long, and I was excited. They've always been the person who is like the class clown, never involved in what’s going on at the moment. I've watched them grow as a person and take on responsibilities, they normally wouldn't take on and step up to the plate for a lot of things that they usually wouldn't step up to.

Was there a moment in your life where you decided, this is who you're going to be? 

I guess it wasn't just one moment, it was a lot of things that added up to where I am. I want to make people smile, and I want to make people feel good. I want to work with people to make sure that I've done something for our community. It makes me feel great that I'm making the change. I realized that I have the power to bring change to my community so that they can have different things that I didn't have before. There's much more passion in the work that I do now. 

According to you, what is the difference between empathy and sympathy?

Sympathy, for me, it’s like I'm pitying someone, and that's the opposite of what I want to do. There's a moment where I took pity on one of my friends and their situation, and I realized I can't do anything for them with pity. It doesn't make them feel great, and I can't do anything productive with it. But having empathy, kind of putting yourself in somebody else's shoes, knowing what they feel like, trying to change things for them the way they wanted them to change.

I had a conversation with someone at school with one of my classmates. We're sitting in the lecture hall, and there was a moment where they're like, nobody listens. I asked What do you mean? They said nobody really listens to anybody. They just kind of Listen, to respond, not to listen to understand. That hit me like a tonne of bricks. It is important for people to just listen to someone to understand them better. 

To learn more about the SCHC Health & Wellness - Children & Youth programs visit here. For youth interested in joining MSYL (Mind & Spirit Youth Leadership) please email msyleadership@schcontario.ca or call (416)-642-9445 ext. 4473.