Newsletter No. 16 - wiNter 2015

every oNe Matters.

Asking me to write an article is like watching a dog walk on its hind legs. Even if it isn’t done well, you’re amazed it can be done at all. As I was walking in the Sandy Hill Park looking for inspiration for my article, I kept meeting people who, amazingly, reinforced exactly the things I already think. Which was enormously convenient for this article. You know, there’s a reason why today’s politicians - with increasing desperation and to increasing ridicule - want to seem in touch with what real people think. With what we think. They are panicked by the rise of the populists: with free giveaways in one hand, a simplistic solution in the other - and always with an unattainable promise - to greener organic fields. I understand that panic. I mean, we have seen both Quebec and Scotland have a go at separating - we have seen extremism flourish in the absence of hope, and we have witnessed the Ford nation rise to power - all examples of discontent and disenchantment among many. And mostly not because people bought into narrow populist promises, but because I believe of a justified anger at establishment politics.

It’s not principally that those in politics are out of touch or don’t get it. It’s that politics doesn’t deliver. It disappoints. Maybe it always did, but not like this, nowhere near. You see, I think politics today disappoints because globalization and austerity has made many people feel powerless, insecure, and uncertain. And, as the world changes, they don’t see their governments and the politicians they voted for in doing enough to protect them, provide for them, or inspire them. Instead, they see ideologues fail to use informed evidence-based policies that deal with the real issues that we experience on the streets and in our homes And so, it’s no wonder that many feel it’s time for a change. Any change. I believe our time as a community and as a City is here and it is now. The City of Ottawa is better because of all of us together. But we know that there are more battles to be fought and won. Just look at how far we still have to go to achieve real equality and equity. Case in point: in September, Emma Watson (the Harry Potter actress and newly appointed U.N. Women Goodwill Ambassador) spoke at the United Nations. She gave a passionate call for men to join the fight for gender equality. The speech was met with vile threats and a barrage of personal abuse. In 2014, women, still too often, are paid less, represented less and matter less. That is a moral outrage. But you know as well as I do that our politics do not yet reflect the society we represent either. We

have to be the community leaders calling for wisdom amidst the hysteria. Calling for hope amidst the fear. Calling for ambition amidst apathy. That there is no glass ceiling that cannot be broken. That health equity for all can and will be achieved, whether it be a person, a family, a neighbourhood, a town or city, a province or territory - or our nation - where people feel that they matter. Because they do matter. And it is the reason why, in the eyes of too many people, governments just don’t even seem to govern. They just spectate. I’ll tell you what: I didn’t get into the community health and well-being field to spectate. I got into public service to do something - to make a difference. And I believe all of us, too, want to make a difference for your neighbourhoods, community and City. I believe that people know that Ottawa’s future is an open, inclusive society. The question still remains as to whether or not we are willing to argue for an inclusive vision. We can’t win an argument if we aren’t willing to have it. Today, we still bear witness to national, provincial and local politicians who dodge the real societal issues and instead displace all blame for our current predicament on others. People who are different because of their race, their passport, their socio-economic status, their accent, their faith, their sexuality, and the list, unfortunately, goes on.

Featured story: Creating an inclusive visionby David B. Gibson

221 Nelson StreetOttawa, Ontario K1N 1C7

(613) 789-1500www.sandyhillchc.on.ca

(Continued on p. 4)

Paint It Up 2014:Mother, sister, daughter… With funding provided by Crime Prevention Ottawa, ten girls came together during the summer to create the latest community art project in Sandy Hill. The mural, located on the underground parking structure in the Ottawa Community Housing neighborhood of Strathcona Heights, is a bright addition to what were previously bland walls with remnants of past graffiti vandalism. The mothers of a few of the participants joined artist Nicole Belanger to produce the Henna/nature inspired mural.

News from our community2

French-Toast Friday

French-Toast Friday is a program where DUAL (Drug User Advocacy League), in collaboration and support from Oasis Program, opens a drop-in space at 216 Murray Street every Friday morning. Here, we provide people who use drugs with much needed support, while they dine on our famous French-Toast! It is a continuation of the fine programming that Oasis offers, and we have been having some great turnouts: up to 50 people weekly! We provide a safe, stigma-free space for those who face the daily grind of problematic substance abuse. The program is run by people who use drugs, and has been a great tool to further empower people who face a lot of obstacles in their lives! Come on by, or if you’d like to help, you can contact us by e-mail at seanleblanc.dual.ca@gmail.com, or vist our webpage at www.dualottawa.ca.

Drug Users Advocacy League: Nothing for us, without us.

Awesome Arts Festival 2014

On November 28, family, friends and community members gathered at Viscount Alexander Public School to take in the second Awesome Arts Festival to be held in Sandy Hill. After seven weeks practicing in their respective workshops, children and youth participants presented: drumming, animation

videos, slam poetry, body shadow theatre, music, lyrics and moves, as well as a community pride mural. The audience was captivated by each performance and eagerly anticipated the next to come to the stage. This year’s festival was funded by Telus and the City of Ottawa,

and was run in partnership with MASC, an organization committed to bringing arts in to schools and communities. Thank you to Principal Deborah Woods at Viscount Alexander Public School for all her support, and to photographer Randy Kelly for taking such awesome pictures!

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Enhanced Homework Club will benefit Sandy Hill area students On November 12, Strathcona Homework Club announced that, thanks to donor George Gaty and community partners, it will now serve Sandy Hill students in grades 1-6. This expansion will provide vulnerable students with a safe space to go after school to access one-on-one tutoring, nutritious snacks, and recreational activities. The Strathcona Enhanced Homework Club is a partnership between United Way Ottawa, the City of Ottawa through the Sandy Hill Community Health Centre, Ottawa Carleton District School Board and Ottawa Community Housing. The expansion is possible thanks to a generous donation of $138,000 over three years by George Gaty, CEO of Andridge, an Ottawa-based real estate investment company. “I viewed the enhanced homework club program as an opportunity to help young people from low-income neighbourhoods access help with their school work, as well as social and recreational opportunities,

otherwise unavailable to them,” said George Gaty. “Any program that increases the number of students who enjoy and excel at school while developing improved social skills can only bode well for their future employability and, by extension, our community.” The investment expands the existing Stratchona Homework Club, which serves grades 7-12, to now also serve grades 1-6 in the Sandy Hill area. Sandy Hill is a diverse community with many children falling below the low income cut-off. As a result, many of these vulnerable children and youth risk being ill-prepared to succeed in school. Children who participate in homework clubs typically demonstrate improvement in three areas: school performance, positive attitudes towards school, and positive social behavior. The Strathcona Homework Club runs from Monday to Thursday, at the Viscount Alexander Public School, after school hours.

Our best wishes to you,for a joyous holiday

season, and a new year filled with peace and

happiness!

The annual baseball tournament organized by the Ottawa homeless shelters

Sandy Hill Community Health Centre 3 pitch team brought home the championship trophy for the first time this year! Special thanks to awesome players: Matt Garrison, Shane Kyle, Jim Campiti, Jean-Francois Martinbault, Kyle Heney, Deb Dew, Nathalie Graveline, Rob Boyd and Luc Cormier as well as our

“free agents” Clayton, Jarret, Tammy and Margaret. A great day of baseball and a lot of fun with our colleagues from the Salvation Army, Ottawa Inner City Health, Shepherds of Good Hope and the Ottawa Mission!

The Human Scale

SHCHC, along with several other community members, groups and organizations, is planning to screen a successful documentary related to urban planning processes. This evening event is scheduled for January 29, 2015, 6:30 - 8:45 p.m., at the Bytowne Cinema. The event will be approx. 2 - 2.5 hrs in duration, and includes a brief welcome and introduction to the film, the screening of the film, a discussion panel made up of several speakers with health, urban planning experience as well as at least one City Councillor, and a question and answer session for members of the audience. In The Human Scale, (see the trailer at http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BxywJRJVzJs), the work of celebrated Danish architect Jan Gehl is highlighted through a glimpse at how his “human scale” approach to development has been implemented in different cities

around the world. Gehl spoke to a standing room only crowd in Ottawa a few years ago, when his book “Cities for People” was published. Last year, The Human Scale was screened in Ottawa to a full house at the Mayfair theatre and at the Bytowne Cinema. Goals are:

• to raise awareness about the impact of urban planning on the health of residents, communities and cities.

• to encourage dialogue about the positive steps the City of Ottawa has made towards creating healthier cities.

• to identify opportunities and areas for improvement and civic engagement / action in future planning processes that impact the health of our city.

• provided timing is appropriate, to encourage citizens to become engaged in the City of Ottawa’s Budget and Term of Council Priorities consultations.

Every One Matters4

If you would like more information on this event, or would like to become involved, please contact Chris Osler at SHCHC, at 613-565-3265 or by e-mail at cosler@sandyhillchc.on.ca.

So here’s the challenge to us. We will not win those arguments if we allow ourselves to be part of the austerity political consensus. Because it’s a consensus that says that people are on their own. That we don’t have a choice to decide what matters. You see, the problem isn’t globalization or even austerity, it is our response to it. These issues are really about basic human rights, values and needs - our ability to earn a living, be safe in our communities, and take care of the ones we love. And when we move away from abstract, technical language and toward discussions that connect people to our common ground and common values, true understanding can take root.

Talking about Health Equity issues within our community and our City should be geared toward helping all of us who are conflicted or undecided better understand how the issues intersect, and toward helping all of us recognize the importance of and need for our implicit support in leading these discussions among ourselves, our workplaces and within our communities. One area of Health Equity focus our Centre has engaged in this past year is the health equity issues that LGBT people face. Talking about LGBT is, in my opinion, a discussion about people and families present in our communities, a struggle for civil rights, equity, and addressing bias-based discrimination.

Talking about LGBT issues isn’t just about gay people. It’s not just about transgender people. And it’s not just about straight people. It’s about all of us. Our call to action starts with all of us. There is a saying that Health is Politics - but there is also a story being written today by you - by us in having this conversation - this will be our action together. “Success is not measured by what you accomplish but by the opposition you have encountered and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds.”

- Orison Swett Marden_______________Any views or opinions presented in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the SHCHC.

Creating an inclusive vision (continued)

Since May of this year, SHCHC has participated in the Making Votes Count Where We Live project, where residents and community partners are working together to increase voter turn-out and civic engagement, particularly among low-income voters. People living on low-income tend to not vote, which often means that their concerns can go unheard by governments. When people in low-income neighbourhoods and communities engage in the electoral process, they can build bridges with the politicians who make decisions that affect them significantly. As part of the Creating a City for All campaign, Sandy Hill residents and SHCHC community developers have worked together in the recent provincial and municipal elections and will continue to work together to engage the new City Council, as well as encourage voting in the upcoming federal elections.

At SHCHC, we have worked with a neighbourhood team made up of women residents from Sandy Hill, who have participated in intensive training on the electoral process, community engagement and civic engagement. As a result of our neighbourhood team’s collaboration, we have undertaken a number of activities to engage family, friends and neighbours in the municipal and provincial elections. Highlights include: hosting a community café to discuss the “where”s, “when”s and “why”s of voting for the provincial election; holding a municipal All-Candidates’ Meet and Greet at the Sandy Hill Good Food Market; having a community celebration on election day that included a parade to the polls alongside a drummer, door-knocking in the community

to encourage voting and a BBQ to celebrate voting. Our Board of Directors also engaged municipal candidates on the four main issues raised through community consultations in the first phase of the Making Votes Count project: affordable housing, good food for all, safe and affordable transit, and employment. We will continue to collaborate with residents to bring neighbourhood priorities forward to our elected representatives to create a more inclusive city for all. Making Votes Count Where We Live is a three-year initiative co-sponsored by The Coalition of Community Health and Resource Centres and City for All Women Initiative (CAWI). It is funded by Ontario Trillium Foundation, Catherine Donnelly Foundation and the Community Foundation of Ottawa. For more information, visit www.makingvotescount.ca.

Making our votes count in Sandy Hill

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Meet the Board of Directors for 2014-2015:• President: Anthony Pizarro• Vice President for Internal Issues: Ross Taylor• Vice President for External Issues: Francis Reardon• Treasurer: Carlington Clarke• Secretary: Lynn Marchildon• Past-President: Robert Walsh • Navi Boparai• Claudia Fall• Lisa Gorman

Last June, members of our community, staff and Board gathered at Sandy Hill Community Health Centre for the Annual General Meeting. As always, this yearly event was a great opportunity for everyone to come together. A community BBQ, offered by volunteer members of staff and Board, preceded the meeting, and participants enjoyed good food and fun times with the dynamic rhythms of Jumbadambe African Drummers. The business meeting which followed included the election of the Board of Directors, presentation and approval of the President’s and Treasurer’s reports, appointment of auditors for the next fiscal year, and review of the Centre’s by-laws. Prior to the business meeting, we announced this year’s winner of the SHCHC Award for Excellence in Health Promotion. In his address, the Board’s Past-President, Mr. Robert Walsh, noted: “I have been Chair of this Board for three years, and have been able to witness an organization that takes its duties and responsibilities very seriously. I have been very proud to be on the Board and work with the members of the Board. We truly wrestle with the issues at hand. I see a desire to do a good job and do it honourably. I know I speak for my colleagues

on the Board when I say that we do this job because of a love for our community, a belief in community health and, most importantly, from a sense of pride to support the incredible work that the staff of SHCHC do. I am thankful that this organization nurtures its Board, nurtures its staff and nurtures the community. To me, this is critical. I believe, we far too often focus on the negative aspects of the times we live in, but for me, at SHCHC, I see so much to celebrate.

As a community, there have been significant losses over the year, and I saw this Centre act and engage with compassion, love and hope. I have witnessed this organization honouring those who are most vulnerable for the gifts they bring to the Centre, to us, to each other and the community at large, and, to me, this Centre is truly a testament to the human spirit and all it can accomplish.” Thank you to everyone who came and made the event a success.

Board of Directors updates6

The Board of Directors meets 10 times a year, providing guidance and input in support of the Centre’s tradition of excellence. If you would like to attend one of the meetings, please call Cristina Coiciu, Executive Assistant, at 613-789-1500 x 2505, or e-mail her at ccoiciu@sandyhillchc.on.ca. Upcoming Board meetings in 2015: January 21, February 18, March 18, April 15, May 20 and June 17.

Valuing the health and wellbeing of our community, now and into the future: 2014 Annual General Meeting

• Brian Legris• Karen McMullen• Dana Mersich• Herb Saravanamuttoo• Edward Speicher• Louise Sweatman• Filip Szadurski

This year, the award was presented at the Annual General Meeting on June 26, 2014, to the Sandy Hill Good Food Market and Good Food Box volunteers in Strathcona Heights, in recognition of their leadership by strengthening health knowledge and skills, sustaining environment supportive of health and having a significant impact in the community of Strathcona Heights. The Sandy Hill Good Food Market (Sandy Hill GFM) is a community market that sells a variety of high quality fruits, vegetables and dried goods at great value. The markets are a partnership with Sandy Hill resident volunteers and SHCHC. These markets create vibrant and fun community events that bring residents together with activities for children, cooking demonstrations, and information about healthy eating and community services. Sandy Hill Good Food Markets take place at 731A Chapel St, in Strathcona Heights, where access to healthy food options at affordable prices is limited, especially for those with limited mobility. In 2013 and 2014, 19 volunteers from the neighbourhood worked together to plan, organize, promote and carry out 9 GFMs. In 2014, with the end of the Good Food Market season, residents have now initiated a Good Food Box (GFB) site in the neighbourhood to continue to increase access to healthy, high quality fresh fruits and vegetables at wholesale prices. The volunteers of the GFM and GFB are committed to creating positive change in their neighbourhood by increasing access to healthy food and building community.

SHCHC Award for Excellence in Health Promotion for 2014

Robert Walsh, Past-President, offering the 2014 Award for Excellence in Health Promotion to Ms. Fabienne Tougas, on behalf of the Sandy Hill Good Food Market and Good Food Box volunteers in Strathcona Heights.

Of note... 7

Happy Birthday, SMART Recovery!

October 6, 2014, marks the third anniversary of SMART Recovery (Self-Management and Recovery Training) at Sandy Hill Community Health Centre! From that initial Thursday meeting attended by a handful of people in recovery, we have grown to two meetings a week here, at SHCHC, and fostered the growth of meetings at other health care organizations. We are currently serving an average of between 12 and 30 clients at each meeting. And most importantly, we are contributing to the recovery of both our clients and the wider community! SMART Recovery is the leading self-empowering addiction recovery support group. Our participants learn tools for addiction recovery based on the latest scientific research and participate in a world-wide community which includes free, self-empowering, science-based mutual help groups. A big THANK YOU to all the facilitators, managers, administrators and other members of the Sandy Hill CHC family who have made this possible! If you are not familiar with SMART Recovery and would like to learn more here is a Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMART_Recovery. Everything you ever wanted to know, and more, at SMART Recovery’s main website: http://www.smartrecovery.org.

Discover the power of choice!

Get involved in your Community Health Centre!

Become a member of Sandy Hill Community Health Centre Inc./Centre de santé communautaire Côte-de-Sable, Inc.! Simply fill out the Membership Application Form below and return it to us at 221 Nelson St., Ottawa, ON, K1N 1C7. No membership fee is required.

Application for Membership: Sandy Hill Community Health Centre Inc./Centre de santé communautaire Côte-de-Sable, Inc.

Name: ____________________________________ Address: _____________________________________ (Home or Work)

Telephone: _________________________________ E-mail: ______________________________________ (Home or Work) (Home or Work)

I confirm that I am over 18 years of age and reside in the Ottawa area. I support the Mission Statement, service and management values of the SHCHC/CSCCS.

Signature: __________________________________ Date: _______________________________________

Application approved by the Board of Directors at its meeting of: ____________________________________

Secretary: __________________________________ Date: _______________________________________

Our mission

To lead and innovate in person-centred primary health care and community wellbeing.

Our vision

Every one in our community will have an equitable opportunity for health and wellbeing.

• Integrity • Respect • Equity • Collaboration • Empathy •