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BLACK FRUITS – Black History Business affair promotes STEM for Change

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7 years ago

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BY: ASHELLY SMITH

When you hear ‘Black Fruits’ I bet you are thinking about delectable sweet fruits such as blackberries, black cherries, dark plums, huckleberries or even prunes! But that is not what ‘Black Fruits’ means for the Educational Foundation for Children’s Care Canada (EFCCC).  It means nourishing, rich and memorable black people who have made an impactful history that we are proud of today. The Educational Foundation for Children’s Care Canada and Metro Youth invited the community to the inaugural Black History event created Black Fruits Embrace STEM for Change, a black history business affair 365 sponsored by Toronto Dominion Bank (TD).  The event took place on Sunday, March 18th from 11am-6:15 pm at the Apple Creek Community Church Auditorium in Markham. The President of the EFCCC and Immediate Past President of the Black Business and Professional Association (BBPA) Pauline Christian saw it suitable to host this affair in Markham as the city is the Technology Capital of Canada. The business affair focuses on S.T.E.M. which means Science Technology Engineering Art and Math.

At the business affair, the Caribbean Multicultural Inventors Museum featured the International African Inventors Museum which comprised of several informational exhibits such as Mummies’ Fake Toes Could Be First Prosthetics, The Making of Papyrus, Dr. Garth Taylor, Dr. Kingsley R. Chin and Dr.Lincoln Edwards just to name a few. What really stood out to me at the exhibition was the Mummies Fake Toes Could Be First Prosthetics and The Making of Papyrus. With attention to the Mummies Fake Toes, when this mummy lived, she was able to walk like an Egyptian thanks to a false toe. The toe, made of wood and leather, maybe the world’s earliest known functional prosthetic.  On the other hand, The Making of Papyrus was amongst the earliest civilizations to record their ideas and findings, which were later transmitted to the whole world. This was only possible because of the development of papyrus paper making over 4,000 years ago.  At each business affair, there are guest speakers but at Black Fruits STEM for Change, there were dignitaries, guest speakers, performers, and presenters. Bob Saroya Member of Parliament at Unionville Markham and Regional Councillor Nirmala Armstrong were two of the dignitaries present. The keynote speaker was Almas Jiwani who is a global voice for gender equality and women’s economic empowerment. Almas Jiwani is the President of UN Women Canada National Committee and CEO of Frontier Canada Inc. She said in her speech that people often asked her why she chose to focus specifically on women and this was her response,

“My answer is a simple-we focus on women and girls because evidence accrued over decades of international development work has proven that the status and role of women is the best clue to a nation’s growth potential and is a key factor in determining a society’s standard of living.”

Jiwani is an influential speaker and she continues to travel across the globe to deliver keynote addresses, speeches, and presentations on improving the status of women.  She was well appreciated by the audience as she had just flown in from Dubai to be present at the affair. 

One of the three guest speakers who stood out to the audience was David Mitchell, Assistant Deputy Minister Children and Youth Services.  He delivered a profound speech when he talked about young people.

“You’re living in an age now where everything is about the network and you need to be able to engage in activities that build your network outside of your usual social circles. We need to network and interact with everybody in order to get the opportunities so that your friend can say to somebody, I have a friend that wouldn’t mind this opportunity.”

He further elaborated on the younger generation communication style. 

“The importance of writing things out in full. I’m seeing now in emails people be sending all sort of interesting things like LOL it took me awhile to get to that. I saw something this week but I can’t remember what it was, so I just wrote back  WYT and then they say what’s that? Then I say exactly what is that! You’re sending your boss something with letters and assuming that I know all this, that’s not how people talk” he said while the audience laughed.

Soon it was lunchtime and on the menu, there was chicken patties, vegetables, (cucumbers, carrots, sweet peppers, broccoli), pineapples and tuna sandwiches.  This was also the time where guests went around to see small business expo such as Primerica, Mavisco Financial Services Inc., 7-Sol POS etc.  Mavisco Financial Services Inc. is a tax preparation and accounting services for individuals, self-employed, business and corporations. Marva Dennis, the business owner said,

“I’m here today because it is an event you should not miss at all, it’s an event for the community and anything that promotes my community I’m fully with it. I like things that help to change the lives or uplift the lives of the community.”

Errol Dennis, Marva’s husband was also there to showcase his business, 7- Sol POS which is an Information Technology business.

“It’s a new start-up register to operate in Canada and we are about to make some changes in the I.T. industry.”

“What kind of changes are those?” I asked.

“We believe we will be able to revolutionize the way technology is done in terms of record keeping, and we will be able to provide that kind of support for small and medium-sized businesses to be able to empower them to do their records in far greater efficiency far greater ease at a significantly low cost.”

Wouldn’t it be nice if your records are kept up-to-date and your reports are available at the press of a button? That is exactly what 7-Sol POS will do for you.

The President of the ECCCF Pauline Christian was a very busy lady at the event as she was the MC producer of the affair.  Finally, I caught her to ask her why is this event important?

“This is a very important event and the reason why is because I have been so busy working in the community and I realize that the focus of black people especially black youths is known only in February and thinking about this going to the white house speaking with Members of Parliament and about black history and the decade for  people of African descent 1915-1924. I thought you should be putting more focus especially during this period on black issues and the systematic barriers that are preventing us from getting ahead we should be talking about it daily. So, the event is Black Fruits Embrace STEM for Change and then we added at the bottom of it that it is a black history business affair 365 which means we will be doing it 365 days for the year so it should not be a one month focus and I thought that our community needs to hear this. We need to start to get this into the DNA’s of our children…” she explained.

Pauline loves young people very much. This is not always the case with older people, they tend not to be fond of the younger generation. Perhaps because of how the younger generation have been raised. But Pauline has a different take on this matter.

“The love came from the fact that, I feel that when I was young, young people were not respected. I came from a church where you speak when you’re spoken to and adults would have the power and young people would not. So even the way how I design and how I treat my children in my family they get equal opportunity to have their say to be respected. So, from there when I was about 15 or 16 I decided that I want to be an advocate for young people…” she said.

Pauline was blessed to have volunteers like Joanna Stewart who came to help her with the event.  Joanna who is 24 years old, a social work student at the University of Windsor described the event.

“I feel like this event needs to be done. I feel like it is important especially for our black youth to know that there are other areas they can excel in so Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics is what STEM stands for so for us to be able to promote it and have different booths here with different people in the different areas, I think it’s a great thing happening!”

Joanna was excited to be a food server as she is all for the change in the black community.

This event came out of an urgency for the EFCCC Board and the community to move the focus on (1) black history, especially as it relates to STEM and (2) restoration of the black economy, from just a one month focus in February to an all year focus. If this event has peaked your interest, you should come next year for another thriving black people movement for change.

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Urban Alliance on Race Relations celebrates and highlights Racial Justice Award recipients

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2 days ago

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December 19, 2024

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BY PAUL JUNOR

It has been almost 40 years since the Urban Alliance on Race Relations (UARR) has been at the forefront of: promoting tolerance, social justice, racial equity and fairness. Since it was formed in 1975, they have celebrated and recognized changemakers in the fight for racial justice in diverse sectors such as: health, labour, government, education, arts, media, environment, and justice.

On Saturday, December 7th, 2024, there was a great turnout at the 2024 Racial Justice Awards Night held at The Estate Banquet & Event Centre in Scarborough. In attendance were many community supporters, civic officials, long-time racial justice warriors, and individuals from diverse ethnic groups.

UARR is grateful for all the sponsors of the Racial Justice Awards Night Celebration. It notes in its email to its supporters on Tuesday, December 3rd, 2024, the importance of its sponsors including:

  • United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) of Canada, UFCW, Local 175
  • The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 353
  • Unite Here! Local 75
  • Toronto & York Region Labour Council
  • Canadian Labour Congress
  • The Coalitions of Black Trade Union (CBTUL)

“Your sponsorship plays a vital role in shining a light on individuals and organizations driving equity, justice, and change in our communities. This celebration is more than an event, it’s a movement. Thanks to your support, we’re: honoring changemakers, amplifying unheard voices, and funding initiatives that break down systemic barriers.”

The categories and names of the awards and recipients were:

Racial Justice in Arts: Hannia Cheng

She is an artist and cultural worker who co-founded Unit 270, a DIY gallery and multi-purpose grassroots community hub in Chinatown Centre.

Racial Justice in Labour: Vanessa Story

She is the founder of the Black Youth York Region and co-founder of the York Communities for Public Education coalition.

Racial Justice in Education: Shannon Simpson

She is Senior Director of Indigenous Initiatives at the University of Toronto.

Racial Justice in Environment: Dr. Ingrid Waldron

She is a Professor and HOPE Chair in Peace and Health in the Global and Peace and Social Justice Program in the Faculty of Humanities at McMaster University.

Urban Alliance of Race Relations Agent of Change Award: Kirk Mark

He is the Equity, Diversity and Inclusive Consultant at KIRK Mark & Associates.

Racial Justice in Media: Amanda Parris

She is an award-winning writer, tv host and producer, and former host of CBC Arts Exhibitionist.

Racial Justice in Health: Camille Orridge

She is former CEO of the Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network (TCLHIN).

Racial Justice in Government: Amira Elghawaby

She is a journalist and human rights advocate who was appointed in January 2023 as Canada’s Special Representative on Combating Islamophobia.

Racial Justice in Justice: South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario (SALC0)

This legal clinic supports low-income South Asian people in Canada.

The funds raised from the Awards night will be going toward the work of the Diversity Youth Fellowship Program. This innovative and creative program is directly involved in enabling racialized youth to get paid experience working in municipal governments and at various public policy making organizations across Canada.

The performers at the event included: Katheen Zaragosa (a Filipino music performer), Rithika Jeristus & Maya Jeristus (Bharatanatyam dancers) and Yasmin Said (spoken word artist)

UARR is looking forward to its 50th anniversary celebrations in 2025 and shared five of its strategic priorities for the next 10 years including:

  • Employment and economic opportunity: The goal is to foster inclusive workspaces and economic opportunities.
  • Education: The goal is to promote racial equity in education and research.
  • Communication: The goal is to expand public awareness and reach to amplify our stories.
  • Community engagement and outreach: The goal is building community capacity and convening towards change.
  • Truth and reconciliation-relationship building and supporting calls to action. The goal is to strengthen our solidarity and action towards truth and reconciliation.

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What is it about those short videos that keep us captivated? Oh! Yes! Our short attention span

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2 days ago

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December 19, 2024

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BY KAHA GEDI

As our attention spans decrease, short form videos are becoming more popular. From TikTok, to YouTube Shorts, to Instagram Reels, these “snack sized” videos have positive qualities alongside the bad. Mainly we want to know what makes them so effective, and why are they becoming the go-to choice for both viewers and marketers? In this article, I will be discussing how these videos have received such popularity worldwide.

First, we need to understand what counts as and what is short-form content. According to blog.hubspot.com, “Short-form videos are videos that are less than 60 seconds long.” However, some marketers and content creators agree that short-form videos can be up to 3 minutes. “They are videos that deliver information in a ‘digestible’ format so that viewers can quickly watch and save content if they’re in a hurry or enjoy it.” Now, I’ll talk about the main reasons why these videos are so popular.

First, our attention spans have gone down exponentially. Dr Gloria Mark has written a book called “Attention Span,” and she says her research indicates people’s attention spans have been shrinking over the last 20 years. According to the same article Dr. Mark said that “Back in 2004, we found the average attention span on any screen to be two and a half minutes on average. Throughout the years, it became shorter. So, around 2012, we found it to be 75 seconds. Then in the last five, six years, we found it to average about 47 seconds.” So, it’s notable that our attention spans started out longer but then decreased over time.

Secondly, these videos have become cheaper and easier to make. Unlike long-form videos, which require extensive: planning, editing, and storytelling, short-form videos are simpler. To the point where they can even be shot on a smartphone. For example, DuoLingo, the app that helps learn new languages, went viral on TikTok a long time ago by posting funny, low-budget videos that resonate with millions. Like a video of a DuoLingo plus being: tossed down the stairs, sitting outside on a rainy day, or being soaked by the shower with the title “When you ignore my notifications.”

Lastly, they provide valuable information in a short amount of time, and they are easily accessible. According to a recent Adobe Survey, two in five Americans use TikTok as a search engine, and nearly one in 10 Gen Zeers are more likely to rely on TikTok than Google as a search engine. This isn’t always reliable for real news because anyone can claim to be an expert, and you wouldn’t know if they’re telling the truth. So, even though they give valuable information in a short time, they can also give misinformation or mislead you.

Short-form videos have changed how we watch and learn things. They fit our short attention spans, are easy to make, and share information quickly. Even though they’re fun and helpful, they can also spread false information or leave out important details. Even with these problems, short-form videos are here to stay, so we should use them in proportion, but also enjoy the benefits.

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Dr. Edward McInnis on the Importance of Preventive Care in Family Medicine

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3 days ago

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December 19, 2024

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Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

Preventive care is a cornerstone of modern healthcare, emphasizing the importance of addressing potential health concerns before they escalate into severe conditions. By focusing on proactive measures such as regular screenings, vaccinations, and lifestyle counseling, preventive care offers individuals and communities the opportunity to achieve long-term wellness.

Below, Edward McInnis highlights the transformative potential of prevention in reducing healthcare disparities, alleviating systemic challenges, and ensuring that every individual has the tools and access needed to lead a healthier life.

Understanding Preventive Care in Family Medicine

Preventive care in family medicine focuses on proactive measures to maintain health and prevent illness before it occurs. This approach emphasizes regular health evaluations, screenings, and interventions that identify potential issues early, reducing the likelihood of severe complications. Preventive care fosters long-term well-being by addressing risk factors and promoting healthier lifestyles while minimizing the burden of chronic diseases.

The philosophy behind preventive care aligns with the idea that staying healthy is more effective and less costly than treating illnesses after they arise. Early detection of conditions such as hypertension or high cholesterol allows patients and physicians to manage these issues effectively, preventing them from escalating into more severe health problems. Beyond individual benefits, this care model contributes to healthier communities by reducing the overall demand for healthcare systems.

Benefits of Preventive Care for Individuals and Communities

Preventive care profoundly impacts individuals and the broader community by addressing potential health concerns before they evolve into severe conditions. Early detection through routine screenings can significantly lower the risk of chronic illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers. This improves individual health outcomes and reduces the emotional and financial toll of managing advanced diseases.

Communities prioritizing preventive care experience a ripple effect of healthier populations and reduced strain on healthcare resources. When more people engage in regular check-ups and adopt healthier habits, the prevalence of preventable conditions drops, creating a collective benefit. Individuals who invest in their health through preventive measures often enjoy longer, more active lives, positively influencing families, workplaces, and society.

The economic advantages of preventive care are undeniable, as early intervention typically costs far less than treating advanced illnesses. Vaccination programs, such as those targeting seasonal flu or childhood diseases, can drastically curb outbreaks, saving lives and reducing medical expenses. These benefits demonstrate how preventive care is a cornerstone of sustainable and effective healthcare systems.

Core Preventive Services in Family Medicine

Family medicine emphasizes various preventive services designed to address health needs across all stages of life. Regular health screenings, such as blood pressure and cholesterol checks, are critical in identifying silent health risks. These assessments provide actionable insights that allow individuals to make timely adjustments to their lifestyles or begin treatment when necessary.

Vaccinations are another cornerstone of preventive care, protecting individuals and communities from infectious diseases. From childhood immunizations to seasonal flu shots, these interventions safeguard personal health and prevent the spread of illnesses within larger populations. Counseling services, including guidance on nutrition, exercise, and stress management, empower patients to take an active role in their long-term well-being.

The Role of Family Physicians in Prevention

Family physicians play a pivotal role in fostering preventive care through their ability to build lasting, trust-based relationships with patients. These relationships enable them to understand not just medical histories but also lifestyle factors, family dynamics, and social determinants of health. This comprehensive knowledge allows physicians to craft personalized preventive strategies that resonate with each patient’s unique circumstances, ensuring a more practical approach to maintaining health.

Beyond individual care, family physicians act as educators, equipping patients with the knowledge to make informed health decisions. Whether discussing the significance of regular screenings or addressing misconceptions about vaccines, their guidance helps patients take ownership of their health.

The continuity of care provided by family physicians also ensures that preventive measures are consistently monitored and adjusted as needed, fostering long-term well-being. Their ability to provide holistic and deeply personalized care sets the foundation for healthier patients and communities.

Challenges in Accessing Preventive Care

Despite its proven benefits, accessing preventive care remains challenging for many individuals and communities. Financial barriers, such as lack of insurance coverage or high out-of-pocket costs, often deter people from seeking preventive services. Additionally, limited awareness about the importance of early detection and health promotion means that some individuals may only prioritize preventive care once a health issue becomes severe.

Geographical disparities also play a significant role in limiting access. Rural and underserved areas frequently face shortages of healthcare providers, making it difficult for residents to receive consistent preventive services. In such regions, innovative approaches like mobile health clinics and telemedicine have emerged as solutions to bridge the gap. Expanding these efforts could help overcome logistical obstacles and ensure that preventive care reaches those most in need.

Cultural factors and mistrust of the healthcare system can further complicate access to preventive services. Addressing these challenges requires a multifaceted approach that includes community engagement, culturally sensitive care, and efforts to build trust between healthcare providers and patients. Strengthening health literacy and facilitating dialogue between healthcare institutions and the communities they serve are also critical steps in overcoming these barriers.

Promoting and Advancing Preventive Care

Advancing preventive care depends on raising awareness and fostering a culture that values proactive health management. Educational campaigns, workplace wellness programs, and school-based health initiatives encourage people to adopt preventive practices. These efforts create an environment where individuals feel empowered to prioritize their well-being, leading to healthier lifestyles and earlier intervention.

The integration of technology is revolutionizing how preventive care is delivered. Wearable devices that track physical activity, heart rate, and sleep patterns provide individuals with real-time data about their health, prompting timely action when irregularities arise. Similarly, data analytics and predictive tools enable healthcare providers to identify at-risk populations and deliver targeted interventions, improving outcomes on a broader scale.

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