Bringing awareness and education to the community

The Centre for Advancing the Interests of Black People’s Education and Advocacy team has been working closely with tenant leaders and community partners to bring awareness and educate the community about issues affecting Black tenants. This is done in response to the stated needs of tenants, especially youth.

Black Mental Health Round Table
Toronto is facing a mental health crisis and TCHC communities are feeling the impacts of this crisis. During the 2022 Tenant Action Tables, tenants asked for more opportunities for Black tenant leaders to meet and discuss mental health in 
their communities. 

The Centre team partnered with tenant leaders and community partners to create safe and inclusive spaces to discuss and address mental health and its impacts on the Black community. This aligns with their commitment to implement the Confronting Anti-Black Racism (CABR) strategy.
 
On April 15, 2023, the Centre hosted its first Black tenant mental health roundtable with tenant leaders from 10 communities across the East region. In partnership with TAIBU (a Kiswahili word for “Be in good health“) Community Health Centre’s Mobile Crisis Team, the roundtable featured workshops on recognizing the signs of mental health crisis, getting mental health support, and tips on taking care of one’s mental health. 

“The Black Mental Health Round Table was a great experience,” said tenant leader Chevon Smith. “I learned that lack of communication is a major issue that requires a collective effort by tenants and staff to be remedied.”
 
Following the successful mental health roundtable for the East region, The Centre team plans to develop system navigation workshops for Black tenant leaders and partner with other organizations to host mental health workshops in the West region.

For more Black mental health resources, visit our page on The Centre for Advancing the Interests of Black People.

The Centre supports community events
Over the last several months, the Education and Advocacy team has been active in supporting and participating in TCHC events and initiatives with community partners. 

Here are some highlights of the events they have supported so far:

• May 2023: Ubuntu: “I am because you are” youth forum event centered on Black wellness and mental health
• June 2023: Developmental workshops at Midnight Basketball and participating in the Regent Park Summer Jam  

The Education and Advocacy team hopes to engage with tenants and facilitate more community workshops. Currently they offer workshops to tenants on the following topics:

• Anti-Black racism: highlighting how colonization has shaped the behaviours we see in present-day society and institutions
• Anti-oppression: for tenants who want to learn more about identifying and combating systemic discrimination 
• System navigation: giving tenants the tools and knowledge to navigate TCHC processes and improve their overall tenancy experience
• Emotional intelligence: for tenant leaders who want to develop skills in regulating emotions, managing triggers and learning positive coping mechanisms while in their roles
• Trauma-informed practices: giving tenants the tools to apply strength-based approaches after identifying the range of reactions that can occur following a traumatic event

If you want to connect with The Centre or have CABR training and programs in your community, email thecentre.educationadvocacy@torontohousing.ca to connect with a Centre team member.