Congratulations to Louise Simbandumwe - A community champion

Louise Simbandumwe has been given the Mosaic Merit Award. (TREVOR HAGAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS)

For Louise Simbandumwe, the building is still in flames.
Thirty years ago, Simbandumwe and her family left everything behind to seek refuge in India. Their home in Burundi was disintegrating by the day and blood from the wide-spread massacres that claimed the lives of relatives and close friends was spilling closer.
After the family arrived with nothing but the clothes on their backs, any hope of returning to the life they imagined was dashed when her parents received a letter from home.

"My mom and dad were on the list of people to be killed," said Simbandumwe, now 41. "We weren't going back."
That's why she has devoted her life to assisting others. She helps those who arrive in Canada with nothing, or those who haven't yet found their way, to invent new circumstances for themselves.
"It's almost not a choice; it's something that I have to do," Simbandumwe said Tuesday, prior to receiving the Mosaic Merit Award. The honour is given annually by the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba to recognize the contributions of new Canadians in areas like social justice and community support.

"It's kind of like escaping a burning building. You made it out, but there are people still in there, and they're screaming. You need to do something to help," Simbandumwe said.
Working with SEED Winnipeg, an organization that provides employment and economic development in low income families, Simbandumwe has helped develop financial programs designed to give new Canadians a head start. One of those initiatives is an asset building venture, where people save money that is matched so they can purchase the things they need, whether it's a house or a bed for their children.
"They're coming here to start over," she said. "They have nothing, so developing assets for them is a priority."

Noëlle DePape, the executive director of IRCOM, said the impact of Simbandumwe in the community development field is immeasurable. Not only does she provide a model for new refugees as they attempt to build up from nothing, but she also keeps service providers in touch with the needs of families.

"She keeps us accountable, which is sometimes overlooked in the support process," DePape said.
Simbandumwe downplayed the accolades she received Tuesday. The work she's done, whether here in Winnipeg or abroad for Amnesty International, doesn't deserve mention, she feels.
"Being a refugee is a violent uprooting," she said. "I remember just not really knowing what the next day would bring, and it was tough to find a level of comfort through that. Figuring out a way to build a life in a new environment was difficult."

November 11, 2009
Editorial
The Trouble With ‘Zero Tolerance’

Congress took a reasonable step in 1994 when it required states receiving federal education money to expel students who brought guns onto school property, but states and localities overreacted, as they so often do. They enacted “zero tolerance” policies under which children are sometimes arrested for profanity, talking back, shoving matches and other behavior that would once have been resolved with detention or meetings with the students’ parents.

This arrest-first policy has been disastrous for young people, who are significantly more likely to drop out and experience long-term problems once they become entangled in the juvenile justice system. It has led to egregious racial profiling, with black and Hispanic students being shipped off to court at a higher rate than white students. And it has been a waste of time for the police to haul off children to the courts when they should be protecting the public from real criminals.

School officials who want to back away from the failed zero tolerance policy are looking to a farsighted model developed in Clayton County, Ga., a fast-growing enclave south of Atlanta. Its juvenile courts were nearly overwhelmed by students referred from their schools — mainly for minor offenses like fistfights and disruptive conduct.

Juvenile court officials met with the schools and explained the dangers of criminalizing what are essentially normal childhood behaviors. They also helped to retrain school counselors and cooperated with the schools to create a three-strikes system for dealing with minor offenses.

Under this system, the student receives a warning after the first offense. After the second offense, students and parents are required to attend a mediation session or a school conflict workshop. The third offense leads to a court complaint.

The number of children referred to juvenile court dropped by about half after the new system went into effect. With fewer low-risk students being referred to the courts, probation officers were able to focus more closely on high-risk young people, driving down felony numbers as well. Graduation rates have risen steadily since 2004, the year the new protocol was introduced.

According to the juvenile court official who helps to oversee the program, police officers have a better and more effective relationship with the students, now that they have stopped dragging them off to court for every little spat.

Impressed by these results, the court and school officials in Birmingham, Ala., recently adopted a similar protocol. Clearly, more school systems need to follow suit.

(NYT article)

Could this have implications for students in our schools in Manitoba? especially visible minority, immigrant and refugee students?

Allan Wise (L) Justin Trudeau (r)

l (Selina Bieber flanked by two supporters)

PICTORIAL OF JUSTIN TRUDEAU'S VISIT TO CITY OF WINNIPEG



(l - Dr. Jon Gerrard, Provincial leader of Lib. Party)

Anita Neville and Justin Trudeau

Justin Trudeau Winnipeg Visit

The Liberal Party of Winnipeg really cashed in on Justin Trudeau's visit recently. He was invited by Liberal MP Anita Neville who held a Past Dinner soiree at the Crescent wood Community Club which was jam-packed. The $20.00 event was sold out, Neville had a sadly turn away some folks because there was no more room at the Club.

Trudeau was a gracious guest as most politicians usually are when an election looms in the near future. He worked every area of the room taking pictures with little white-haired ladies and young gushing women and everything in-between. He delivered a terrific speech about what the Conservatives are not doing right. He profusely thanked his host, Anita Neville whom he called a friend and who helps to make his novice transition as an MP a little smoother than it could be.

Trudeau said that Pat Martin is all talk and no action. He blasted the Conservatives for their "hands-off" approach to governing. "Liberals understand that government does have a role to play to ensure that our seniors are not marginalized, to ensure that the rights of Canadians are protected and to take a harsh look at our records regarding our Aboriginal communities - it's Canada's shame," he said.

"The government has a role to play. The challenge is not to convince Canadians of that but to remind them that the government must have a vision for the future" Trudeau said.

Trudeau said that violent crime is on the rise in Canada and that the Conservative approach "we're tough on crime and you're soft on crime" will not solve anything. Creating more prisons does not decrease crime, it does not do a thing a make us feel safer. It is only by creating a more sold safety net will produce results."

****

Allan Wise, in introducing guest speaker Trudeau, was a little choked up when he reflected on where he came from and where he is standing in the moment. He said he came to Canada as a refugee in 1989, with a few cents in his pocket and here he was running for an office in one of the most important legislative bodies in the country. It appeared unreal to him.

Trudeau endorsed Allan wholeheartedly and said he felt it in every bones of his body that Allan Wise is what Winnipeg Centre needs because the inner city has many new comer and Aboriginal populations, the dynamics of which Allan understands very well and will be the best person to represent this community in Winnipeg.

Mary Scott, Winnipeg's Community Activist wins Governor General's Award commemorating Person's Day 30th Anniversary.

Government of Canada Honours Governor General’s awards recipients Ottawa – The Honourable Helena Guergis, Minister of State (Status of Women), is pleased to announce today the recipients of the Governor General’s Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case. Celebrating their 30th anniversary, the Awards recognize outstanding individuals who have helped to advance the goal of equality for women. The awards ceremony will take place at Rideau Hall on October 1, 2009. “Our Government is pleased to recognize the achievements of these distinguished women, who have so enriched our national life with their contributions,” said the Honourable Helena Guergis, Minister of State (Status of Women). “The legacy of the Famous Five endures through the work of these women. By dedicating their lives to bringing about true and lasting change, they have benefited women, their families and their communities across Canada, and strengthened Canadian society, as a whole.”

The following six individuals are the 2009 recipients of the Governor General's Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case: Jeannette Corbiere Lavell, of Wikwemikong, Ontario, a well-known role model and advocate, was instrumental in founding the Ontario Native Women's Association, the Native Women's Association of Canada and Indigenous Women of the Americas. She fought a landmark court challenge to regain her Aboriginal status. Jeannette sits on many boards, including the National Aboriginal Health Organization. Daphne E. Dumont, of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, who was the first woman admitted to study law at any of the Oxford men’s colleges, has led a distinguished career, devoting herself to organizations that promote equality for women. She is a founding member of the Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF). She has volunteered with community groups, providing legal aid, advice on family law and access to justice. Bev LeFrancois, of Oakville, Ontario, is a school teacher and mother of four who has been a passionate advocate for women’s rights. She has advocated for women’s rights in such areas as the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms equality clause, the “Rape Shield” law and matrimonial property laws and has helped establish community, women’s and rape crisis centres and shelters for battered women. Karen Messing, of Montréal, Quebec, is an academic, researcher, author and scientist. For over 30 years, she has worked to promote policies and practices that support working women. She chairs the Gender and Work Technical Committee of the International Ergonomics Association. She has increased opportunities for women, helping to ensure women’s workplace needs are considered so they can access all jobs without endangering their health. Mary Scott, of Winnipeg, Manitoba, has a long history of advancing equality for women, with a particular focus on Aboriginal women. Mary has applied her skills in internet technology to teaching, relaying communications to networks and creating web pages for many women’s organizations. Mary was also instrumental in the success of an oral history project and the Babs Friesen Councils of Women Archival Project.Youth Award recipient Pauline Fogarty of Thunder Bay, Ontario, became involved in social activism at an early age. She designed a girls’ collective, served with the Regional Multicultural Youth Centre and has worked on a wide array of issues, including mental health, gender, anti-smoking and First Nations advocacy.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Persons Case. In 1929, five Canadian women – Emily Murphy, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Louise McKinney, Irene Parlby and Nellie McClung, who became known as the Famous Five – fought and won the right for women to be recognized as persons, and thus eligible to sit in the Senate. In 1979, the Government of Canada established the Governor General’s Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Persons Case decision and to salute contributions to the advancement of women.

CHERISE HOULE (R) AND HILLARY WILSON (L)

(SLAIN YOUNG ABORIGINAL WOMEN)



In less than a month two Aboriginal young women - Hillary Angel Wilson and Cherise Houle, were abducted and brutally killed. The Aboriginal women leaders are protesting and calling on the government and the police service to do something about this free reign in killing young Aboriginal girls.

Yesterday, the Aboriginal Women leaders held a vigil on the steps of the Legislative Building. A group of young women were the drummers and they were drumming as if they were drumming their heart out to drown their sadness.

What is really happening? Why doesn't the police appears to be alarmed at this trend.
One woman told me that the two recent victims, 17 and 18 year old girls, knew each other and they had testified against some gang members and that their death will serve as a warning to those who cannot hold their tongue. I was outraged that this would happen in Winnipeg.

According to CBC report, an unidentified informer who fears for her own life, said she was best friends with Cherisse Houle, 17, and Hillary Angel Wilson, 18, when they got involved a few years ago with a group of men who used them for sex in exchange for food, clothes and crack cocaine.
"They bought us things. They took us shopping, out to eat. They gave us everything we wanted," the young woman said about the men who supplied the drugs. "Sometimes we were so f--ked up and we didn't even know what was going on."

This is what is called trafficking in women and girls. There is also more to this story - there is the story of poverty and other social problems as a result of it, the Residential School experience and the racism that flows from all this that needs to be addressed.

The Aboriginal women believe that if it were white women being abducted and killed the police would have taken steps to halt it as soon as possible but the lives of Aboriginal girls do not worth that much. It is a sad but true commentary. We still have a way to go to bring about equity in our society.

Something needs to be done and done right now. This rampant violence against Aboriginal women cannot be allowed to continue.

There are about 75 missing Aboriginal women in Manitoba as I write this. It is unacceptable.

<strong>Lord Roberts School Ground Needs Tending<

Recently, after-school users of the school facilities have been leaving their mess behind on the school property including slurpy cups, coffee cups and I even saw a beer can. This is unacceptable.

If something is not done immediately to correct the situation, it will be a slippery slope downhill. Those who value the use of the facility should make every effort to see that it is used properly so that everyone can enjoy the resource. It takes one bad apply to spoil the barrel. If you see that bad apple make sure you report it to the authorities. Take a photo of such person leaving their mess behind. It is not fair to the rest of the community or for the school children to be picking up after others. There are enough bins around to put your trash.

I will be passing by and keep an eye out myself. I value LR school grounds for children to play. It has always been kept neat and clean and something the neighbourhood can be proud of. Let us keep it that way.

Week One Folklorama is over and it has been a blast. I am sure all the Pavilions would have done very well.








Folk Arts Council has brought down more rules again this year. For the first time they are saying that volunteering is like working and since you cannot drink on the job volunteers are not allowed to drink alcohol at their respective posts.

I think Folk Arts Council should lay off volunteers a bit - without volunteers none of this would be possible and having a drink on the job does not mean you are going to get drunk and misbehave - that has never happened to my knowledge. It just seems to be that Folk Arts Council is taking on the a overly dictatorial role which will tick volunteers off. I would not want to see this festival fizzle out.

Part of the fun of being a part of the festival is to have fun while you work. If work becomes a drudgery - feels like work - then that might have some negative consequences.

Chill out.

UPCOMING EVENT
Exciting, Innovate Program by Age and Opportunity Winnipeg

Age & Opportunity presents a new and exciting program entitled Senior Centre Without Walls. This program offers a unique opportunity for socially isolated older adults (55+) in Winnipeg to join fun and interactive programs from the comfort of their own homes by telephone.

Each program is a half hour in length and is offered once a week for 4-8 consecutive weeks. Participants are encouraged to join one or join them all…It’s FREE!!

How does it work?

1. Interested participants contact Age & Opportunity Intake line at 956-6440 to register.

Registered participants receive a package by mail welcoming them to the session(s) and offering additional materials (i.e. informative articles, pictures, brochures, etc) including instructions about how to join the sessions by phone .

2. Participants contact Senior Centre Without Walls by phone at 1-800-669-6180 (toll free) and enter the participant code. Participants state their name and are invited into the group session.

3. A program facilitator is waiting on the phone line a few minutes before the session is set to begin and greets participants by name. As participants join the session, they are also introduced to the group by name.

4. The facilitator introduces the topic of the session and facilitates conversation between participants. Facilitator notifies participants when there is 5 minutes left in the session and wraps up discussions.


Topics include:
The Travel Talk program: is an opportunity to discuss different travel experiences.

Armchair Exercised: is a program lead by Amanda Macrae that provides a 30 minute exercise program that participants can do safely from the comfort of their chair at home.

Coping with Anxiety: is a group where the facilitator will discuss different types of anxiety and some options for coping with anxiety with participants.

Safe Sex for Older Adults: is a group that gives participants the chance to discuss safe sex practices and how to access protection such as condoms. Participants will receive a condom to practice with in their own home along with some very important information related to the importance of practicing safe sex at every age.

Introduction to Italian/Spanish: are two separate classes, each offered for four weeks, where a participant can learn and practice using these languages for common phrases like "My name is", "where is the bathroom" for example.

The gratitude group: is offered daily and is an opportunity for participants to call in and share what they are thankful for. This could be gifts they received in the past or possibly a kindness shown to them that day, for example.

The topics for the September/October sessions should be finalized, likely around the middle of August.
Feel free to contact Katherine Nelson (phone: 956-6440 or email: social@ageopportunity.mb.ca) if you have any questions about this program





To register, or for more information, contact Intake at 956-6440.

The Beauty of Africa

Saturday, October 18, 2008
Cultural Exposition and African Rumba Concert feat. JB Mpiana
The Aboriginal Centre 181 Higgins Avenue
Cultural Exposition Open House 1-6 p.m
Concert with JB Mpiana 9:30 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.

The Beauty of Africa was developed to reveal to the world the true beauty of a continent often only seen for war, famine, and disease. The event was originally created in April 2008 and featured some of the most beautiful and exotic hand crafted art collections in the city, along with African music, dancers, and key note speakers. This Event will be offered again to help raise money for the establishment of an African Canadian Cultural and Heritage Center in Winnipeg so that the true beauty of Africa can always be shared with Winnipeg, and this time the event will offer much much more.....

Beauty of Africa Cultural Exhibition: Open House 1:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
This event will feature some of the most exotic and beautiful private art collections for viewing: See the rich artistic talents that have flourished in Africa for hundreds of years, compare wood and art work from different regions, and view a photo gallery of the exotic scenery from the Medditeranean to the Cape of Good Hope.

African Fashion Show: Featuring African dress and models, showcasing some of the finest authentic African clothes. Organized by Afritoba clothing shop

African Drumming and Dancers: Bring your own drum and join in while our drummers perform and dancers take the stage.

African Craft Sale Vendors: A myriad of small shops featuring fine hand crafted wood works and jewelry will be on hand. A great opportunity to purchase some unique gifts for the upcoming holidays and support fair trade and other worthy causes.

International African Rumba artist JB Mpiana of Wenge BCBG will be appearing for a one hour CD/ DVD signing. JB Mpiana joins us from Paris, France to help with this important once a life time event.

Many more exciting activities will be available for both children and adults. Bring your entire family and experience one of the worlds rich cultural traditions. Join in the fun and support the vision of the African Canadian Cultural and Heritage Center as they launch a new campaign to enrich the cultural diversity of Winnipeg.

Live African Rumba Concert
JB Mpiana: Wenge Musica BCBG Concert
9:30 pm - 1:00 am
International sensations JB Mpiana, along with four dancers and eleven members of his group will be performing live in Concert for the first time ever in Winnipeg.
Ticket Price: $50.00 - To purchase tickets please visit Afritoba 318 Smith Street, or phone (204) 949-1578 or (204) 233-4269

Folklorama in Winnipeg
As usual it is hot, hot hot. There is a new crop of dancers in the pavillion - some young children have hit the stage ensuring that the Caribbean will have dancers for some time to come.
It was nice to see some boys getting involved. It is about time. I don't know why Caribbean young boys are shy of dancing. Haven't they seen dancing with the star - who could be more macho than Joshua Allen and he is a dancer just in case they think that dancing is for girls.
Ebony Shades group has two or three male dancers and that's fabulous. Keep it up boys and girls and go all the way.
Folklorama is in its final week and there will be dancing all over the place.

Surprising Statistics - Winnipeg's getting dirtier and dirtier

For once the innercity did not win the cake for negative occurrences in the city of Winnipeg. It is the subburbanits who are the villains when it comes to dirt and nastiness.

Recent research by Take Pride Winnipeg revealed that the Fort Garry/Fort Richmond/St. Norbert area was rated as having the most litter in the city.

The three south-end suburbs received a score of 2.53 on the index, which gives a score of one for litter-free areas and four for highly littered areas. McGillivray Boulevard, Waverley Street and Bison Drive were identified as particularly dirty.

The River Heights/Tuxedo/Charleswood area was ranked the next-dirtiest, scoring 2.42.

Come on you suburban guys with your four pets per household. I'm sure a big part of the problem is pet droppings either in plain view or in plastic bags strewn along the paths.

If there is one thing I hate it's litter. Let's get this city up in shape. Suburbanites in all your fancy homes how could you stand it? Let's get out and get our city back where it's belong let us shine like our friends in the Northend. These folks might be poor but they sure like their surroundings clean. Good for you Northend folks, keep it up and show them what we're about.