Promising Practices and Toolkits > Featured Organization
Working Women Community Centre (WWCC)
Working Women Community Centre (WWCC) is a not-for-profit organization that strives to empower immigrant women and their families through a wide variety of program and services ranging from settlement and employment services to community engagement strategies. The Centre is generously funding by all levels of government, foundations, the United Way of Greater Toronto and individual donors for some of its programs.
Created in 1976, WWCC helped immigrant women from Portugal, Latin America and the Caribbean adjust to their new lives in Canada and to obtain meaningful employment.
In addition to its core settlement/employment services WWCC has a rich history of developing innovative programs for their clients. Specifically:
- From 1985 to 1989, the organization partnered with Humber College to administer the “Immigrant Women into Electronics Assembler Program” that offered women the opportunity to advance their English and Math skills and prepared them to enter entry-level positions in the electronics industry. An evaluation in 1989 found that it was integral to incorporate computer skills into the training program and to work towards changing the discriminatory practices of companies. Participants in this 14 hour program attended ESL classes at Dixon Hall and computer skills sessions at the WWCC; there was an overwhelming response from the community with full enrolment in all of the seminars with long waiting lists. These classes were held at Kent Public School until 2003, when the space was no longer available for use. Each completed session ensured that 20 immigrant women received computer and job training.
- Another significant project from WWCC’s history includes the “Modistas Unidas” in 1980. The group consisted of Portuguese speaking women who no longer wanted to endure the difficult working conditions of the garment industry. Working along side WWCC, they started their own custom dressmaking and alterations enterprise. Although there was an enthusiastic response from the community, these women wanted to improve their language skills; they also wanted instruction on how to run an inefficient business and needed the capital to make their venture grow.
The WWCC organized a fundraising campaign to help the women purchase sewing machines and capital to cover starting operational costs and facilitated business training. With help from the Canada Community Development Project (CCDP) grant and the funds raised, the Modistas Unidas Workshop officially opened its doors in February of 1981 with six dressmakers and a manager; their main goal was to develop a full-time dressmaking co-operative within the year. The business increased their pool of clients and was known in the community for their fine workmanship. However, it was clear that the business could not survive solely on the grant funding and revenue; from February to May of 1982, an evaluation was conducted and the consultants recommended that the Modistas Unidas look into designing a line of women’s clothing. They received funding from the Local Employment Assistance Program (LEAP) for this initiative and in spring of 1983, their first collection was received with rave reviews. Over time, the designers went onto to develop their own careers and the collective was disbanded.
- Two successful training initiatives organized by WWCC include the training sessions from 1995-1997 that offered classes to women wanting to become daycare workers.
- More recently the Centre has experimented with the delivery of Pre-Apprenticeship programs , specifically a Bakers/Patisseire Program was offered in partnership with George Brown College’s Baking Program and the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. This 36 week program provided women with integral soft and hard skills to enter into the baking industry.
The Centre also provided women with a Pre-Apprenticeship Carpentry program for women wishing to work in the construction industry. This program was offered in partnership with the Carpenters Local 27 Training Centre.
Services
The Working Women Community Centre is committed to offering innovative programs that help women build relevant employment skills and participate in social transformation. Its services can be classified into four categories: assistance with the settlement process, language and employment training, health and awareness, and public education. In September of 2003, the Working Women Community Centre defined strategic goals for the next three years. These objectives included continuing to develop community partnerships, being an inclusive resource centre for patrons, maintaining its positive public image, remaining accountable to stakeholders, being committed to the organization’s goals, continuing to provide innovative support and training to immigrant women in Toronto’s west end and to continually assist in the formation of public policy.
Programs
The programs offered by the Working Women Community Centre can be defined into six categories: settlement assistance, language training, employment services, health and wellness, community development, and support groups.
Settlement Services for Newcomers
Working Women Community Centre helps immigrant and refugee families mitigate barriers preventing integration by providing one-on-one sessions that orient these individuals to life in Canada; these sessions give these families accurate information about the immigration process and offers them referrals to other services if necessary. The community centre offers interpretation and translation services, occasional escorts to appointments, counseling and advocates for the rights of newcomers.
At the counseling sessions, community workers help families deal with emotional hardships associated with being far from their country of origin and their extended families, any problems that the families may face with adapting to life in Canada, the difficulties of reuniting with family members that have been absent for extended periods of time and domestic violence issues. They provide newcomers with the support to negotiate Canadian institutions such as the school, legal and health care system and offers clinics to help immigrant families complete their income tax forms. The WWCC helps to eliminate barriers to civic involvement, so that newcomers can fully participate in all of the socio cultural aspects of life in Canada. These settlement services are offered at the WWCC’s head office and other community and health care centers across the Greater Toronto Area.
Language and Training Services
The Language Instruction for Newcomers (LINC) offers 5 full-time and 13 part-time day and evening classes that range from basic literacy skills to level 7 in English, as deemed by the Canadian Language Benchmarks. Operating from their North York location, they strive to offer accessible language seminars that address the needs of the community and to encourage the autonomy of these citizens. They hope that these training courses will facilitate the smooth transition into Canadian society. Understanding the familial obligations of its clients, LINC provides child-minding services for 32 children, to enable family members to take part in the training sessions; the childcare services also promote the attainment of English language skills that are related to the developmental age of the child.
On Your Mark is a program that offers tutoring to children of Portuguese descent students in the public and Catholic school boards that are thought to be “at risk”. The criteria used to identify qualifying students involve looking at their literacy and math skills in the early grades, determining if they attend special education support services because of their learning styles, and detect if they are having difficulty during important transition periods in high school.
Home Instruction for Parents of Pre-School Children (HIPPY) selected Working Women Community Centre as the first site in Ontario to offer an original approach to preparing “at risk” children for school. Developed in Israel, the program strives to maximize the potential of young people by practicing early intervention techniques to alleviate any educational challenges. For over 35 years, the program has seen many successes in merging the two principal influences in a child’s life—family and school—to help them plan for educational challenges. With international sites in Australia, Germany, South Africa, Chile, among others, the Toronto site will address the needs of the Jane/Finch/Wilson community, with funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation and Tides Foundation.
Employment Services
Working Women Community Centre administers the Ontario Works Placement Program that offers individuals on social assistance help in entering and reentering the workforce. Thorough assessments of employment goals with the client, guide job search workshops, offer one-on-one counseling sessions, helps clients create strategic plans to return to work and helps them compose their cover letters and resumes. Clients also have access to Counsellors who provide emotional support while they search for jobs and attend interviews, inform clients of job openings and maintain contact for 3 to 5 months after they have secured employment.
Through the Job Search Workshop (JSW) Program WWCC provides 4 day long workshops that assist newcomers look for employment and gives advice on effective interviewing methods. The customer service workshops gives individuals who want to enter the service sector the tools to communicate effectively, handle difficult customers and are taught how to develop positive rapport with customers.
Health and Wellness
The Working Women Community Centre promotes healthy living in the community with fitness programs targeted toward senior citizens and newcomers. The Seniors Wellness and Recreation Program gives older individuals the opportunity to participate in culturally sensitive recreational activities. They also give seniors social support to help them work through feelings of isolation and language barriers.
New Fitness for Newcomers endorse a more active lifestyle by offering immigrant and refugee families the chance to stay fit in their community with yoga, tai chi, multi-cultural dance classes, encourages mall walking and informs them of classes at their local community centre.
Community Development
Working Women Community Centre provides culturally-aware and effective programs that respond to the needs of the communities they serve. Working from their west end and North York east offices, they hope to promote the development of positive and unified communities.
In West Toronto, WWCC offers support during the settlement process to Spanish-speaking clients by offering informational seminars, outreach initiatives and network building workshops. They strive to maximize the potential of the residences by building on the resources in the community. The orientation seminars provide clients with adequate information about resources in the area and the information packages discuss the immigration process, housing, and income security in their native language. The WWCC also facilitates the formation of support groups and trains volunteers to work on a wide range of community projects.
The WWCC office in North York East offers a broader range of community development programs that provide clients with learning opportunities, the chance to participate politically, to interact with other community members, team building and capacity building. Some programs that are presently being run include the Conversation Club, where clients have the opportunity to mingle and practice their English-speaking skills, computer clubs, women’s and seniors’ groups. They have also organized educational workshops that address health, community resources, environmental and legal issues. In partnership with FoodShare and the Oriole Community Services Association, WWCC participated in the development of a community garden with 70 plots for local newcomer residents living in near by highrises.
Women’s Support Groups
Support groups continue to be an integral part of the services at WWCC. A safe and welcoming atmosphere encourages women to develop friendships with women who share similar issues. Over 330 women participate in support groups and continue to meet for 12 week periods one night or afternoon per week. These groups help women transition from violent situations and build self-esteem. The following is a list of current groups:
- Cook ‘n’ Talk- Multicultural Support Group
- Chinese Seniors Group
- Chinese speaking women’s group
- Farsi speaking women’s group
- Educar Educando-se
- Portuguese Seniors Group
- Portuguese Women in Transition
- Querer a Poder
- Renacer, Spanish Seniors Group
Breast Cancer Education Project for Immigrant & Refugee Women
The Working Women Community Centre utilizes drama and popular education to make immigrant and refugee women more aware of the importance of early detection of breast cancer; this project is funded by the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.
Immigrant women face many barriers to accessing breast screening health services because of cultural and social barriers. They may have difficulties communicating in English, are isolated in their community or there is a stigma associated with getting a breast examination. Developed in 2003, the first phase of the project involved the creation of the play “Tomorrow’s Time” which compiled the stories of survival from immigrant women, community workers and those in the health field. Theatre has proven to be an effective way to deliver the message to immigrant and refugee women. “Tomorrow’s Time” has performed across the Greater Toronto Area to 2400 newcomers in ESL, LINC and Toronto District School Board classes. “Tomorrow’s Time” follows the lives of five immigrant women over the course of 50 minutes and explores how breast cancer impacts their existence; they work to overcome the cultural barriers that prevent them from accessing breast screening services. Although the production looks at the experience of immigrant women, it delivers an important message to all women to make their health a priority. The five women who were part of the original cast all migrated to Canada and had a prior experience with breast cancer.
The second phase of the project involved the creation of the Take Time for Breast Health Workshop in affiliation with Toronto Public Health. These seminars were created to reach immigrant women in a less formal setting and with smaller groups; they hoped to relay the message to newcomers that did not attend English language classes or were weary of discussing personal issues to a large group of people. The DVD taping of “Tomorrow’s Time” is used as a starting point to generate discussion. The WWCC trains immigrant women to serve as peer facilitators and to conduct the workshops; they hope that this format of learning will encourage participants to be fully engaged in their educational process. They hope that the Breast Cancer Education Project will promote discussion within the health care industry to offer culturally-sensitive environments for their patients.
The Freedom from Violence through Education is a project that hopes to serve women that are unable to access services through conventional means but are facing issues of domestic violence. They want to encourage women to obtain additional support that is beyond discussing their experience with violent relationships with their peers. Community workers are trained to provide referrals to important services at important social meeting places like hair salons and grocery stores. It is their hope that these social spots will encourage women to talk about issues in their lives with front-line workers there to relay accurate information about where they can seek assistance.
Publications
Tasting Diversity, A Celebration of Immigrant Women and their Recipes
A cookbook featuring 45 immigrant women, their stories and a recipe of their homeland.
Breast Cancer Education Project for Immigrant and Refugee Women
Facilitators Guide
Stepping Stones, A Response to Violence Against Women in Local Communities
Guide to Train Community Volunteers
Dignity, A 30 second PSA promoting WWCC
Making a Difference
30 years of Working Women Community Centre