Canadian Tamil Congress Facilitates a Community round-table with Hon. MacCharles on matters related to youth and children
The Canadian Tamil Congress facilitated a community round-table with Hon. Tracy MacCharles, Minister of Children and Youth Services. This meeting took place on February 24th 2015 at the Canadian Tamil Congress office in Scarborough. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss and understand the needs of children and youth in the Tamil community.
Over 25 organizational leaders and front line service providers who serve youth, children and young-adults with disabilities in the Tamil community participated in the discussion. They included staff from Canadian Tamil Youth Development Centre (CanTYD), Community Living York South, South Asian Autism Awareness Centre (SAAAC), YouthLink, Peel District School Board, Thorncliffe Neighbourhood Office, and Jane Finch Family Centre. Also present at the meeting were representatives from Durham Tamil Association (DTA), Tamil Cultural and Academic Society of Durham (TCASD), Association of Sri Lankan Graduates in Canada ASGC) and Canadian Tamil Professional Association (CTPA).
Discussion topics included:
· Increasing high school graduation rates and entrance to post-secondary education
· Services and programs that support families and help children to reach their full potential
· Steps to decreasing youth violence and crime rate
· Opportunities for skills training and employment
Some of the key findings of the discussion include: extend resources to increase awareness about programs and services and to allow the distribution of information for families and children in multilingual formats; address mental health challenges through a culturally sensitive lens; invest resources strategically so that it is proactive in addressing the root cause; and capitalize on the local knowledge and expertise by strengthening community agencies such as CanTYD to expand their reach across GTA to effectively address the needs of youth.
The Canadian Tamil Congress will continue to be involved with the Minister’s office on the matters discussed at the meeting and will engage and update the participants.
If you are interested in learning more about this or would like to get involved, please contact the Canadian Tamil Congress at info@canadiantamilcongress.ca.