NEWSLETTER Vol.99 Aug 2018

Transcription

1 NEWSLETTER Vol.99 Aug 2018 The 34th KCWA Annual General Meeting The 34th KCWA Annual General Meeting was held on July 28 (Sat) at North York office with 33 members attending. The President and Chair of the Board, Joseph Park, made the opening speech and the motion was carried by all participants to approve the 2017 AGM minutes. The Treasurer, Steve Lee, reported on the finances and sought approval from the members to re-appoint Stern & Cohen Accountants as next year s auditors which was carried unanimously. This past year has been another important one for KCWA. In addition to our core Settlement and Family Services, KCWA completed three important projects. 'Empowerment Through Knowledge and Empower Me projects were successfully completed with great support from the community and Champions for Youth project is also in its final stage. According to a client satisfaction survey completed by KCWA service users (n=572), 97.3% responded that they were highly satisfied with the expert help they received from KCWA. Lastly, Jaeyell Kim, Michelle Kim, and John Chang were elected as our new members of the Board of Directors. The new Board of Directors will carry on the work of the six retired board members. KCWA expresses a sincere gratitude to former Board members who as a result of their contribution have made KCWA stronger: Mary Choi, Sung-Hak Choi, Kwi Ran Ahn, Kyung Ai Choi, Bok Sil Shin, and Hee-Jeong Kim.

2 Program News Active Senior Life Series Active Senior Life Series was created to provide information on various topics about senior benefits in pensions, financial management, social welfare benefits, rent-geared-to-income housing, health care and preparation of cemetery and funeral. KCWA conducted this workshop to provide Korean Senior immigrants with relevant information, resources, and knowledge in Korean language to help them overcome language barriers and other difficulties. Participants felt they have gained useful information on the Canadian system and left the workshop feeling prepared to start planning for their active senior life. Building Stress-Free Relationships Building Stress-Free Relationships was the second series of the RISE project. The RISE project was created to improve a sense of well-being for Korean immigrant women and to help them live a quality life in a new country. This workshop was delivered in four consecutive two-hour sessions between July and August It covered topics on 1) how to deal with stress in a relationship, 2) understanding the interpersonal communication skills through personality types, 3) how to take care of your broken heart, and 4) how to control your anger and anxiety. Participants of varying age groups, ranging from the 30s to 90s, attended the workshop and learned how to manage stress and build 'stress-free relationships' by sharing their experiences. Participants were highly satisfied with the workshops and they believed it was a good opportunity to share honest thoughts and feelings with other participants. The next series of the RISE project, Helping Children with School Life. It will be held on September 19th and

3 26th at the KCWA North York office. This session is targeted to parents with teenagers. Date: September 19 and 26 (Wed) 10:00 am - 12:00 pm Location: KCWA North York Project Coordinator: Sunghee Osin Contact: / sunghee.osin@kcwa.net Upcoming Event 2018 Korean Immigrants Day - The Future of Youth - Korean Immigrants Day will be held on Saturday, September 22 from 10 am to 2:30 pm at the KCWA North York office. This is an annual event sponsored by the Overseas Korean Foundation and the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Toronto. This event will provide useful information on careers in medicine and its admission for Korean immigrants. Also, there will be a keynote speaker who will share his own life experience of finding a unique self-identity in a collective culture. The event will feature a string trio and band performances. Participants can receive counseling and mentorship services as well as various valuable information from booths prepared by other community organizations. Date: September 22 (Sat) 10 am - 2:30 pm Location: KCWA North York Contact: / myoungsuk.joo@kcwa.net KCWA Art Exhibition The art class of Reflection Art takes place every Tuesday at the KCWA downtown office. One volunteer

4 instructor leads seven members to have a meaningful interaction by sharing their experiences as immigrants in Canada. The art class aims to reduce social isolation and encourages participants to be involved in community activities for a healthy life. Over 20 artworks will be presented at the 12th Reflection Art Exhibition which is held on October 23rd from 1 pm to 7 pm at the KCWA North York office. Participants can observe the artworks and understand each member s stories through these pieces. Date: October 23 (Tue) from 1pm - 8pm Location: KCWA North York Contact: / minhee.park@kcwa.net Volunteer's Vocie Dreams Come True - Emma Eun Lim - When I came to Canada, I visited KCWA to receive help in Permanent Residence Applications. I was very impressed by the help I received, and this experience has led me to become a volunteer. Experiences I had with KCWA were a great motivator that eventually led me to achieve a master s degree at the University of Toronto in In 2014, I worked for an organization that conducted a research on women s support programs in various cultural organizations in Canada. As I was doing my research, I was surprised to see that most of the services that support Korean immigrants were organized by KCWA Family and Social Services.counseling. As a mother and a student with a full-time job, there were many times I wanted to give up, however, KCWA s staff were always there for me and encouraged me to keep going. During my past decade in Canada, KCWA was a family to me. 30 years ago, Korean immigrant women organized KCWA with the vision to happily settle into Canada and to contribute value to the society and their family. Maybe this is the Korean mindset. Perhaps, I believe that this strong and healthy mindset was the driving force that motivated us to continue moving forward.

5 Through KCWA, I learned that dreams do come true. Get involved in KCWA KCWA Family and Social Services provides diverse services and programs to men, women, senior and youth all of them for a healthy family and successful settlements. With your participation in various ways, KCWA will be able to offer you more high-quality services. Volunteers Needed - Translation / Interpretation / Proofreading - Outreach (Website / SNS / Others) - e-newspaper Publication - Program Assistance (Seminar and Event) To become a volunteer at KCWA, please fill out the volunteer application form (word file/pdf file) and contact us or apply online Participation through Membership As a member, you will be receiving newsletters and have a right to vote at our Annual General Meeting. To become a member kindly fill out the membership form and send it to KCWA Family and Social Services at kcwa@kcwa.net Participation through Financial Support If you are willing to participate in KCWA's mission through donation, fill out the donation support form and send it to KCWA Family and Social Services at kcwa@kcwa.net KCWA Newsletter Committee Sarah Ku (Writing Article / Editing / Proofreading) Rachel Kim (Writing Article) Sally Joo (Supervisor) KCWA Family & Social Services

6 Down town Office 27 Madison Avenue, Toronto, ON. M5R 2S2 Norh York Office 540 Finch Avenue, W. 2nd Fl. Toronto, ON. M2R 1N7 Tel: (416) Fax:(416) Web: