The post Parents’ Workshop on Fostering Self-Esteem at Tyndale St-Georges Community Centre appeared first on Montreal Anglican.

With your help, the Mission can:

Include special treats, personal/ homecare items and grocery store gift cards in the 150 Christmas baskets that we will be distributing. 

Provide gifts from Santa for 80+ children.

Prepare 50 special Christmas stockings for our most vulnerable & homeless members that include warm winter clothing, coffee & sandwich gift cards, etc.

Provide a traditional take-out Christmas dinner for over 100 individuals and families.

Continue serving 150+ free hot & healthy take-out meals each week.

Distribute over 200 bags of groceries at our free weekly Food Bank.

Continue to help our members with any needed Covid-19 follow-up.

Please know that your kindness goes a long way in helping to Nourish our community, especially during these challenging times

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Ian is a former diplomat who has completed graduate studies on migration policy and social inclusion and is passionate about the role of civil society in welcoming newcomers to our country. He joins ARM after an extensive search process to identify a new Executive Director.

Before moving to Montreal in 2017, Ian worked as a diplomat for the Canadian government in migration policy and operations. This included postings in England, Lebanon, and South Africa. In the latter two countries, he led teams responsible for refugee resettlement programming and closely collaborated with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and International Organization for Migration (IOM) as well as local governments to facilitate resettlement of individuals to Canada.

After finishing his assignment in South Africa, Ian relocated to Montreal to undertake graduate studies with a focus on studying the experiences of newcomers of diverse backgrounds as they adjust to life in Canada and on the role of civil society in welcoming newcomers. He has presented his research at national and international conferences and published policy briefs, research reports, and peer-reviewed articles on migration policy, refugee resettlement, and the experiences of newcomers. He is currently a PhD candidate at McGill and has a MA from the University of Toronto and BA(Hons) from Crandall University.   

Ian has been involved in refugee sponsorship initiatives in Ontario and Québec and is currently on the board of Citizens for Public Justice, an Ottawa-based Christian public policy advocacy organization.

After a transition period with the Interim Executive Director, Paul Clarke, during October, Ian began full-time leadership on November 8, 2022. He is delighted to join the ARM team as it works to seek justice for asylum seekers and persons who have experienced displacement. He looks forward to meeting with faith groups and community organizations who support or are interested in this work.

Action Réfugiés Montréal (ARM) was founded in 1994 with support from The Presbyterian Church in Canada and the Anglican Diocese of Montreal. Since that time, the core funding received from these two denominations has been essential to sustaining ARM’s work.

ARM is currently the only organization that regularly provides support to individuals who are detained in the Immigration Holding Centre in Laval and a long-term sponsor of refugees officially recognized by the Government of Quebec in the community sponsorship program. ARM also offers innovative programming that matches newcomers to longer-term residents of the Montreal area through its twinning program and runs a men’s group.

At present, ARM employs seven staff who are complemented by interns, volunteers, partner agencies, and community members. As the organization has grown, it receives funding from individual donors, charitable foundations, local churches, and other religious groups and communities.

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People need people, it is as simple as that. After a year of social distancing and severely limited social gatherings, we are all craving human connection. Now more than ever, we need to re-establish and strengthen our connection to our neighbours and our support networks.
Thankfully, Tyndale St-Georges Community Centre was able to re-open last July, (with restrictions) and is now providing programs in-person to all participants except seniors.
The pandemic and the public health guidelines that were implemented have frayed the fabric of many communities such as Little Burgundy whose large, recently- immigrated population struggles with language, cultural, and financial issues as well as an acute sense of isolation. For this community, Tyndale St-Georges Community Centre has been a refuge.
One young single mother, Zoubaida, an Asylum refugee claimant, shares her recent experience as a new member of the Tyndale family.
‘My eldest daughter Sofia (age 4) joined Tyndale’s Early Childhood Department in November… and my youngest daughter, Chloe (age 1) joined this spring semester. Both girls are extremely happy and excited to be part of the program. As an Asylum refugee claimant, my children had no access to nursery school. Tyndale did not just help us … they showed us that good people do exist and that there is goodness in the world.
The girls lived the Christmas spirit thanks to Tyndale St-Georges. I will never ever forget the looks on the girls’ faces when they saw the gifts they received. I am so grateful for the Christmas gift basket of groceries that we also received, it was so hard to be away from my family and support system, but I was able to manage because of the support from Tyndale St-Georges Community Centre.
Tyndale is helping the girls adapt and they have helped me (through the Parent’s Support Group) by providing me a place to share all the ups and downs of parenthood. Whenever I need guidance, I reach out to Tyndale St-Georges. We hope to be part of the Tyndale family for a long time, and I will never forget all the love, support and motivation they gave us.’
Tyndale St-Georges’ Childhood Department has been operating for over 20 years, offering educational support for families with young children ages 0-5. In a safe and nonjudgmental environment, the Department focuses on the power of play, storytelling, and early stimulation as well as nurturing secure attachment with caregivers to foster healthy childhood development.
Typically, around 75 children (often accompanied by their parents) are presented with various learning opportunities, including language acquisition, socialization, fine and gross motor skill development. Along with early literacy, these skills significantly improves their school readiness. Early Childhood activities provide children and their parents opportunities to bond, communicate and grow as a community, and to feel a strong sense of belonging. The families served by the Tyndale St-Georges’ Early Childhood Department represent 45 different countries and languages, creating a diverse mosaic of experience and knowledge. Tyndale St-Georges plays an active and significant role in contributing to better futures for the children who participate in the Early Childhood Department while providing much needed support for their families.
Communities and Community Centres play an important role in every aspect of our lives. Being a part of a community helps us feel safe, secure, and united, especially during a crisis. A strong community of people looking out for our best interests can ease stress and feelings of loneliness and provide opportunities for growth and experience. This is what Tyndale St-Georges Community Centre has been doing for over 90 years; providing residents of Little Burgundy with social and academic support and fostering a strong sense of belonging through programs that inform, empower, unite, and reinforce wellbeing.
The pandemic has provided us the opportunity to better understand our essential human needs. We are grateful that technology enabled the continuation of services for some of our programs. However, the truth is that technology alone is not the panacea for a future crisis. People need people. Studies have shown that in-person services especially in education and social services are more effective than virtual services, the magic is in the human connection.
Tyndale St-Georges Community Centre’s programs strengthen family bonds, educate, and offer valuable community information, connect families in the neighborhood and improve the wellbeing of participants. Your continued support of Tyndale St-George’s youth programs ensures that these young families have the community and academic support they need for the healthy development of the next generation.

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