AWCM Newsletter Welcome to our December newsletter! |
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Welcome to our December newsletter! These past months the centre has been busy with its activities and projects, as well as welcoming Afghan refugees to Montreal and providing them with essential services. Here’s a summary of what we’ve been up to in December. Note: The Centre is closed for Holiday season till January 10th 2022. We wish you all a very Happy New Year 2022 !!! |
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To access the French version, follow the link below. |
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NEW HEALTH MEASURES IN FORCE IN QUEBEC, AS OF DECEMBER 20 Dear members and partners, please take note of the new COVID-19 measures in force in Quebec. 1. 3rd dose vaccination People aged 65 and over are now eligible to make their vaccination appointment for their 3rd dose to protect themselves against COVID-19 and the new variants such as Omicron. As of December 27th, people aged 60 years and over will be eligible. 2. COVID-19 Testing Centers COVID-19 vaccination and testing centers are currently facing serious labor shortages. To help reduce wait times you should go for testing only under the following circumstances: You have influenza or COVID-19 like symptoms (COVID-19 Symptom Self-Assessment Tool);
You do not have COVID-19 like symptoms, but one of the following situations apply to you:
Get tested with Labmedsoins! Labmedsoins de santé offers COVID tests at home or within your workplace. PCR tests for travelers with results within 12h to 24h. |
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New measures as of December 20th For more information refer yourself to this link here. |
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Private Gatherings (rented halls) Private Gatherings (residences) Restaurants: Open between 5am and 10pm, with delivery and pick-up services available outside of these hours. Public Events: Closure of all movie theatres, cancellation of all shows and events, closure of all spas and saunas. Stores and Shopping Centers These rules do not apply for personal care (hairdressers, massage therapists...). |
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Places of Worship Passport vaccine mandatory AND venue capacity reduced by 50% (maximum of 250 worshippers) All worshippers must remain seated Wedding and funeral ceremonies may be held without vaccination passport, but with a limited capacity of 25 people.
Workplace: Mandatory telework where possible. Daycare, Primary and Secondary Schools: Closure of primary and secondary schools Postponement of the start of in-person attendance to January 10th. Primary schools will remain accessible to allow for the distribution of rapid testing kits and for vaccination operations.
CPEs will remain open Cegeps, University and Vocational Training: International Travel The federal government has put out an advisory to avoid all non-essential travel, regardless of vaccination status. |
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Organization meetings for our March 7th conference Since October, a group of volunteers has been meeting every Friday to organize an upcoming conference on Afghan women's rights and the refugee resettlement process in Canada. This conference will be held on March 7th and according to the government guidelines, in person. If you want to help us out for the organization of such an event, please contact us at info@awcm.ca. |
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Sewing classes Since the beginning of December, the AWCM has been conducting sewing classes for its members. This is an opportunity to highlight their pre-existent skills as well as developing new ones. |
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Humanitarian support Since the Taliban took power in August 2021, Afghanistan has been plunged into an economic crisis that has hit the population hard. We fear that this crisis will lead to famine and deteriorate the living conditions of the Afghans. Also, the approaching winter is causing fears of famine, especially since humanitarian aid has been cut off. In fact, the Afghan Women's Center organized a humanitarian operation to provide food to vulnerable people in Kabul and funds to families in need. We helped 40 low-income families in Kabul. Through the field assistance, 200 people received healthy and sustainable food. Each participant signed and dated a chart so that our team could keep track of the delivery. |
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Metropolis Congress - December 16 On December 16, the Montreal Afghan Women's Centre was invited to speak at the Metropolis Conference on the resettlement process in Canada and France. Representatives from each country were able to present their views, and an officer from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was also present to bring an international dimension to the discussion and to explore alternative immigration routes. |
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Shab-e Yalda Night - December 20 |
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With our celebration of Shab-e Yalda, we wanted to thank our members and volunteers for this year. It was important to organize, despite the current context, an event representing our culture for our members and volunteers. |
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On Monday, December 20th, the Montreal Afghan Women's Centre hosted a celebration for the longest night of the year. This evening was an opportunity to reconnect with our members and connect through our culture. Shab-e Yalda is celebrated in Persian countries such as Afghanistan and Iran. The longest and darkest night of the year marks "the night opening the initial forty-day period of the three-month winter". The longest night is also celebrated everywhere else in the world, under a different name. In Afghanistan, the tradition was for people to stay in groups during that long night to be protected from evil forces. People would share the last remaining fruits from summer and spend the night together in good company. Most of that spirit hasn’t been lost through the years. Indeed, we still gather with family and friends to share a meal and share tales and poetry. |
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Here are a few slides of the power point presentation we showed participants during the event. |
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During the event, we also showed a video featuring the reading of poems written by Youssof Kohzad. He wrote plays and created artwork for Kabul Theater. He finished his formal art education from the Academy of Art in Rome, Italy in 1965. After returning from Italy, he traveled to the former Soviet Union, India and former Eastern Germany to exhibit his art along with other contemporary Afghan artists. Many of his works are showcased in the Middle Eastern Studies museums in Moscow.In 1976, he founded the National Gallery in Kabul, which included 700 paintings, and some work dating back a hundred years. From 1992 until August 2000, Kohzad became a refugee along with his family and was forced to immigrate to India. In August 2000, he moved to the United States and has been residing in Northern California since then. His first art exhibit in the United States was held in August 2001 in Palo Alto. Click on the button below to watch the video. |
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Gift giving - December 23 During the holiday season, immigrants, especially recent ones, can find themselves isolated. That is why we organized a gift-giving afternoon to our members. |
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OUR PROJECTS The AWCM is now starting its employability project. Because of their status, immigrant women face discrimination related to their gender, their origins, and their age, both in the labour market and in the office. With the recent arrival of Afghan refugees on the island of Montreal, it became necessary to develop this project as soon as possible. Indeed, they will face, firstly, the language barrier, and secondly, an employment system that is unknown to them. Therefore, for newcomers as well as for those who have been integrated into Quebec society for several years, our centre wishes to provide them with the tools to find a stable job. This search involves skills in French and English, writing a resume and cover letter, mastering computerized research tools, and training for job interviews. With this project we hope to help the economic integration of racialized immigrant women and Afghan women newcomers. We want them to feel ready to take part in the labour market by offering them all the tools to lead them to success. Developing these kinds of skills is an integral part of our empowerment mission: after their training, the participants will be able to be autonomous in their search and to approach the world of work without fear and with all the information in their hands. |
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Join our team! The AWCM is looking for motivated individuals willing to work for immigrant women of color. Please send your resume to info@awcm.ca and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Communication Agent This is a full-time position for 30 hours per week in our office downtown (near Guy-Concordia Metro Station). Our ideal candidate: - Understands copywriting and has the skills to prove it,
- Understands social media strategies and marketing,
- Can develop content written and visual,
- Will participate in the curation and development of our brand image on all written content,
- Has exceptional organizational skills, detail-oriented, and capable of managing multiple projects while respecting deadlines.
Requirements: - Experience working in the nonprofit sector as an asset,
- Bilingual in French and English
- Experience in office administration is a requirement,
- Previous experience in social media (primarily Instagram and Facebook),
- Excellent writing and analytical skills,
- Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office and computer skills,
- Degree in Communications or Political Science, or any relevant subject.
Grant writer The grant writer will aid and support the Afghan Women’s Centre with grant and loan funding. Duties include writing, editing, and submitting grants, preparing reports, understanding funding needs, ensuring compliance with funding requirements are met. Research, write, prepare, and submit strong grant proposals, Manage grant calendar and deadlines, Provide timely reports to grantors, Point of contact for existing grants and funding partnerships, Ensure grant, donor and gift information are up to date and accurateé.
Qualifications / Experiences: Knowledge of community resources, Experience with grant writing, Appropriate computer skills; extensive experience with Microsoft Word and Excel, Fluency in both French and English, Excellent written and oral communication skills, Ability to research and understand documentation.
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Home | Afghan Women's Centre of MontrealOur Goal, Vision & Commitment Register & Help Make Change Volunteer, Participate, or Donate AWC AWC empowers socially isolated immigrant women within Montreal through creating programs according to their needs, facilitating self-development workshops and promoting team-based projects. We are a team of women from diverse backgrounds who are unified by the goal of empowering immigrant women in Montreal. |
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