A message from the president |
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Dear Friends and Community Partners, On behalf of the entire team at the Afghan Women’s Centre of Montreal (AWCM), we wish you all a very merry holiday season and all the best for the New Year.
We are extremely proud of what we have accomplished throughout the year. With our 20th-anniversary celebration still fresh in our minds, we are filled with honour and gratitude to have been able to serve and collaborate with you all over the past two decades and fulfilling our mission of breaking the social isolation of racialized and immigrant women while empowering them and ensuring their smooth integration into Quebec society. |
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As we wind down 2022 and look to 2023, I would like to extend my sincere thanks for all of the hard work our members and team have done throughout the year. To our community partners, thank you all for your continued commitment to the AWCM. May you all be surrounded by those dearest to you this holiday season. See you all in the New Year! Makai Harif President and Founder of the AWCM |
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La version française sera disponible bientôt |
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News for the AWCM Community |
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AWCM’s 20th Anniversary – December 10On December 10, we celebrated 20 years of serving our community and breaking the social, linguistic, and cultural barriers of racialized and immigrant women upon their arrival to this new society. It was truly an elegant and memorable evening with our members, community partners and esteemed speakers, including our very own president and founder Makai Aref, our dear executive director Victoria Jahesh, former cabinet minister and CEO and founder of Onward Maryam Monsef and Member of the National Assembly of Quebec’s Liberal Party Jennifer Maccarone. We thank you all for coming out and celebrating this great milestone in our organization's history. |
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Our team worked tirelessly and endlessly to provide you all with an unforgettable memorable evening. A big thank you to everyone for your contributions to the evening. We couldn't have done it without your dedication and hard work! |
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Photographers/ videographers: Rodaba, Tameem, Annika, and Anahita |
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Tech support: Habib and Sadaf |
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Fashion show: Sadaf , Eva, Mira, Breshna, Maneeja, and Zuhal |
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Testimonies: Homariah , Angella, Rahima, Mounira, Mohammadi, Amanda, Arizo, Saleema, and Jawed |
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Musicians: Jaihoon, Francis, and Olivier. |
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Volunteers: Delafrooz, Angella, Husein, Jawed, Khaled, Jamil, Leily, Maroufa, and Sayeed |
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Planning and organizations: Makai, Victoria, Sadaf, Rodaba, Karine, Amanda, Baharr, Rahima, Sheida, Angella, and Maroufa, |
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Registration team: Najiba, Ebonie and Aysia-Marie. |
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Catering team: Zahra, Jamshed, Mohsen, Ismail, and Farahnaz |
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We also want to thank our community partners: Fondation Y des Femmes de Montreal, Femmes du monde Côte-des-Neiges, UQAM/Relais-femmes au Service aux collectivités, Mosaic for Afghan Women, Peter-McGill, Women Aware, |
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Montreal Women Council and many other great guests, members, volunteers and guests from other different afghan diasporas across Canada. We’re honoured and moved by your continuous support. |
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Closed for the holiday season! |
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The Centre will be closed for the holiday season from December 23, 2022, to January 8, 2023. Language and Computer Courses will resume the week of January 9. The AWCM Team wishes you a very Happy Holiday season and a peaceful and prosperous New Year. See you in the New Year! |
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Why you Should Donate this Holiday Season |
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Did you know that you can receive a tax credit of up to 53% when you donate to registered charities in Canada? Do you want to support women and children in Afghanistan amidst a harsh winter? You can do both! With the new year right around the corner, this is a beautiful way for you to positively impact the community while taking advantage of federal and provincial tax incentives. 👉See today how much you can save in taxes through charitable donations: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/tax-time/ 💰Donate TODAY and make a difference! |
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☀️HELP BRIGHTEN THE LIVES OF MILLIONS OF AFGHAN CHILDREN AND WOMEN DURING THIS DARK WINTER! |
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Upcoming Events and Activities |
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Longest Night of the Year – December 22 |
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The AWCM team and members will celebrate Yaldā Night, also known as the Longest Night of the Year. In Afghanistan, the longest and darkest night of the year is when friends and family gather to eat, drink and read poetry. |
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In this space, our members will share poetry, and their sentiments and reflections on the year, as well as the heartbreaking news of women and girls being banned from attending university in Afghanistan. |
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Past Events and Activities |
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Mosaic for Afghan Women – December 14 |
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IN PERSON: We are filled with pride that our Executive Director, Victoria Jahesh, joined Madeleine Turgeon yesterday evening in the unveiling of the project " Tenir à un fil/Hanging by a Thread" at the Maison Felix-Leclerc in Vaudreuil-Dorion in Quebec to support women and girls in Afghanistan. |
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The Tenir à un fil / Hanging by a Thread project aims to raise awareness of the plight of Afghan women and girls and involves over 1,200 experienced and amateur mosaic artists from 46 countries across the globe. Each artist has made a small segment of glass mosaic, which is being joined together to create a series of giant scarfs. |
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Victoria and Madeleine provided their insights to give a stronger understanding of the situation in Afghanistan and the conditions of women and girls since August 2021. As well as how the AWCM has been responding to these needs. |
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Welcoming Afghan Refugees – November 4 & November 22 |
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IN PERSON: We had the privilege of welcoming two Afghan refugee families into Montreal last month. Continuing our mission of helping newcomers in Canada, we provided them with the necessary information and items for their resettlement process within Quebec. |
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We are proud to be one of the first points of contact for Afghan refugees arriving in Montreal, which continues to be the core of our mission in providing support and guidance for them throughout this new journey in Quebec. |
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Brainstorming for our 20th Anniversary – November 17 |
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Our members had a full-afternoon meeting over delicious Afghan food to discuss the festivities of our 20th-anniversary celebration. We are pleased that our dedicated members were able to join us and contribute valuable ideas and insights to make our 20th-anniversary celebration as memorable and amazing as possible. |
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Collective Kitchen – November 17 |
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IN PERSON: We enjoyed another collective kitchen. With delicious Afghan cuisine and tea prepared by one of our longstanding members for our ongoing Collective Kitchen series. |
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In this space, our members are encouraged to share their hopes, dreams, and experiences in a safe and supportive space, leading to a unified sense of empowerment. We had the opportunity to listen to the personal testimonies of our members describing their experiences migrating to Montreal and finding a sense of home and family within our Centre. |
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We welcome Amanda Asomani-Nyarko as the new communications agent at the AWCM as of early October. Her passion for women’s rights, empowerment, and social justice and activism easily translates in the work that she does with the Centre. As she stated that “ She has learned so much about the community sectors and the NPO field in such a short period of time, and is grateful working with the AWCM team for providing her with valuable experience and endless opportunities.” |
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We welcome Sheida Mousavighavidel as the new administrative assistant. She’s working with the AWCM part-time. A dedicated and kind-hearted individual, her passion for women’s rights, equality and empowerment translates into her brilliant speech-writing abilities. She is grateful to be part of the AWCM team as well as having the great opportunity to gain valuable experience while working with us as she completes her studies in political science at McGill University. |
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The AWCM is looking for motivated individuals willing to work for racialized immigrant women. Please send your resume to info@awcm.ca or through our LinkedIn posting. Full-time, 30h/week contract. OUR IDEAL CANDIDATE - Understands copywriting and has the skills to prove it - Understands social media strategies - Can develop content written and visual - Proficient in graphic design - 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 non-profit sector an asset - 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 - Bachelor's Degree in Political Science, Journalism, Gender Studies, International Studies, Communications and/or Marketing - Speaks English and French *Salary based on experience* |
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Past Events and Activities |
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Financial Literacy Workshop – November 16 |
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ONLINE: In collaboration with our generous partner, TD Bank Group, our members were able to obtain important information about the steps to consider when building a plan for their personal wealth and future retirement. Financial literacy remains an essential and valuable skill in the process of resettlement and provides the tools to build a secure future. Our Center looks forward to being able to provide more accessible and free financial literacy workshops in the New Year! |
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Hear my voice event – November 10 |
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ONLINE: the AWCM had the pleasure of speaking up about the issues and challenges faced by the newly arrived isolated women and women from diverse groups and ethnicities, including Afghan women. We gave speeches and presentations and showed a documentary to the audience about very important topics pertaining to women and the current situation in Afghanistan. |
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16 days of Activism Against GBV campaign – November 30 & December 5 |
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ONLINE: In honour of the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence campaign, the AWCM’s team was pleased to speak about our organization's services and programs that are tailored to racialized and immigrant women. We provided a discourse on how the AWCM programs and services to aid in breaking their social isolation, empowering them and helping with their integration into Quebec society. |
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The Community Services Recovery Fund |
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In an effort to strengthen and modernize the charitable and non-profit sector, the Canadian government announced that the Canadian Red Cross, Community Foundations of Canada, and United Way Centraide Canada have been selected to distribute funding Under The Community Services Recovery Fund, a one-time, $400 million investment. The National Funders are preparing for the launch of the application process in early January 2023. To learn more about eligible projects and how your organization can benefit visit the National Funders’ Community Services Recovery Fund website. You can sign up for a webinar on January 12th to learn how to apply. |
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We encourage our partners to look at the call for proposals. There will be information sessions On Tuesday, January 10, from 10:00 am to 11:30 and Wednesday, January 11, from 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm for the Aire Ouverte Program. The Aire ouverte program can budget $200,000 toward the creation of agreements or contributions by community organizations that support and respond to the needs of 12- to 25- year-olds. Interested organizations may contact aire.ouverte.ccomtl@ssss.gouv.qc.ca by email by January 06, 2023, to register themselves. For more information about this excellent funding opportunity, download this PDF. |
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The Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) 2023 application period is now open. The News Release announcing the launch is available online. The Department will be contacting past applicants of the last two years to inform them that the application period is open. The deadline is January 12, 2023, at Noon. Click below for more information. |
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