Act2EndRacism Project

Date: February 16, 2021

Speaker: Honorable Jason Luan, Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions

Honorable Minister Jason Luan shared his personal experiences of facing racism while growing up, and several ways to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. He also briefed on the support available from the Government of Alberta.

A key service available to the public is the following Alberta Health Service website: https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/amh/Page16759.aspx

In case of further or urgent assistance, you can also call the 211-phoneline.

We were honored to have Ms Yongwook Na, Deputy Consul General of the Korean Consulate in Vancouver, BC join the session as a special guest.

February 18, 2021

Speaker: Young In Kim, Registered Social Worker, Calgary Catholic Immigration Society

Speaker Young In Kim shared recent updates on COVID-19 benefits as well as regular tax credits and benefits. She stated that as the Canadian government is trying hard to remove the financial downside of the pandemic, the financial resources are always changing rapidly.

She also suggested that people should not be discouraged at this time and we can overcome the hardships together.

She emphasized that the government-funded benefits and tax credits can only happen if everyone continues to participate in investment programs and file taxes properly.

If you would like to receive a copy of the presentation, please write to us at info.ckoreanwomen@gmail.com.

February 23, 2021

Speaker: Carol Chau-Wong, Social Worker

Speaker Carol Chau-Wong, who has over 10 years of experience working with many target populations, ranging from immigrants, single parents, families and children within the school setting. She is highly competent in working with children ages 5-18 who have been identified with behavioral, emotional, psychological and cognitive challenges.

The session was aimed at helping participant understand how to identify loss experienced by kids during COVID-19, discuss 5 stages of grieving, provide parents with tips on how they can help kids deal with grief and how parents can help kids cope better during pandemic.

March 4, 2021

Speaker: Young In Kim, Registered Social Worker, Calgary Catholic Immigration Society

Dealing with Racism was offered as a two-part webinar with part one as an orientation and understanding of the concept of racism and how to identify it and the second part was focused on strategies to deal with acts of racism.

The first part was a highly informative session that presented information on what constitutes racism, where racism is found, and why racism still exists. Although there are laws in Canada protecting the equal rights and equal treatment of all individuals, there are still racist acts perpetrated by individuals and groups of people, and sometimes the system itself.

The speaker also examined the status of foreigners in South Korea, a largely mono-ethnic population where these groups are treated differently from South Koreans. Young In also explored the concept of stereotypes and discrimination, what they are and where they come from, as well as why they are still perpetrated.

March 9, 2021

Speaker: Young In Kim, Registered Social Worker, Calgary Catholic Immigration Society

This session examined strategies that can be used by individuals, corporations and governments to prevent racism in all spheres of activity. It explored ways to eliminate stereotypes, how to avoid profiling and how to eradicate discrimination.

Young In highlighted the reasons why people feel threatened by those who look different than them. She highlighted that the key is not to let differences equate to a perceived threat. Individuals need to be aware that all people have the same needs, desires, and vulnerabilities. Speaking a different language, having a different-sounding name or different skin pigmentation does not change this.

The key takeaway was that we all need to accept others’ differences and to be resilient enough not to feel uncomfortable vis-à-vis differences.

March 11, 2021

Speaker: Tara Adams, Workplace Mental Health Specialist, Abridge Consulting

Speaker Tara Adams has over 10 years of experience working with many target populations, ranging from immigrants, single parents, families, and children within the school setting.

This introduction to mental health lays the foundation for understanding the concepts of mental health and mental illness and introduces the mental health continuum tool created by the Mental Health Commission of Canada. During the session, Tara shared effective strategies with the attendees for helping themselves, their families and loved ones in the challenging times of COVID-19 pandemic.

Hon. Yonah Martin, Senator from British Columbia and Mr. Gerald Chipeur, Honorary Consul General for Korea also joined the session as special guests.

March 16, 2021

Speaker: Jaeeun Lee, Career Development Counsellor

Speaker Jaeeun Lee specializes in career development for professional immigrant women and helps immigrants find rewarding careers in Canada and overcome barriers to success through various workshops, one-on-one career counselling sessions on career planning, resume/cover letter critiques, job search strategies, mock interviews, career portfolio creation, labour market information, and career action plans.

The webinar addressed the post-COVID-19 employment trends and challenges. The speaker shared effective strategies that can be used to find jobs and other means of employment. She also helped the attendees understand that it is very important to know their skills, use effective networking online particularly through LinkedIn, and the importance of upgrading their skills for increasing their employability.