Islamic Family & Social Services Association
2020 COMMUNITY REPORT
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL, THE COMPASSIONATE
I greet you all with Peace:
I hope that this message finds you and your families well, mentally, physically and spiritually.
Last year, I had the pleasure of rejoining the IFSSA board and the honour of being appointed President after having been away from the board - in body, but not in spirit - for about 5 years. I cannot express how amazed and proud I am of the strides and growth that the organization has made. IFSSA has matured and blossomed into a sophisticated and impactful organization all while retaining what has always made it so great - heart, compassion, and care for our community.
As I think back on this past year, I reflect on the difficult times that have passed and those ahead:
- An economic downturn spurred by a global pandemic, layered on an economy in Alberta that was already slow to recover from an oil and gas decline
- The loss of loved ones, not only to the global health crisis, but to other tragic events like the Iranian plane crash and the devastating explosions in Beirut
- Historic and current injustices boiled over and gave rise to protests and civil unrest, as systemic racism was laid bare for all to see
These events created environments for global uncertainty, trauma, and anxiety felt by everyone the world over. Edmontonians were unfortunately not spared. But there is light even in the darkest situations.
Although our ability to physically gather was curtailed, there were many hidden blessings: people continued to find connection virtually, nature became a part of our daily lives as many dedicated time to go out and enjoy a walk or bike ride, and the love of baking returned to many households (if the flour and yeast shortage told us anything… it was that we love our bread).
IFSSA too enjoyed auspicious recognition this year, receiving Imagine Canada Accreditation and the Government of Alberta’s Inspiration Award for Leadership in Family Violence Prevention.
And in keeping with the theme of hope, we’re proud that IFSSA’s response to this uncertainty has been a response of Ihsan - serving with excellence and a sense of social responsibility borne from spiritual conviction.
IFSSA’s seven-days-a-week Helpline provided much support and answers to those in distress. Our online counselling services and mental health support were a welcomed connection in these times of isolation. And, our foodbank was a place where many turned, having faced job-loss.
But short-term relief was not IFSSA’s only focus. This past year also saw us be proactive. As community demand increased, and new emerging needs were identified, IFSSA invested in research and strategies that address long-term care, and preventative programming that enables our community to flourish not just today, but tomorrow.
At IFSSA, Ihsan motivates us to act in the here and now, but it also spurs us to look at the future and to prepare, as best we can, for what is to come. As our tradition teaches us, our collective obligation to serve with excellence means that we love for the rest of creation what you love for ourselves - always.
Howaida Hassan P.Eng.
Board President, IFSSA || [email protected]
MEET OUR FAMILY
BOARD | STAFF |
Howaida Hassan | President | Omar Yaqub | Servant of Servants (Executive Director) |
Jabir Devjee | Vice-President | Ayaan Ahmed | Frontline Navigator |
Abdallah Fares CPA CMA MBA| Treasurer & Past-President | Hani Al Askari | Refugee Settlement Coordinator |
Shaista Ali | Secretary | Ibrahim Long | Youth Wellness Lead & Chaplain |
Erum Afsar | Ishmal Naveed | Support Worker |
Youssra Badr | Kamran Dadi | The Green Room Youth Program Manager |
Zacharia al Khatib | Lena Awwad | Research Lead |
Lubna Zaeem MEd | Registered Psychologist & Clinical Director | |
Mohammed Husseen RSW | Support Worker | |
Naheed Amjad-Minhas |Fostering Healthy Families Lead | |
Naila Mohamed | Frontline Navigator | |
Reem Al Hag | Frontline Navigator | |
Rola Mustafa | Building Roots Manager | |
| Samantha Vaux RSW | Support Worker |
Shukri Farah | Support Worker | |
| Suha Zain Alabidin | Support Worker |
| Sumaira Farooq | Essential Care Manager |
| Taouba Khelifa | Communications Lead |
| |
Aisha Ahmed | Summer Student | |
Dalyah Mouallem | Summer Student | |
Fatima Dhooma | Summer Student | |
Ibrahim Naser | Summer Student | |
Saleh Fayaz | Summer Student | |
IN 2020 IFSSA CHOSE TO
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO RESPOND WITH IHSAN?
At IFSSA, we believe in serving beautifully. Service is a skill – a pursuit – that requires refinement & excellence. We are driven to produce goodness in everything we do. We are open to questioning ourselves, inviting feedback, and striving each day to make things a bit better than they were before.
Despite the turbulent and challenging times we found ourselves in this past year, the IFSSA family chose to respond with IHSAN: To persevere. To continue to serve with excellence and compassion. To invest in our community, now and in the future.
When we ask ourselves “how can we support the whole person flourish in our community?" we know that the answer to this lies in responding with Ihsan.
Message From Our Executive Director
As-Salamu ’Alaykum + Greetings of Peace & Felicity:
IFSSA does not stand on its own, it stands with community.
The support the community has shown us this past year has been tremendous. Ahead of us is a huge responsibility: how do we holistically heal a community distanced and shaken emotionally, economically and physically by Covid ? How do we live IFSSA’s values: Beneficence (Ihsan), Heartfelt Ingenuity, Light (Noor), True Partnership, and Mercy (Rahma) in this new turbulent landscape?
What we have heard when listening to community and through conducting research is that we need to dig deeper. We have seen the needs of our community shift – mental health and economic stability are now paramount concerns. We are compelled now more than ever to focus our efforts on resolving the systemic causes that lead to poverty, isolation, anxiety, and other tribulations.
The solution is community – there isn’t a problem that community can’t solve. From housing to hope, community has a role. We will need to innovate in the spaces we host, the programs we offer, the ways we disperse funds, and how we work together.
I pray that we may be wholehearted servants and a source of replenishment for all.
Omar Yaqub MBA BSc
Servant of Servants (ED) || [email protected]
CELEBRATING WINS
1. IMAGINE CANADA ACCREDITATION
This past Ramadan (May 2020) IFSSA became one of the newest charities accredited under Imagine Canada - the gold standard for nonprofits. With this achievement, IFSSA joins a distinguished community of nonprofit organizations dedicated to operational excellence and the highest standard of care. There are more than 23,000 nonprofits in Alberta, less than 35 (and less than a dozen in Edmonton) have achieved Imagine Canada accreditation.
Imagine Canada accreditation took over 1000 hours of investment. It included thorough documentation, updating, centralization & independent peer-review of IFSSA’s systems with special consideration invested into accessibility, equity, and serving vulnerable segments such as those with low English literacy. Our commitment to excellence is an ongoing journey that requires continual investment in transparency, accountability, governance, management & sharing. Accreditation is reassessed on an ongoing basis.
EARNING THE ACCREDITATION, ESPECIALLY IN THESE CHANGING TIMES, SHOWS REMARKABLE RESILIENCE, AND A STRONG COMMITMENT TO INNOVATION AND EXCELLENCE. WE COMMEND THE LATEST WELL-DESERVING RECIPIENTS OF THE TRUSTMARK FOR ACHIEVING IMAGINE CANADA'S STANDARDS ACCREDITATION, AND DEMONSTRATING OUTSTANDING ADHERENECE TO SOUND GOVERNANCE.
- Bruce MacDonald, President and CEO of Imagine Canada
2. INSPIRATION AWARD
This past summer, IFSSA was awarded the Government of Alberta’s Inspiration Award for Leadership in Family Violence Prevention. This award recognizes IFSSA’s important work, for over 25 years, as a leading voice against domestic violence in diverse communities.
We are humbled by this huge recognition, and are grateful to our community for the continued support and love, in allowing us to help keep vulnerable Albertans safe.
Since 2012, the Inspiration Awards have recognized extraordinary Albertans for their leadership in ending family violence and abuse in their communities and across the province. This year, the awards recognize Albertans who demonstrate a commitment to preventing family violence, sexual violence and bullying.
3. ALUMNI HONOUR
This past year, we were also thrilled for our very own Registered Psychologist & Clinical Director, Lubna Zaeem, to be recognized through the University of Alberta’s Alumni Honour Award.
This award recognizes the significant contributions made over a number of years by the University of Alberta alumni in their local communities and beyond.
Lubna began volunteering with IFSSA in 2007, sitting on its board and offering individual and family counselling to newcomers. In addition to this award, Lubna’s leadership in guiding outreach and counselling programs, as well as providing cultural competency training for government, law enforcement and service organizations, has earned her the Athabasca Volunteer Service Award, the YMCA Peace Medal and the Governor General’s Sovereign Medal.
We are grateful and humbled to have Lubna as part of our team!
RESPONDING TO COVID & UNCERTAINTY
The uncertainty surrounding the global Covid pandemic has left many governments, organizations, and communities with more questions than answers. IFSSA’s mission is to support individuals and families in our community to flourish, and this statement speaks louder now, than ever before.
Despite these strange times we find ourselves, IFSSA continues to serve the needs of Edmonton’s most vulnerable. Covid showed us the resilience of our team, and the importance of serving despite all the difficulties and barriers. During these uncertain times, our staff relied on one another for support, found innovative solutions to continue to serve, and stood by one another through thick and thin. We are forever grateful for our staff and board for caring and nurturing our community.
As an organization, IFSSA’s response to Covid has looked at both short-term and immediate changes, as well as long-term investment into research and capacity building.
SHORT-TERM RESPONSE TO COVID
Changes to Office Operations
Like other organizations in the city, we had to make changes because of Covid to ensure the health and safety of our clients and frontline staff.
- Foodbank has been running continuously without interruption throughout the pandemic
- Transitioned from improvised plastic barriers to a dedicated sliding window to allow for ‘drive-through’ hamper pickups
- Increased access to hampers by offering deliveries to our highly vulnerable clients
- Shifted seniors and immuno-compromised volunteers out of key positions; this created increased workloads for frontline staff
- Some staff were transitioned to remote work, others continued to provide essential services from our office spaces while adhering to physical distancing protocols
- Ensured all appointments for food hampers and services were scheduled, no drop-ins
Supporting Those in Isolation
The pandemic led to increased isolation and anxiety for many people, as well as a high rate of families experiencing economic uncertainty and financial hardship. We had a 40% surge in demand for IFSSA’s services since January 2020.
- Online Counselling & Support
- Diversified our counselling options to allow for confidential and secure phone and virtual counselling
- Support Workers transitioned to providing emotional support and advocacy to clients through phone and online
- Provided online holistic support to families with multiple needs in collaboration with other agencies
- Transitioned all support groups online, to be able to continue to provide psycho-educational programming
VISIT IFSSA'S ONLINE COUNSELLING & MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTS HERE
- Online Programming
- Delivered multiple weekly workshops and reflections online around anxiety, self-care, compassion and mercy, building resilience, and other pertinent topics
- Transitioned all youth programs and events to online
- Increased social media engagement with youth demographic through interactive campaigns and Instagram connections
Dawud* called IFSSA’s Helpline seeking support for his family. A young man in his 30’s, Dawud was laid-off from his firm at the start of the Covid pandemic. He had no idea if he would find work in the coming months, and to make matters worse, his work-permit expired while he was unemployed.
Dawud was overwhelmed about the future. How would he take care of his children and feed his family? How could he pay rent? What would happen if his work permit could not be renewed, and he was forced to return to war and violence in his home country? Life became very complicated, all at once.
After speaking with Dawud on the Helpline, our Support Worker set up a monthly food hamper for him and his family, and helped him access the Covid rent relief program. Within a few days, Dawud was scheduled for another appointment with an IFSSA Support Worker. Our team guided him through the extensive immigration process, and provided him with support in navigating the complicated systems to resolve his work permit application.
A few weeks ago, we heard from Dawud. He was able to secure another job at a new firm, and he and his family were successfully accepted as Permanent Residents in Canada! Dawud says IFSSA’s “unforgettable support [was a] rebirth of my life and my family.”
IFSSA's Helpline
IFSSA's Helpline (780.900.2777) is a free and confidential call and text service that was launched in November 2019. Culturally and spiritually sensitive professionals are available to provide support, advice, comfort, information and resources in multiple languages. Our Helpline is open 10 AM - 10 PM, 7 days a week.
- Increased referrals to our helpline to better be able to serve clients safely and abide by health guidelines
- Helpline saw an average of 61 callers a month, over a period of ten months
IN THE FIRST 11 MONTHS OF THE HELPLINE'S OPERATION, WE RECEIVED 748 UNIQUE CALLERS SEEKING SUPPORT
Through a holistic approach to client care, our team works to support families to flourish - no matter how complicated a situation may be.
Throughout the pandemic, our team has continued the work we have always done; realizing that it's more important now than ever. But we have also taken time to think about the future.
What will this new normal look like? How do we ensure that families and communities are able to continue to flourish now, and post-Covid? What foundations do we need to build now, to set us up for success in the future?
LONG-TERM RESPONSE TO COVID
We thrive to be proactive in the work we do. It’s important for us to invest in research. This means thinking about the long-term impact of current challenges we are facing, and trying to implement the necessary strategies and programs in place to respond to those needs.
As Covid began impacting the world, we decided to invest time and energy in understanding the impact of the pandemic on our community. In partnership with a number of community organizations, we developed and conducted a dynamic survey on the impact of the pandemic on ethnocultural communities.
- Worked alongside Catholic Social Services, the Edmonton Mennonite Center for Newcomers, MAPs Alberta, the Edmonton Social Planning Council, the Multicultural Health Brokers, and the Alberta Council for Women’s Shelters
- IFSSA volunteers were primary leads in conducting survey and gathering results
- All volunteers underwent extensive online training and confidentiality checks
- Survey was conducted in 4 different languages (English, Urdu, Somali, Arabic)
THE GOAL OF THE SURVEY WAS TO DETERMINE THE CURRENT NEEDS & CHALLENGES FACING ETHNOCULTURAL COMMUNITIES DURING COVID AND FORECAST THE EMERGING NEEDS & DEMANDS SOCIAL SERVICES WILL FACE IN THE FUTURE
68%
of clients reported feeling lonely, trapped or isolated
60%
said they faced mental health challenges & anxiety
66%
are using social media as their primary information source for Covid
Current Findings
While the survey results are still being assessed, a few common themes and challenges have begun to emerge:
- As we continue to serve our community with basic and essential services (like food hampers), there is a growing need for mental health supports
- Isolation, mental health and anxiety eclipsed food and income security as the biggest concerns people were facing
- Ethnocultural communities are not receiving information about the pandemic from trustworthy sources; information is primarily being received through social media and Whatsapp
- Language barriers prevent many individuals from accessing reliable and important information
- Social service agencies, like IFSSA, are a trusted source, and play a crucial role as community connectors; these agencies can help relay important information and health and safety guidelines to ethnocultural communities.
We are now working on phase 2 of the survey where we will take a deeper dive into the data and gain a better understanding of the emerging needs we identified in phase 1. The findings from the survey will be released at the end of this year.
In the midst of Covid, IFSSA received a visit from an Edmonton Police Officer. An elderly woman, in her late 70’s, had been found wandering the city with no ID on her except her IFSSA client card. The elder spoke a language that the police officer and many of our staff were unable to understand. No one knew why she was out alone, where she lived, or how to help. This is where IFSSA stepped in. We contacted our extensive network of community members and volunteers, and managed to find someone who spoke the elder woman’s language and particular dialect. Through phone translation, we finally understood what was happening: the elder - Mariam* - lived on her own. She had stepped out of the house for a walk, became confused, and forgot her way back. IFSSA’s staff was able to support Mariam with a food hamper, and booked her a safe ride home. Within a few days, our Support Workers developed a plan to ensure that Mariam was connected to essential supports in her neighbourhood, and that she was not socially isolated and alone during the pandemic. Our team also set up hamper deliveries for Mariam, so that she could stay within the comfort of her own home, and not have to travel for food. Our team continues to checks-in on Mariam regularly, to make sure she is doing well and staying connected. |
RESPONDING TO COMMUNITY NEEDS
Refugee Sponsorship
IFSSA’s Refugee Program focuses on supporting refugees to settle and integrate into Edmonton, as well as working with those already living in Edmonton to privately sponsor refugees. This past year has been a busy one for our Refugee program, with Covid only making things more complex and timelines much longer.
- Collaborated with the Government of Canada in the sponsorship and settlement of 28 BVOR refugees to Edmonton
- Opened our Private Sponsorship Program in early 2020 and received an overwhelming number of applications - 390 individuals applied for 50 available spots
- Supported the settlement of refugees from Jordan, Ethiopia, South Africa, and Kenya
- Partnered with the Refugee Sponsorship Training Program to train 11 volunteers with knowledge and resources to process refugee applications and support families in successfully completing private sponsorship forms
- Worked alongside community donors and IFSSA’s Essential Care staff to prepare 6 homes for newly arrived refugee families: this included furniture donations, cleaning supplies, groceries, sanitization kits, children’s toys
- Coordinated and scheduled appointments for refugee families, with the help of IFSSA’s Support Workers: this included applying for social insurance, accessing health and dental care, registering children for school, applying for LINC English classes, obtaining driver’s licenses, and much more
In addition to this important settlement work that our team was busy with, we also were presented with a few new challenges due to Covid:
- Delays in processing applications
- Delays for families booking and attending critical medical appointments
- Lack of access to computers in the home meant children had a difficult time accessing online school
Our staff worked hard to try to obtain laptops for families, mediate solutions between schools and families, and arrange urgent medical appointments.
WHAT IS PRIVATE SPONSORSHIP? PRIVATELY SPONSORED REFUGEES COME TO CANADA THROUGH PRIVATE SPONSORSHIP FROM FAMILY MEMBERS, FRIENDS OR GROUPS. THE SPONSOR IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FINANCIAL, SOCIAL & EMOTIONAL NEEDS OF THE REFUGEE FOR ONE YEAR, AFTER THEY ARRIVE.
WHAT IS BOVR? BLENDED-VISA OFFICE REFFERED REFUGEE (BVOR) CASES ARE REFUGEES WHO HAVE BEEN IN CAMPS FOR MANY YEARS AND ARE FACED WITH MULTIPLE LAYERS OF COMPLEXITY (WAR, TRAUMA, MEDICAL, MOST VULNERABLE) AND REQUIRE IMMEDIATE RESETTLEMENT. FAMILIES ARE CHOSEN THROUGH THE UNHCR AND THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA. THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF CARING FOR THE REFUGEE ARE SHARED BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT & THE PRIVATE SPONSOR.
IFSSA is working on training modules to help explain the sponsorship process and the various sponsorship & immigration categories. These modules will be released at the end of 2020.
Global Stitches
IFSSA’s Global Stitches is an eight-month capacity building program that equips refugee women with the means to improve their sewing and embroidery skills, gain essential business training, and learn how to sell their products and start their own small businesses. The program empowers participants to become economically independent and flourish in Canada.
- Two cohorts of 15 women graduated from the program since it began in late 2018
- Participants mainly come from refugee backgrounds, and reported that the program assisted in building their skills in sewing and embroidery as well as their social support network
- Collaborated with BusinessLink and Futurpreneur to equip participants with training to start collective or individual small businesses
- Graduates participated in many popup shops around the city
- Graduates working with IFSSA staff to launch their own pop-up store, taking place next spring; the aim is to provide participants with an opportunity to market and sell their products, and connect them to potential stockists, business partners and customers
- Six graduates began working from home serving clients within their own circle, two graduates are selling items on Instagram, and one graduate was hired as a seamstress for a local small business
- Prior to Covid, many local small businesses contacted IFSSA to facilitate the hiring of a few of the graduates
A few days before the global Covid lockdown, the Hassan* family landed in Edmonton as newly arrived refugees. Amidst the chaos and uncertainty, IFSSA’s staff warmly welcomed the family to Edmonton. In place of hugs, the smiles were radiant. In place of handshakes, the Hassan kids showed us how to do “foot shakes”. With a little creativity and a lot of love, our team found ways to make the first few moments of the family’s welcome to Edmonton a little less stressful.
The Hassan’s fled Somalia’s civil unrest and were living in South Africa as refugees for 10 years. Earlier this year, the family was identified by UNHCR as being extremely vulnerable and in need of resettlement to safety. Through the government's BVOR Sponsorship Program, the family was selected to come to Edmonton.
Prior to Covid, the first few days of a refugee family’s life in Canada were filled with connections, meetings, and learning about new systems. IFSSA staff would support the newly arrived families through several appointments, and schedule visits to community organizations and groups. Covid changed this drastically for the Hassan’s.
The Hassan family were mandated to complete a 14-day quarantine. It’s not easy arriving in a new country, with so many hopes and dreams, only to be told that you can’t leave your house for 2 weeks. To make things more difficult, internet companies were not able to access the Hassan’s home until after their quarantine period. Without internet access, the family was under complete lockdown.
Isolation impacts mental health. It can cause stress, increased fear, anger, frustration. Our team knew the importance of these first two weeks in Canada for the Hassan family. Every morning, we called the Hassan’s to check in on how they were doing. We shared stories, joked with the kids, and asked if they needed anything for the house. Our staff dropped off groceries, colouring books and toys for the kids, and topped up the family's sanitizer and soaps. We reached out to our community and volunteers to connect with the Hassan family - people sent videos, activity ideas, welcome cards, and our friends at Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society even sent a welcome song in Cree, to officially introduce the Hassan’s to Treaty 6 Territory and Edmonton.
While the first 2 weeks of the Hassan family’s life in Canada was under quarantine, we are so grateful to our community for filling their home with warmth and love as they started this new journey!
Chaplaincy & Youth Wellness
IFSSA’s Youth Wellness Lead & Chaplain position came out of a listening campaign, where youth identified a major need for mental health supports grounded in their faith and identity. In early 2020, we hired Ibrahim Long to fill this role.
I HAVE HAD THE HONOUR TO SERVE YOUTH WHO DO NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE APPROACHING NON-FAITH-BASED COUNSELLING RESOURCES. [THESE YOUTH] EXPRESSED A DESIRE TO MEET WITH SOMEONE WHO THEY BELIEVED COULD HELP THEM BETTER ADDRESS THEIR CONCERNS IN A MANNER THAT INTEGRATED THEIR SPIRITUAL FRAMEWORK, FAITH IDENTITY & CULTURAL PRACTICE.
Over the past few months, here’s what we’ve done:
- Signed official agreements with NAIT and the U of A to offer Muslim chaplaincy services for students on campus; agreements included onsite office space where counselling sessions can be held, and where students can access spiritually-integrative resources
- Expanded network by connecting to community organizations and providing workshops and speaking engagements; examples include a session with McEwan’s Counselling Office on how to support Muslim students, and a workshop at the “Muslim Minds Summit” - a youth-led conversation on mental health for Muslims
- Led a unique social support group called Coffee with the Chaplain focused on mindfulness exercises, Islamic reflections, and guided conversations about mental health and social wellness concerns
- All youth counselling moved online, and made easily accessible to students by using an innovative booking system that makes scheduling quick and easy
The Green Room
2020 has been a year where The Green Room had to quickly adapt and respond to a global health crisis while still providing opportunities for youth to meaningfully connect, grow, and serve. Here’s what we accomplished this year:
Pop-Up
Pop-Up arose from our 2019 Listening Campaign where we learned that “youth are seeking healthy, dynamic, and empowering community spaces across the city” and as a result, we made a goal to increase our reach.
- Continued building momentum with Pop-Up, seeing 15-20 regular attendees at the U of A on Mondays and Thursdays, and at NAIT on Tuesdays
- Students had the opportunity to socialize, participate in structured discussion circles and icebreakers delivered by The Green Room staff
- Post-Covid, the goal is to see Pop-Up continue to grow and reach more campuses and schools in Edmonton
#OpenDoorsRamadan
Quarantining and lockdowns significantly impacted our Ramadan plans. We could no longer do one of our staple annual Open Doors Ramadan - a month-long meal sharing and meaningful connections platform over the course of the blessed month. Instead, we had to think about more creative ways to engage our youth.
- Created #OpenDoorsRamadan, an online user-generated content series where youth could submit their Ramadan stories, experiences, memories, and traditions
- Featured 32 of these submissions across social media
- Hosted Virtual Iftars for youth to log into each week to break fast together, share what they are having for iftar, and explain family and cultural traditions in Ramadan
The Next Chapter
There are a few exciting things on the horizon at The Green Room. What we are most excited about are:
- MakerSpace: Alongside the Mosquers Film Festival, we began planning what a space that supported young creatives could look like. We’ve gathered our first materials (iMac, camera, lights, tripod, green screen) and are excited to build one of the first Makerspaces targeting ethnocultural and Muslim youth and creatives.
- New Era: We brought together a team of dedicated youth, community leaders and experts to oversee and usher in a new era of The Green Room. Over the course of the summer, we worked hard to hire The Green Room’s newest Youth Initiatives Manager & Artist in Residence - Timiro Mohamad.
When we work with families, we focus on the whole family unit. At IFSSA, we ensure that we support not just the parents, but also the children, to flourish.
Ramy* is in high school. He and his family arrived in Edmonton ten months ago. Ramy’s life hasn’t been easy: he is the oldest of 10 siblings, witnessed war and displacement, worked to support his family at a young age, was bullied and harassed by teachers and students in the refugee camp, and never had the chance to complete his education until he moved to Canada. IFSSA’s staff introduced Ramy and his parents to our Mirrors Mentorship program, and we successfully matched Ramy with one of our mentors - Ahmed* - a young professional who recently completed his CPA. Ahmed and Ramy became two peas in a pod. They played sports together, had long and meaningful conversations about life and the future, enjoyed dinners at each other's homes, and learned about each other's cultures, traditions, families, and life experiences. When Covid hit, it became very hard for Ramy and Ahmed to stay connected. Ramy didn’t have access to a laptop or phone, and didn’t know how to access emails, Google Hangout, or Whatsapp to connect with Ahmed. Lack of access to a computer also meant Ramy was falling behind in school - he had no way to access his online classes, or connect with his teacher. When Ahmed and IFSSA’s staff learned about this, they mobilized to help the family. Our staff was able to reach out to the community to secure a laptop donation, and reached out to the school to mediate Ramy’s missed classes and assignments. Ahmed worked with Ramy to learn how to use a computer, access and complete his assignments online, contact his teachers for support, and learn new computer tools and skills. As Ahmed said: his experience with Mirrors is more than just mentorship, he feels he is part of Ramy’s family. |
Mirrors Mentorship
The Mirrors Mentorship program is aimed at connecting Muslim youth from diverse cultures and experiences with mentors who understand and can support their healthy self-identity and expression. As mirrors for one another, mentors and mentees build meaningful connections over a year of fun activities and support each other’s journey of growth.
THIS YEAR, WE MATCHED 11 MENTEES (MOSTLY NEWCOMER & VULNERABLE YOUTH) TO MENTORS. TO DATE, APPROXIMATELY 400 HOURS HAVE BEEN SPENT BETWEEN MENTEES & MENTORS SINCE THE INCEPTION OF THE PROGRAM IN NOVEMBER 2019
Covid impacted how mentors and mentees connect. As a result, we shifted all personal meetings and mentor-mentee activities online, and drafted a new policy to support mentors with different ideas for how to virtually connect to their mentees.
One year into running the Mirrors Mentorship program, and with the added challenge of Covid, here’s what we’ve learned so far:
- Lack of computer and internet access for many newcomers and vulnerable youth has highlighted the need for better education and resources dedicated to helping mentees access a laptop, learn to use different applications online, and become technologically literate
- There is a high demand for mentees looking for mentors; currently, our waitlist is at more than 22 mentees waiting for mentors
- Mentees face many barriers: language, transportation, complex family issues, access to computers and phones
Family Resource Network
Much of our work at IFSSA has focused on families and couples. This year, we started focusing more on how we can better support children, and families with children, who are in need of help. Our goal at IFSSA is to ensure that families are able to stay together in healthy and thriving environments.
After several years of hard-working, and laying the foundation, this year, we began working with the Government of Alberta's Ministry of Children Services to provide deeper support and more extensive referrals to families in need. This is a significant new commitment from the Government that allows us to help more families, in a more comprehensive way.
In the long-term, we are excited about how this partnership will allow us to grow our Fostering Healthy Families programming, and continue to serve the community and the family unit more holistically.
Investing in Community
Community is our most important asset, and the foundation of all of the work that we do. Here’s how we invested in our community over the last year:
Imam’s Dinner
In early autumn of 2019, we hosted the largest gathering of imams (religious leaders and clergy) in Edmonton. This multi-sector and multi-denominational gathering was a unique way for us to learn from religious leaders in our community about the common themes and challenges they are facing in their congregations, and equipping leaders with tools and resources to refer community members to.
Mental Health Conversations
During the month of Ramadan, IFSSA collaborated with Markaz Ul Islam mosque to offer online workshops around various mental health issues, including anxiety in children, emotional and spiritual self-care, and stewardship of Zakat.
Nisa Helpline
Our Clinical Director offered a comprehensive online workshop to NISA Helpline’s community about working with children experiencing anxiety, understanding the common causes and symptoms of anxiety, and tools and strategies to use when working with anxious children.
Healing After Tragedy Grief Services
After the Iranian plane crash and the massive explosion in Beirut, IFSSA provided safe and welcoming support groups for anyone seeking healing after experiencing loss, grief or tragedy.
RESPONDING TO SOCIAL JUSTICE
It has been an emotionally heavy year for many of us. While Covid changed the global state of our world, many global political and social events have highlighted the deeply rooted injustices and oppressive systems we have come to ignore for far too long.
At IFSSA, our response to social justice is deeply rooted in our commitment to the following areas:
Leadership
- We are committed to building a workplace and organization that is diverse culturally, ethnically, racially, in language, expertise, religious sects, and gender parity. This means ensuring that our board is representative of the communities we serve.
- We continue to think about inclusive representation and refining our policies to best serve minority groups and those who are most vulnerable.
- IFSSA’s staff are equipped with cultural sensitivity and anti-oppression training. We continue to seek out opportunities to increase our knowledge and service skills.
Human Resources
- At IFSSA, we strive to have a fully transparent and inclusive hiring process. The hiring process always involves a committee of community members who guide and inform the final decision. Hiring is a communal decision, and not just an organizational decision.
- We value the depth and breadth of experiences and skills that people bring. We focus on this as being the key asset to any role. Educational certification is important, but not the determining factor for successful applicants.
- Our HR Policy is a living document - it's easy to understand, and accessible to all of our staff. It has been shared with other organizations as an example of what an engaging and meaningful HR policy should look like. The policy is meant to enrich the workplace, and not just a handbook that collects dust.
Safety
- There are numerous reasons why someone's presence may compromise another person's safety, such as past or current abuse, intimidation, stalking, unwanted advances, etc. How do we handle an individual saying they feel unsafe with someone in our space? What should IFSSA do when there are harassment claims between clients/participants? Under what grounds do we take action or deny someone service?
- We have been working with a number of organizations and experts in the field, to review our policy on harassment to ensure that the spaces we operate are safe and comfortable for everyone to use and access. These include: the Cultural HR Council (CHRC), CentreDC, Calvary Community Church, FCSS Indigenous and Newcomer Agencies Working Group, Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton (SACE), Ta'leef Collective, Mandy Halabi - Restorative Justice Trainer, and a number of experts working in the frontline against domestic violence and gender-based violence.
VIEW IFSSA'S HARASSMENT POLICY HERE
Transparency
- At IFSSA, we want to share our light so that others can learn — and equally — so that we may learn. Transparency is an important part of what we do, and how we grow.
- We’ve developed various channels for our clients and community members to provide anonymous feedback to us, through our website and online.
- All of our policies (hiring, harassment, HR) are easily accessible and can be viewed by community members and organizations. We are proud of the policies and procedures our organization operates under, and believe others can learn from these examples.
Reflecting & Readjusting
We are always growing and learning. We don’t always get it right, and we know we will fail time and again. We are committed to learning from our mistakes. We know we can’t get better if we don’t fail first.
RESPONDING TO FAILURES
Failure is not about the lack of success - at IFSSA, failure is about striving for success. Without failure, we would never grow. Failure challenges us to do better, to invest more in learning, to deeply understand the root causes of the issues we are dealing with and find long-term solutions.
Failure allows us to reflect: where are the gaps in our services, and what can we do to serve better? This past year, there were three main points of growth for our organization:
Food Empowerment
With thousands of hampers delivered every year to families in need and with the growing demand of people accessing the food bank, it's evident that food insecurity is an issue plaguing our community.
Food insecurity is a complex issue with several layers, unique root causes, and varying solutions. As stewards of our community, it’s essential for us to respond to the issue of food insecurity in ways that support individuals and families to flourish.
Over the course of the summer, the Food Empowerment Research Project studied the food security landscape in Edmonton while investigating best practices and various models, to inform the design and implementation of future food empowerment programs and initiatives at IFSSA.
Here’s what we found out: we have been experiencing some challenges with IFSSA’s Essential Care program and in particular, with setting up the food bank as a temporary as opposed to long-term relief service. What does this mean? Let’s share a story.
Amal* is a single mother, struggling to put food on the table for her young children. After learning about IFSSA’s food bank, she collects a hamper that serves her immediate need of feeding her family.
We would imagine and hope that Amal, over time, would be able to connect with resources to help her establish financial sustainability, build healthy coping strategies and resilience, and foster meaningful connections in her community. What we did not realize is that Amal, along with several other clients who once accessed the food bank a decade ago, are still coming to IFSSA out of reliance on the food hampers to make ends meet.
This story, unfortunately, is just one example of a repeating cycle. Through this research, we have been challenged to unpack what food insecurity truly means to our clients, to allow us to better serve them. Our numbers show us that today, IFSSA serves more people in one month than it did in all of 2015. But are we really serving our community, if they are reliant on food hampers on a long-term basis?
What does service actually mean? Is it simply providing hampers to clients, or is it responding to their unique needs by building food empowerment programs that are informed by cultural and spiritual lenses and that address the root causes of food insecurity? How can we empower our clients to make informed decisions about their lives? How do we ensure that individuals and families in our community flourish?
Embedded within the answers to these questions is a call to action for IFSSA to pivot its offerings to respond to clients’ needs more appropriately.
LEARN MORE ABOUT IFSSA'S FOOD EMPOWERMENT RESEARCH HERE
Project Impact
Working in partnership with the University of Calgary, Edmonton Social Planning Council, and NorQuest College, IFSSA conducted a client-based research study in early 2019. Through a series of conversations and interviews with a number of IFSSA’s clients, we asked questions to better understand how clients are using IFSSA’s services, what income barriers they may be facing, and in what ways we can provide more holistic and integrative support to these families and individuals.
The client study led us to take a deeper look at our intake system, and some of the flaws that are inherently present when we assess and evaluate the impact that our services have on our community. With support from the Edmonton Community Foundation, a group of our staff were selected to participate in a year-long training program run by Dialogues in Action called “Project Impact.”
Nearly 8 months into the program, here’s what we have learned so far:
- Clients come to IFSSA with a multitude of complex issues
- Our intake system is primarily about assessing eligibility; it passively reinforces an adversarial relationship
- Data collection is a chore; its aggregation and analysis is manual and tedious effort directed at funders, and not a source of real-time practical insights that helps the client in front of you; data is seen as a tether, not a guiding light
- Data hygiene and data mobility in the sector is low
- Intake is often a highly emotional time, requiring high personal disclosure; it can be (re)-traumatizing for a client
- Data collection practices do not sufficiently factor in mental health
- Intake is the ideal time to identify referrals and options for clients, but it's generally not the best time to present numerous options to a client, and it's easy to forget to follow-up with referrals at subsequent meetings because their nature is more transactional (eg. "here is your food hamper") than relational (eg. "were you able to connect with…")
- The solutions, referrals and options identified for a client depends on which staff member they see, how rushed that person may be, their awareness of resources, new developments, and a host of complex criteria
- We measure deficiencies — need for food hamper, poverty, etc — not skills, aspirations and success — goals, achievement, and impact
IN THE PAST, WE DEFAULTED TO MEASURING CLIENTS' DEFICIENCIES - LIKE THE NEED FOR FOOD HAMPERS & FINANCIAL SUPPORT. IN DOING SO, WE NEGLECTED TO ANALYZE TRANSFORMATIONAL IMPACTS & LARGER CHANGES IN OUR CLIENTS' LIVES - LIKE THE SKILLS THEY GAINES, GOALS THEY SET & BARRIERS THEY OVERCAME.
What We've Done
- Conducted a thorough reassessment of IFSSA’s clients, and were able to close 15% of files due to ineligibility or redundancy
- Changes allowed us to adapt to a 40% increase in demand that resulted from the Covid pandemic
- Pandemic also brought forward a number of issues around online and phone intake; staff can spend up to 2+ hours determining client urgency and often face multiple language and technology barriers with clients
What’s Next?
We are looking at transitioning our intake into a machine learning system. This will allow us to shift to conversational intake that does not retraumatize our clients, help us identify deeper needs, facilitate ongoing client follow-ups, and shift our focus from clients’ deficiencies to their assets and aspirations. This will also allow IFSSA to adapt to the digital world by building solutions that allow intake to happen anywhere and anytime.
We are excited by the opportunity and possibility of focusing on transforming people’s lives, and seeing members of our community succeed!
LEARN MORE ABOUT IFSSA'S MACHINE LEARNING RESEARCH HERE
True Partnership & Indigenous Communities
At IFSSA, we understand that the best work is built on collaboration; on the idea that sharing comes first and that it brings about abundance. We serve alongside others, as part of a vibrant community. As our teacher, Malcolm X said: When ‘I’ is replaced by ‘We’, illness becomes wellness.
We recognize that we have not been good allies, and have not acknowledged our role as Treaty People and as Settlers on ᐊᒥᐢᑿᒌᐚᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ (Amiskwacîwâskahikan/ Edmonton) soil. Like the overwhelming majority of treaties in Canada, Treaty 6 Territory has yet to be respected. IFSSA has an important and immense responsibility for upholding and maintaining reconciliation and collaboration with Indigenous communities, and it begins with acknowledging: acknowledging the harms and mistakes of the past, acknowledging that we are all Treaty people, acknowledging that it's vital to work towards relationship-building and dialogue between Muslim and ethnocultural communities and Indigenous Peoples.
YOU MAY NOT HAVE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE PAST BUT YOU DO HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE FUTURE BECAUSE YOU MADE A COMMITMENT TO THIS COUNTRY. AND THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE FUTURE IS RECONCILIATION. SO, THAT MEANS THAT YOU STILL HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS HISTORY IS, YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT HAS DONE TO THIS COUNTRY, YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT'S DOING TO THIS COUNTRY AND YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT WILL CONTINUE TO DO, UNLESS WE CHANGE IT.
Senator Murray Sinclair, Vital Conversations: Winnepeg Vital Signs (March 25, 2019)
This year, we began the process of writing a genuine and authentic land acknowledgement that we are committed to weaving into the culture, fabric and values of IFSSA. We are working closely with Indigenous organizations and community members to learn from one another, build meaningful connections, and reflect on what a land acknowledgement and future partnerships and collaborations will look like.
Beyond just a land acknowledgement, we are committed to building holistic dialogue and platforms where our communities can exchange stories, histories, teachings, cultural practices, values, and ways of life.
We pray that goodness pours forth, and that this True Partnership becomes a means for Indigenous and Muslim communities to share conversation and break bread.
RESPONDING TO THE FUTURE
With so much that has happened this past year, where are we looking to for the future? These are the main areas of growth that IFSSA will be exploring in 2021:
New Year & New Space
IFSSA’s North and Central office leases will be ending in 2021, and we are in search of a new location that will allow us to serve our clients and community better. Some of the things we are prioritizing in our search include:
Accessibility
Our space must accommodate everyone; the space should be easily accessible by transit, be functionally easy to access and use for anyone with disabilities or children, and have access to parking for our staff and clients.
Creative Engagement
We want the center of our space to be a creative youth hub where young people are comfortable, invited, and welcomed. We want to create a platform for youth to come as they are to create art, share stories, and produce culture.
Igniting Hope, Transforming Lives
It’s important for us to have a space where clients feel hope - where challenges are transformed to openings. Space is the body language of an organization, and we want to invest in our space so that our office and building can speak the language of aspiration, dreams, growth, and communal cultivation.
Training Modules: Phase 2
Over the past year, IFSSA has been researching and developing a series of modules aimed at empowering staff and informal care providers with the tools and resources needed to support individuals in need.
ACCORDING TO A REPORT PUBLISHED BY THE CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF SOCIAL WORKERS, 75% OF SOCIAL WORKERS REPORTED UNMANAGEABLE WORKLOADS & 72% SAID THAT ADMIN RESPONSIBILITIES PREVENT THEM FROM SPENDING ADEQUATE TIME WITH CLIENTS
IFSSA’s Training Modules:
- Focus on community issues like domestic violence, evictions, refugee sponsorship, child tax benefits, and healthy relationships
- Are researched and developed in collaboration with trusted community partners to ensure accuracy and credibility
- Have an interactive and learner-engaged focus
- Cater to different types of learners with different levels of English proficiency and online literacy
Modules will begin to be released over the coming months, and into 2021. We are excited to continue to expand IFSSA’s educational offerings, expand our partnerships, diversify our subject research, and continue to support our community with online training and workshops.
Roots of Resilience
As a means to foster relationships between Indigenous, Newcomer and Settler communities, IFSSA in collaboration with Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society, Catholic Social Services, EMCN, the City of Edmonton, launched the online storytelling platform “ROOTS OF RESILIENCE”
Roots of Resilience is a digital celebration and storytelling platform that aims to honour the resilience of Indigenous and refugee communities, as well as stand in solidarity with them. The focus is on amplifying and centering the voices of refugees and Indigenous peoples in the hopes of nurturing connection between different communities in Edmonton.
The first quarter of the project - What's In A Name - launched this past summer, and began curating stories around the meaning of name, place, and ancestral roots.
MY NAME HOLDS THE RICHNESS OF A LANGUAGE CENTURIES OF HERITAGE.
WHEN YOU SAY YOU DON'T WANT TO SAY MY NAME FOR THE FEAR OF BUTCHERIN' IT, YOU BUTCHER ME.
THE LANGUAGE, THE HERITAGE, THE NAMESAKE, THE BEAUTY, ALL GONE
BECAUSE YOU DECIDED MY NAME REMINDED YOU TOO MUCH OF WHAT YOU DID TO MY LAND.
A poem by: Jamal-e-Fatima
This year, Roots of Resilience will:
- Host a number of roundtable discussions with community organization to mobilize partners, and increase the platform’s engagement
- Continue to expand on the theme of names and place, and explore other current and relevant themes
- Continue to be a place for learning, growing, amplifying, elevating, connecting, and welcoming the stories of our community
- Explore the possibility of publication and writer-artist mentorships
Micro-Business Research
This year, IFSSA aimed to increase positive community impact by investing in newcomer caterers working from home to support their families. We catered our events, meetings, and gatherings through Syrian refugee women in the community looking to generate much-needed income for their families. In doing so, we invested our programs’ catering budgets in building community capacity and encouraging participatory impact.
I CATERED WITH ONE OF IFSSA'S NEWCOMER CATERERS FOR MY WIFE'S BIRTHDAY & THE FOOD WAS A HUGE HIT! EVERYONE STILL TALKS ABOUT IT TO THIS DAY. THE FLAVOURS WERE SO UNIQUE...MY MOUTH IS WATERING WHILE I WRITE THIS. WILL BE ORDERING FROM THEM FOR OUR NEXT EVENT. - FAHAD SHEIKH
Long-Term Strategy
IFSSA has experienced tremendous growth and maturity over the past quarter-century. It's important that IFSSA builds on that growth and begins thinking about a long term strategic plan that identifies goals for IFSSA’s fourth decade of service to the community. The plan will provide strategic guidance to current and future governors of the organization (i.e. the Board of Directors), providing a strategic vision against which to measure decisions and identify where to place effort and resources.
Some questions we will want to explore with our community and stakeholders are: Where do we want IFSSA to be in a decade? How will our service delivery model need to change? How will we impact food security? What are the social service gaps in the community that we will need to serve?
In the coming year, IFSSA will undertake research and engagement to inform the development of the plan and we will want to hear from the community.
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
Statement of Operations
For the year ended July 31
2020 | 2019 | |
Revenue | ||
Zakat & General Donations | $702,444 | $674,678 |
Municipal grants | 264,340 | 266,250 |
Provincial grants | 521,873 | 378,035 |
Other grants | 289,637 | 93,431 |
Government Wage Subsidy | 243,100 | - |
2,021,394 | 1,412,393 | |
Direct charity and program expenses | ||
Food hamper | $181,201 | $259,999 |
Money and other direct giveaways | 95,339 | 12,377 |
Dinners/programs | 35,517 | 18,539 |
Consulting and professional help given | 26,938 | 27,630 |
Outreach and support services | 862,017 | 611,332 |
Administrative | 39,069 | 34,399 |
Utilities and insurance | 20,973 | 20,367 |
Building and maintenance | 99,379 | 110,222 |
Travel, meals and entertainment | 23,801 | 14,928 |
Conference, memberships and training | 25,782 | 8,840 |
Professional fees | 4,804 | 18,335 |
1,414,820 | 1,136,968 | |
General expenses | ||
Advertising & Promotion | $22,758 | $12,861 |
Amortization | 15,219 | 14,175 |
Building and maintenance | 7,670 | 2,534 |
Conference, memberships and training | 996 | 3,375 |
Fundraising | 95 | 6,630 |
Professional fees | 16,677 | 11,867 |
Travel, meals and entertainment | 8,752 | 6,057 |
Utilities and insurance | 14,233 | 9,882 |
Salaries and benefits | 42,738 | 50,642 |
129,138 | 118,023 | |
Excess of revenue over expenses for the year | ||
$477,436 | $157,402 |
VIEW IFSSA'S DETAILED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS HERE
Funders
Canadian Women's Foundation City of Edmonton Edmonton Community Foundation Government of Alberta Government of Canada | Inspirit Foundation Islamic Relief Canada Reach Edmonton Second Harvest The RefugeeHub |
Community Partners
Provincial Initiative to Address Domestic & Sexual Violence (IMPACT) |
Mosques
Al Rashid AMPAC Dar al Sunnah Dawoodi Bohra Muslim Community ECMC MAC Markaz Ul Islam | Masjid Noor Masjid Omari Masjid Quba MCE Red Deer Islamic Center Sahaba Mosque Shia Ithna-Asheri Center |
Outgoing Board
Abdallah Fares
Erum Afsar
Zachary Al Khatib
& to all of our donors, supporters, and those who have continued to pray for IFSSA. Thank you!
IHSAN At IFSSA, we believe in wholehearted hospitality – in serving beautifully. Service is a skill – a pursuit – that requires refinement & excellence.
