Host Sook-Yin Lee, from CBC Radio, visited the The FCJ Refugee Centre in Toronto: “It’s a cozy, brick house that provides emergency shelter and assistance to refugees. All of the refugees fled their home country because of political persecution, terrorist attacks, or war. And they were eager to share their experiences.”
Listen here:
The Agenda with Steve Paikin, TVO
Photos of Alan Kurdi, the drowned Syrian toddler, have shocked Canadians. Now many are wondering if it is time for Canada to do more to help the world’s displaced people.
Guests:
Francisco Rico, FCJ Refugee Centre
Alexandra Kotyk, Lifeline Syria
Janice Stein,Munck School of Global Affairs
Christian Leuprecht, Royal Military Collegue of Canada
Once again this fall, FCJ Refugee Centre will participate at the RIDE FOR REFUGE: help us to help others! Preparations are gearing up for this year’s ride!
Please join our team- October 3rd is race day!! As you all know, it is based here in Toronto but it is an inspiration and leader nationally!
We like to extend an invitation to you, your family and friends to join a team of Centre supporters- Why not join us Saturday October 3rd for a great day and support the centre at the same time?!! The Ride and Walk for Refuge!
There is still lots of time until ride/walk day on October 3rd to find some donors, recruit some friends and tune up your bike or find your walking shoes!
Our team page is at sweat.w-ith.us/fcjfriends . There you can join the team and, if you can’t walk or ride, make a donation.
You can choose to bike 5,10, 25 or 50 kilometres and you can also WALK or jog 5 km for refuge as well!
There is more information on the ride available at our facebook events:
FACEBOOK- at https://www.facebook.com/events/144155909260885/
I hope you will join us on Saturday October 3rd- your support is greatly appreciated!
You will also see when you sign up that you can start your own team if you would like- this is definitely encouraged!! A family, friends or workplace team would be an amazing addition!
Thanks for your support, and in solidarity!
Different organizations participated in the Proud to Protect Refugees Rally on Thursday September 3rd
The tragic death of 2 children has shocked our community, leaving sadness, anger and impotence before all the barriers that the Canadian government is imposing to Syrian refugees.
CCR Media Release
3 September 2015
Boys’ tragic deaths highlight the human costs of Canada’s inaction on Syrian refugees
In the wake of the tragic deaths of three-year-old Aylan Kurdi and his five-year-old brother Galip, the Canadian Council for Refugees reiterates its call for Canada to open its doors to Syrian refugees. The boys died with their mother while trying to reach Europe after their application to resettle to Canada was refused.
“These small boys could be alive today, if Canada had responded more appropriately to the Syrian refugee crisis,” said Loly Rico, CCR President. “We shouldn’t need to wait for a tragedy like this to realize we must open our doors. We call on an urgent basis for Syrians with family in Canada to be allowed to travel here immediately and complete processing in Canada where they can be safe. We don’t want to see any more children die in this way.”
The Canadian Council for Refugees calls for:
In past refugee crises Canada has responded quickly and decisively. In 1999 Canada took extraordinary measures to evacuate thousands of Kosovar refugees. The same level of commitment is needed now.
Refugee Update is ready. Some of the articles you can find in the current issue are as follow:
FCJ Refugee Centre Annual Garage sale is coming up on July 11 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm!
Location: 208 Oakwood Ave. Toronto
We are organizing a garage sale and invite everyone to participate by collaborating with donations and stopping by for some shopping.
Do not miss this important fundraising event!!!
Join us!!!!
We thank all our donors and volunteers for helping us to keep our doors open and supporting up-rooted people to overcome the challenges of rebuilding their lives in Canadian society.
Please find details about a successful year through our Annual Report 2014/2015.
Through this event we intend to raise awareness among the general population of the plight of LGBTQ Refugees and the multiple barriers they face. More importantly, we want to afford members of these communities with a venue to display their talents. This will be achieved through a day of musical and theatrical performances, art, exhibitions, cultural displays and speeches by community leaders.
Date: June 19th, 2015
Venue: Artscape Wychwood Barns
Address: 601 Christie St. Toronto, ON M6G 4C7
Time : from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm
To confirm participation please follow the Eventbrite link: https://diverse-residents.eventbrite.ca
RAD information sessions will provide the Appellant with a FREE opportunity to be better prepared for the presentation of their appeal before the RAD.
Rejected refugees will learn the steps to follow and how to document your appeal before the Refugee Appeal Division (RAD)
Frequent questions:
Am I eligible to appeal?
Where should I go if I want to appeal?
Who can help me to prepare an appeal?
Learn:
•What you need to do to appeal your negative decision?
•The documents you need for your appeal
•What happens during an appeal to the RAD?
The RAD sessions are supported by The Law Foundation of Ontario.
Breaking the Silence is a documentary that shows the violence that women are continuously facing, specifically in El Salvador. FCJ Refugee Centre was happy to release this documentary as a resource to create awareness about this situation around the world. The video will be available soon.
To know more information about this reality please check the following article published by UN Women: Femicide in Latin America
Femicide in Latin America
Every time the body of a dead woman appeared, at least four families would come to see whether or not it was their loved one. The problem was much greater than we realized,” recalls Silvia Juárez, Coordinator of the Programme for a Life Free from Violence for Women, of the Organization of Salvadoran Women for Peace (ORMUSA, Organización de Mujeres Salvadoreñas por la Paz).
Supported by UN Women and others, ORMUSA is one of the many organizations of the Feminist Network against Violence towards Women, which advocated for the Special Integrated Law for a Life Free of Violence against Women in El Salvador, which came into effect on 1 January 2012.
El Salvador is in fact the country with the highest murder rate of women in the world [2]. However, with its legislation that also outlaws femicide, the country is among the most recent to join the fight to confront this type of violence in Central America – along with M (To rear the complete article click here)
Gerson Peña, documentary producer with Loly Rico (Co-director FCJ Refigee Centre) and Jessica Morales Molina (FCJ Refugee Centre Board member)
Gerson Peña and friends sharing after the documentary screening on April 9th
Save the date! April 28
FCJ Refugee Centre is organizing the Forum:
Building Community Support for LGBTQ+ People in Forced Labor (aka Human Trafficking)
Join FCJ Refugee Centre and other organizations to a forum to increase the dialogue around forced labor/human trafficking as it affects members of the LGBTQ+ Community both locally and globally.
The Forum aims to bring together key stakeholders to identify issues within this unique intersection and work collaboratively to begin to fill in service gaps.
Agenda
Registration click here
Contact information: Varka Kalaydzhieva
E mail: varka@fcjrefugeecentre.org
TORONTO, March 4, 2015 /CNW/ – Thousands of women will march through the downtown streets on Saturday March 7 in North America’s largest International Women’s Day demonstration.
Organized by a coalition of community, students and labour and sponsored by Women Working with Immigrant Women, this year’s theme is “Our Bodies, Our Territories, Our Communities” and organized in solidarity with World March of Women events taking place across Canada.
Speakers will address the crisis of murdered and missing Aboriginal women, sexual violence and racial injustice. In addition, striking university workers will speak about the problems with precarious work and the need for good jobs for all.
Nearly half of all Torontonians are immigrants. Many rely on grassroots settlement programs to help them get back on their feet after fleeing trauma.
For those serving them, it’s not just a job, but a way of life and an experience they may have lived themselves.
The dance hall looks nothing like a professional studio — there are no hardwood sprung floors or wall-to-wall mirrors.
But nothing can dampen the enthusiasm and determination of these youthful dancers — many of whom have come to Canada on their own, without documents — to express their inner feelings and explore their passion for any dance form, from hip hop to salsa, dancehall, traditional African, jazz and break-dance. […]
The first time I saw Mohsen, he was taking a shower in the middle of a concrete courtyard at an abandoned factory.
Dressed in a bathing suit and flip flops, the 15-year-old was scrubbing his hair underneath the cold, clear water that ran from a long garden hose held up on a pole. What struck me was how young he looked — and how much he resembled my own teenage son.
Mohsen lives illegally in a factory with dozens of other male teens. All the boys have fled Afghanistan. They are on their own, trying to illegally cross through Europe to get to Germany, Sweden or France, countries where they believe they’ll find a better life. […]
On a recent Thursday, 11 asylum seekers streamed into Hearing Room 9 on the fourth floor of the Immigration and Refugee Board’s Toronto headquarters on Victoria St. But not to have their cases heard.
Instead, pen and notepaper ready, the claimants from nine countries paid careful attention to “tour guide” Dan Crawford, as he offered tips that could mean a lot to the success of their asylum claims. […]
RAD information sessions will provide the Appellant with a FREE opportunity to be better prepared for the presentation of their appeal before the RAD. Rejected refugees will learn the steps to follow and how to document your appeal before the Refugee Appeal Division (RAD). RAD info-sessions are hosted by the Coalition of Service Providers for Refugee Claimants in Southern Ontario in partnership with the Refugee Appeal Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.
REGISTRATION FORM
REGISTRATION: To register for the next RAD, please fill out the REGISTRATION FORM below and when you finish submit it to Carolina Teves: cteves@fcjrefugeecentre.org
We will contact you to confirm your registration. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us.
REGISTRATION FORM RAD INFO-SESSION
