LaSalle-based community groups and schools met on Wednesday, May 16 at the Madre Dei Christiani Church of LaSalle for the second Networking and Partnership Initiative (NPI) for Dorval, Lachine and LaSalle.
This time, much of the discussion focussed on the urgent need for more people in the community to assist vulnerable families in LaSalle. While representatives from business, church groups, police, schools and non-profit organizations are already doing a lot, there is a need for others to step up as mentors, foster families and interveners.
“We’re concerned about a lack of public resources,” said Leith Hamilton, who presented a Black Youth Project on behalf of the African Canadian Development and Prevention Network (http://www.acdpnetwork.org) and the Boys & Girls Club of LaSalle (http://bgclasalle.com/). “Real change only occurs when the community takes leadership.”
Hamilton wanted to encourage representatives from local community groups at the meeting to partner with the two groups so that the “Strengthening Black Families Program” (SBFP) can be brought to LaSalle. SBFP trains and certifies people from the community to work with black families with children aged 6-12 years to enhance positive parenting, child socialization and family communication.
The program was originally conceived in 1988 by Dr. Karol Kumpfer from the University of Utah. Health Canada funded three of ACDP Network’s membership organizations (the Côte-des-Neiges Black Community Association, NDG Black Community Association, and West Island Black Community Association) to culturally adapt the program for Quebec. The groups then partnered with the McGill School of Social Work to evaluate the program. Hamilton says that results so far justify expanding the program to more boroughs.
The demographics in LaSalle make it an ideal next target. Black families in LaSalle are raising more young children than neighbouring families. They also face more barriers to employment and live at or below the poverty level in a community of comparable wealth.
Ninar Itani, with Batshaw Youth and Family Services (http://www.batshaw.qc.ca) also presented a new project that the organization wants to bring to LaSalle.
The “Family to Family” system is a way of protecting children within their communities. It was developed by the Baltimore-based Annie E. Casey Foundation (http://www.aecf.org) and is now used in 20 U.S. states.
The Association des centres jeunesse du Québec (ACJQ) has set up three pilot projects to adapt the program for Quebeckers, including the one offered by Batshaw. Youth protection workers want to work with community partners to lessen the number or duration of placements of children five years old or younger outside of the community.
A subgroup of Networking and Partnership Initiative (NPI) for Dorval, Lachine and LaSalle plans to meet to help establish how the project might work with local groups.
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Note: This article appeared on page 14 of the Suburban City Edition on May 30, 2012.
