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An Othered Cuisine
Food. Something so simple can have such a resounding effect on how we interact with ourselves and others around us. Staple Nigerian dishes and the accompanying scents were a commonplace in my childhood, having grown up in a Nigerian household. Dishes and scents were also intrinsically tied to community as they were a common component of Nigerian events and functions my family would take part in. The realization that something so common in my day-to-day life could be othered and viewed as strange had not occurred to me until I reached elementary school. Though I was surrounded by Nigerians outside school, the same sense of diversity I derived from those…
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Happy 186th Birthday, Toronto!
March 6, 2020 marks Toronto’s 186th birthday when the town of York became the city we now know and love! Starting out with a humble population of 9,000, Toronto has now grown to become the fourth largest city in North America which includes other regions like Etobicoke, North York, York, East York, and Scarborough. As one of North America’s most multicultural hubs, with representations of many different cultures and neighbourhoods, Toronto is a unique place to live, work, and play. From the construction of the CN Tower in 1976 to the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal renovation of the Royal Ontario Museum in 2007, Toronto has seen a lot of development over…
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Curly Hair Care: A Community of Embracing Self-Love and Identity
In the 1960s, Black activists started a natural hair movement that Marcus Garvey summed up in one statement "Don't remove the kinks from your hair—remove them from your brain." Black hair has gone through many regulations, phases, and trends throughout North American history. Among the many hardships the Black community has faced, the suppression of their natural features has been a persistent social hurdle that they have worked to overcome.
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Finding Meaning in the Mundane
Throughout my undergraduate studies I worked at a burger place. Situated across from a hospital, I served many customers, who were waiting out a turbulent moment in life and finding brief respite in a bite and a beer. Often until 3 a.m., I would serve patrons on the all-too-typical intoxicated quest for sustenance, saving them from their otherwise inevitable morning malady. Over the four years I worked there, their faces underwent the gradual shift from unknown to familiar. On occasion, walking down the street and observing those around me, I’d be panged with the querying nudge of almost-recognition–––the foggy notion that I knew that face––– and, suddenly, I’d remember them…
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The Space Between Places
To be a part of a new place is an intimate experience—that's why it's called personal belonging. The intimacy of Danforth community, explored—through the eyes of a newcomer to Toronto.
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The Place We call Home: A History of the Madina Masjid
Canada is a relatively young country and the mosque is a building block that has helped develop a diverse community in the most diverse city in Canada.
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Taste of the Danforth: History, Culture, and Multiculturalism in Canada
The love and warmth emitted from Greektown continues to draw visitors and make Taste of the Danforth an annual, unforgettable success for the whole Danforth community.
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Discover Your Joy of Dance at Any Age
Joy of Dance, the community-based dance studio that is open to all ages, has become one of the pillars of the community on the Danforth.
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Learning, Connecting, and a Dose of Fun: Support for Newcomer Women
The dedication is palpable from the moment you step onto the premises, where strollers stand parked in a corner and an assortment of children’s books lie stacked on a coffee table. Elsewhere, messages of love and empowerment are pasted over the walls, instilling a sense of hope and purpose in their space, while sounds of happy children drift in from an adjacent room. For the hundreds of women who come through these doors, this is a place of community and support—a place where they feel like they belong. Known as the Newcomer Women’s Services (NEW), this organization offers settlement support to newcomer women from all around the world, and has…
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The Work Initiative Network Focus on Mental Health
Serving over 37 thousand people across East Toronto, Woodgreen Community Services has a variety of programs, such as child care assistance, immigration services, and employment resources. The programs fall into a few different sections: Children and Youth, Health and Wellness, Homeward Bound, Seniors, Employment, Housing, and Immigrant Settlement. The Work Initiative Network (WIN) falls into the Health and Wellness section. This program helps people who have dealt with long-term mental health challenges return to the workforce by focusing on employment training. It works on a referral basis, as it is a partnership program with the Michael Garron Hospital, CAMH (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health), Alternatives, Woodgreen, and Reconnect. WIN works closely…
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