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Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan Updates and Information
- Updates from the Community Safety and Wellbeing Symposium
- New Priority Area
- Waterloo Regional Police Service Communique on Combating Hate
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Community News and Events
- Harmony in Diversity Embracing Our Rainbow Community
- Community Building Through Storytelling
- 19 Days Film Screening and Panel Discussion
- Winter Solstice Feast
- Region of Waterloo Service Standards Engagement Opportunity
- Monthly Creative Writing with Author Shan Powell
- KPL Library - Borrow a Chromebook Collection
- Exploring Worldwide Art Forms Free Program
- Winter Storytelling: A Celebration of Indigenous Film
- Level Up: Social Justice Skill Building Tween Programs
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Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan Updates | | |
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Updates from the Community Safety and Wellbeing Symposium
The inaugural Community Safety Wellbeing Plan (CSWP) Symposium brought together diverse community members, including public sector leaders (health care, education, universities, municipalities, etc.), community representatives, grassroots organizations, and community partners.
The symposium was a platform for sharing insights, fostering collaboration, and co-designing actions to address three key community priorities:
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CSWP Summer Symposium photos, August 8, 2023 | | |
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Creating Safe and Inclusive Spaces | |
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Addressing Mental Health Needs, Together
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Read the CSWP Symposium Report to learn more about the priorities discussed and recommendations from symposium participants for actions moving forward. | | | |
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New Priority Area
Since the Symposium, an additional community safety and wellbeing priority has been added based on community input. This additional focus area is addressing Gender Based Violence, Intimate Partner Violence and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW).
Women, girls, and gender-diverse people have the right to be free from violence. They deserve to be safe and respected.
Municipalities in Waterloo Region have joined other municipalities across Canada in declaring that intimate partner violence and violence against women is an epidemic. The Region of Waterloo, City of Kitchener, City of Cambridge, City of Waterloo and the Township of Woolwich have all made the declaration.
Local municipalities will call on the province to follow suit and Regional Council will support the inclusion of this additional priority area in the Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan.
In October 2023, a CSWP Steering Committee reviewed the CSWP priority areas and expressed support for addressing these four priority areas.
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Waterloo Regional Police Service Communique on
Combating Hate
The Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) has created a Communique on the CSWP priority area of Combating Hate. The Communique includes information about the Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan, reporting hate, and WRPS response to hate incidents.
Read the WRPS Communique on Combating Hate.
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Community News and Events | | |
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Harmony In Diversity: Embracing Our Rainbow Community
December 12
Join Hearts Open For Everyone, Woolwich Pride and Spectrum for a Harmony In Diversity: Embracing Our Rainbow Community workshop focused on building a foundation for understanding and celebrating Woolwich Township's 2SLGBTQIA+ community through valuable insights and engaging activities.
Date: Tuesday, December 12, 2023
Time: 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Location: Gale Presbyterian Church, 10 Barnswallow Dr., Elmira
Free to Public.
Light Meal Provided
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Community Building Through Storytelling
December 15
Indigenous Creatives United (I.C.U) presents Community Building Through Storytelling.
Date: December 15, 2023
Time: 6:30pm to 9:30pm
Location: Willow River Park Pavilion, Kitchener
Featuring:
- Steampunk Mishomis Rene Meshake
- Mihko Kiskisiwin authors Cynthia Missabie and William Coates
- Cara-Lynn Morgan
Info and merch tables for Indigenous community artists & organizations.
Free, accessible, Indigiqueer @SLGBTQIA+ inclusive. All Welcome.
To register a free booth, donate raffle prizes for for more info, contact: Alyssa at bookalyssapelletier@gmail.com or 1indigenouspoetsociety@gmail.com
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19 Days - Free Film Screening and Panel Discussion
December 18
As part of the 2023 Migration Film Festival, the Region of Waterloo is hosting a special film screening and panel discussion of the film 19 Days.
All CSWP newsletter readers are invited to attend this film screening and panel discussion.
19 Days is a short documentary that follows several refugee families during their first 19 days in Canada, as they navigate an unfamiliar terrain that has suddenly become their home. 19 Days reveals the human side of the refugee resettlement process.
Date: Monday, December 18, 2023
Time: Noon-1:30pm
Location: Council Chambers, 150 Frederick Street, Kitchener.
Event is free. Popcorn and beverages will be provided.
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Winter Solstice Feast
December 20
O:se Kenhionhata:tie is hosting a community Winter Solstice Feast taking place as follows:
Date:Wednesday, December 20, 2023
Time: 6pm to 9pm
Location: Willow River (Victoria Park) pavilion,80 Scheider Ave, Kitchener
The evening will include potluck style dinner, live music, silent auction, and door prizes.
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Region of Waterloo Service Standards
Engagement Opportunity
The Region of Waterloo is reviewing the Region’s service standards and needs your input! Your input will impact how services are designed, collected and tailored to local needs.
Have your say at an info session on December 14 and be entered into a draw to win a $50 gift card.
Click here for more details
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Monthly Creative Writing with author Shan Powell
Indigenous Poets Society is hosting an Indigenous centred zoom writers circle.
Author Shan Powell is facilitating a monthly zoom writers circle. The writers circle will take place every month at 7pm on the first Tuesday, until June 4, 2024.
Shantell Powell is Turtle clan, a two-spirit author, artist, and swamp hag of Inuk/ Mi’kmaw/European ancestry. She is the Yosef Wosk VMI Fellow for 2023, a SpecFic fellow at the 2023 Roots Wounds Words Winter Retreat, and a graduate of the Writers’ Studio at Simon Fraser University and the LET(s) Lead Academy at Yale University.
For more information and/or you would like to participate please contact Hope Engel.
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Kitchener Public LIbrary - Borrow A Chromebook Collection
With the Borrow a Chromebook collection, Kitchener Public Library customers at all locations will be able to borrow a Chromebook to take home on a 1-week loan. Each Chromebook will come with a mouse, power adaptor, information sheet, and laptop bag. A library card is needed to borrow a Chromebook.
For more information email askkpl@kpl.org or call 519-743-0271.
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Exploring Worldwide Art Forms - Free Program
Exploring Worldwide Art Forms is a free program focused on celebrating the diversity of ethnocultural communities in Waterloo Region in an intergenerational environment through dance, stories, music and art. All supplies are included.
This program is for age 9-99 and takes place Thursdays from January 11-February 15, 6-7pm.
Register at waterloo.ca/activewaterloo
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Winter Storytelling: A Celebration of Indigenous Film
2024 Film Series
CFUW Kitchener-Waterloo in partnership with Conestoga College, Wilfred Laurier University, and University of Waterloo invites you to attend Winter Storytelling: A Celebration of Indigenous Film, 2024 Film Series.
Dates and Times:
- Mon, Feb 5, 2024 at 2pm "Run Woman Run"
- Mon, Feb 12 at 2pm "Beans"
- Wed, Feb 28 at 7pm "Bones of Crows"
Location: Princess Twin Cinema, 46 King St. N., Waterloo
Discussion to follow each film. Free Admission. Donations to Indigenous Youth Roots are welcome.
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Level Up: Social Justice Skill Building
New tween social justice programs are now open for registration!
Join Level Up on this 8-week play-based program for kids aged 9-12 years to learn about civic action and social justice. It’s time to play, lead, and have fun!
Click on the respective ActiveNet links below for details and to register.
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We'd love to share your updates and events
in our newsletter!
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If you have updates, events or resources that relate to community safety and wellbeing that you would like shared please email upstream@regionofwaterloo.ca with the subject line: CSWP Newsletter.
Also, please help us expand the reach of the CSWP newsletter by forwarding this newsletter to your friends and networks.
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