Kiswahili (Swahili) is a widely spoken language in Africa, mainly prevalent in the East and Horn of Africa. The language originated from the Bantu tribes of today’s Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique and has been influenced through centuries of interactions between locals and traders arriving via the Indian Ocean. Swahili also lends us the principles that have become synonymous with CACC’s values – Nguzo Saba (Seven Principles).
Allow us to reintroduce The Calgary African Community Collective (CACC), first of its kind in Alberta. Our non-profit organization supports Black-led grassroots organizations working to improve outcomes for Black Canadians in Calgary. Our mission is to promote systems change through collaborative projects that address poverty-related issues, encourage civic engagement and advocate for equitable resource allocation. We envision a future in which all Black Canadians are treated equitably and respected as contributing members of the Calgarian society. Community members and partners can get involved in our systems change cohorts addressing food security, housing accessibility, youth and seniors’ wellbeing, women’s health and other topics related to the social determinants of health.
Why is it necessary to have a collective for Black and African grassroots organizations?
“Calgary is a major city for the future for the Black community… I’m looking forward to a community that’s better represented, especially in politics… We don’t have much representation compared to other ethnic minorities yet…” – Farah Ali, Executive Director of CACC in a 2022 CBC article.
Funding Focus
- Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) has opened the portal for seed funding applications for 2024. The funding aims to provide “financial assistance to help community housing providers with the costs of early development activities related to the predevelopment costs of building a new affordable housing project or renovating an existing affordable housing project. What about the deadline? Well, the portal will remain open until funds are exhausted. But don’t wait too long to submit your application! There is a high demand for funding so the earlier you can submit, the sooner your application can be considered.
- March 28th, 2024 is the deadline to submit your applications to the Contributions Program for Non-Profit Consumer and Voluntary Organizations. The program funds projects initiated by incorporated not-for-profit organizations or associations in Canada for up to 2 years. Discover whether your project is eligible for the research stream or development stream.
Community Involvement
- One Child Every Child is a national research project to improve the health of children. They are holding an online stakeholder consultation, including focus groups, on March 23, 2024, at 1pm to 4pm MDT Calgary time (online) and are looking for parents and youth (age 16 to 25 years) to participate, specifically within the following equity deserving groups: Black, racialized, 2SLGBTQIA, persons with disabilities, and women/girls. The focus group discussion centers around barriers faced in child health research, and strategies for ensuring research is appropriate and responsive to the needs of their community. The focus groups take approximately 2 to 3 hours and are audio recorded with confidentiality maintained. Participants will receive a $100 gift card as a token of appreciation for their time. If you or someone you know is interested in participating, then please fill out this survey to receive the meeting link. Contact the researchers at edi.ocec@ucalgary.ca if you have any questions. Learn more about the One Child Every Child research project.
- Youth Hiring Fair
In the News
The City of Calgary held the first Racial Justice Conference this week at the Calgary Telus Convention Centre. Watch CACC’s Principal Consultant, Hagir Sail, speak about the impact of the anti-racism strategy presented at the conference. Learn more about the conference and the City of Calgary’s Anti-Racism Strategy.
Contact Us
Ujima News is an inhouse newsletter designed with our members in mind. Our aim is to make knowledge translation and knowledge sharing a core activity of the collective through free media communication.
