Inside the Circle – February 23, 2022

All employees have been enrolled in the ‘Call it Out: Racism, Racial Discrimination and Human Rights’ e-module, which was developed by the Ontario Human Rights Commission. The deadline to complete this training is April 15, 2022. The e-module is a non-paid training opportunity which will take about 40 minutes to complete, and can be accessed by logging into your Dayforce account.

What does the training cover?
The e-module discusses race, racial discrimination and human rights protections under Ontario’s Human Rights Code. It offers a historical overview of racism and racial discrimination, explaining what “race”, “racism”, and “racial discrimination” mean, and providing approaches for preventing and addressing racial discrimination. Once you have successfully completed the e-module, you will receive a Certificate of Completion through the Ontario Human Rights Commission.

Why have we launched this training?
Circle of Care stands in support and solidarity against the injustices that many communities face today, and we firmly denounce racism and other devise views. As an organization, we acknowledge the responsibility we have as an employer to ensure we are doing better on the path to social equity and to contribute towards an inclusive workplace.

What are some of the other things that Circle of Care is doing to fight racism?
Our Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Committee has established an Anti-Racism Policy and we have updated our Client Rights and Responsibilities to reflect that we will not accept disrespectful behaviours or comments of discrimination, including racism, toward any client, staff member or volunteer.

Congratulations to this week’s Champions of Care nominees:

• • “Thank you very much to the Circle of Care team for everything that you’ve done for my dad. Thank you to Judita Semionov, and to my dad’s PSWs Raya Rivkind, Nichola McLean, Janet Melchor, Mary Joy Cabael, and Shiela Foronda. My dad is in a home now, and we very much appreciate everything that your staff has done. His PSWs were incredibly good, and we appreciate everything they have done for us.” – Former client’s daughter

Gina has spent over 25 years in roles where she can make a real tangible difference in the lives of the people she cares for. As a PSW, she constantly goes above and beyond for her colleagues and clients. Even on her worst days, she is still excited to connect and support her clients. In December, Gina received the Award for Home Care Excellence as part of our Spotlight Awards series. Read Gina’s story by clicking the link below.

When we are young, our brains can recall specific events and experiences, but as we age, our ability to ignore or filter out irrelevant information weakens, resulting in an overload of information that clutters our memories, according to a new study that reviews more than 20 years of research.

Promoting positive mental health is important for strengthening resilience, strengthening overall health, and for supporting others who suffer from mental health issues.

The impacts of positive mental health includes:

• feeling in control of your life and personal decisions
• being able to cope with life’s challenges and stresses
• functioning well mentally, such as being able to focus while at work
• being generally optimistic about life events
• feeling physically healthy
• getting enough sleep
• feeling like you belong in your community

You can promote positive mental health in yourself and others by:

• helping others feel included within your community
• participating in physical activities
• taking ownership of your own life experiences and not blaming your situation on events beyond your control
• being accepting of changes in your environment
• identifying and realizing your goals (self-efficacy)

Last week, the province of Ontario announced a new timeline for lifting some of the public health measures currently in place, which started to come into effect on Thursday, February 17. This includes increasing the maximum number of people permitted at social gatherings and removing capacity limits in restaurants, gyms and cinemas.

The history of Black communities in Toronto often goes unseen. The Toronto Archives has a Black History in Toronto webpage that includes old photographs of historic moments as well as the history of Black community organizations, activists, and more. This photo was taken in the 1940s during a Welcome Home Banquet held for veterans at the Afro Community Christ Church on Shaw Street.