March Update

ACFOLA community news
9
Mar

Updates

Our office is fully open!

We are pleased to let ACFOLA members know that our office is now fully open during regular hours, and that the Executive Director is now fully available to attend to the needs of the Office and community. I would like to sincerely thank all those that volunteered their precious time to ensure that the office ran reasonably well, during the time that we were not able to operate at the normal capacity.

In particular, I would like to really extend our thanks to Pathways Skills Building Center for their great hospitality and donation of office space for the past one year – we continue to feel loved and at home in our Pathways home!

Dr Melanie Katsivo – President

 

Inclusion in the City of London’s Workforce

In January the City of London invited ACFOLA to participate in a forum that discussed strategies for inclusion in the City of London’s work force. ACFOLA was well-represented both by the community and the Board. Several ACFOLA members signed up as members of a task-force that will work further on this theme.

Dr Melanie Katsivo – President

 

2019 Annual Soccer Tournament & Barbeque

ACFOLA is inviting teams to participate in its Annual Fall Soccer tournament and is calling on Community Associations to start putting teams together leading up to the fall. This annual tournament was kicked off in 2017 has been held for two consecutive years and this year’s tournament will make the third. Currently, the trophy is being retained by Team Fufu, who were the last champions and ACFOLA is looking forward to full participation of associations and them putting forward a fierce challenge to claim the Trophy. ACFOLA is planning on having a Summer barbeque alongside the tournament. Please stay tuned for information concerning the tournament and barbeque in the coming months and if you have any questions, please send them to Syad@acfola.ca or call 226-289-2668

Bashir Adeyemo – Director (Youth and Sports Affairs)

 

Black History Month

As usual ACFOLA had a table at the opening ceremony and African Canadian Voice(ACV), our new TV and social media series, taped the opening event. It will be shared on our social media. ACV also taped the all other events of Black History Month.

I attended two Black History Month events on behalf of ACFOLA: the first one was organized by London North and London West Members of Parliament –  Mr. Peter Fragiscatos and Kate Young, who had invited the Federal Minister for Immigration to meet with the London Black Community.  In addition to an update on the revised Immigration laws and policies, one take-home message was that the Federal Government has allocated funds for projects that are earmarked for the black community, and administered by Heritage Canada. ACFOLA is planning to apply for these funds.

The second event was an award ceremony by the London Police in collaboration with the Congress of Black Women, for black high school winners of an essay competition. One of the youths recognized is a member of the ongoing ACFOLA Youth Connect Program, and another one is a graduate of the inaugural year of the Black Youth in Science Program. The Board would like to urge parents to encourage their youth to participate in these programs.

Dr Melanie Katsivo – President

 

Western Future Black Physicians Postponed

This Winter, ACFOLA partnered with the Western’s Future Black Physicians to deliver a mentorship program for youths in our community but due to low enrollment of mentees, the program was cancelled. This is an excellent initiative and the main purpose of the program is to encourage more youth within our community who are willing to participate in Medical and STEM programs in post-secondary, but regrettably, youths in our community weren’t able to tap into this opportunity. If your high school student is interested in STEM program, let us know at office@acfola.ca

ACFOLA is continuing with its efforts in our inner communities to engage with youths in helping them reach their potentials. The youths we work with are mostly in high school and they have the opportunity to benefit from the experience of our mentors, who are community members that have towed the same path as them in reaching their goals. Our mentors consist of university/college students and young graduates who are willing to spare some time to answer lingering questions on the minds of our youth concerning their academic and career aspirations. This program first started to operate in Boullee community and we are hoping to expand to other communities within the city. For further information about this program please contact: syad@acfola.ca

Bashir Adeyemo – Director (Youth and Sports Affairs)

 

Upcoming Events!

Please be on the lookout for these upcoming events:

  • ACFOLA Annual General Meeting and Board Elections
  • Community Fun Day Day – Barbaque and games

Has your membership expired? Do you want to renew your membership or join the federation?
Register/re-register now and pay membership fees for only the current year. Just make an e-transfer to accounts@acfola.ca and the office will take care the rest of it!