By: Haebin Pan, Coordinator, Surrey Together Against Racism (STAR)
March 8th is International Women’s Day, a global day to celebrate women’s rights and focus on issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence against women. This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is #EmbraceEquity. We invite you to take a look at MOSAIC’s programs that help #EmbraceEquity for women.
Employment Support for Women
MOSAIC’s Preparing Women and Workplaces for Success program provides free employment readiness training, certifications, 1-1 support, networking opportunities, and financial support for women to gain successful employment in different sectors. This program is for racialized women who are unemployed/underemployed, have Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) 7 or higher, are legally entitled to work, and are Canadian citizens, PR, or refugees. This program also includes diversity and inclusion training and Indigenous awareness workshops.
Care Pathways is another free employment program from MOSAIC that helps women find an entry-level job in senior care. Visible minority newcomer women with a high school diploma/BA degree, CLB 5 or higher, PR or confirmed refugee status, and full-time availability are eligible for this program. The program includes employment and senior-care essential skills training, various certifications, 1-1 job search support, job-specific language coaching, transportation allowance during employment (up to 3 months), access to employers, and intercultural, diversity, and inclusion training.
Programs for Women Affected by Relationship Violence
Artworks made by participants of Stopping the Violence Counselling for Women program and Women’s Support Groups.
MOSAIC provides free and confidential support for women experiencing violence or at risk of abuse/violence in an intimate relationship. Support workers create a safe space for clients and focus on their clients’ unique needs. All self-identified women over the age of 19—including IBPOC individuals—living in Metro Vancouver can get emotional support, information on their rights and the law, advocacy, safety planning, practical assistance, and information and referrals to community and/or justice-related support services. MOSAIC’s Stopping the Violence Counselling for Women program provides free and confidential 1-1 or group counselling support, referrals, and resources to women affected by abuse. Its counsellors are experienced in working with multicultural communities and provide counselling services in multiple languages. MOSAIC also has Women’s Support Groups that provide a free and safe space for women to share their experiences on various topics, such as boundary setting, better communication skills, healthy relationships, and coping skills.
In addition, MOSAIC addresses gender-based violence against international students. International students who self-identify as women and attend a BC university/college, if affected by gender-based violence, can receive individual/group supportive counselling sessions, emotional and practical support, advocacy and resource information, and local police-led workshops from MOSAIC.
Support for Mothers
Photos from REACH (Ready English Accessible for Caregivers at Home) fieldtrip to the Vancouver Central Library. These pictures show a library employee leading a story-time activity for REACH participants and their children. This fieldtrip exemplifies the goals of REACH: empowering women to use the language skills and content from their online class and to access community services. Students worked towards these goals by visiting the library, asking questions, getting a card, checking out materials, and promoting learning for themselves and their children.
MOSAIC has the REACH (Ready English Accessible for Caregivers at Home) program for newcomer mothers who cannot attend LINC English classes due to caring for their young children. Newcomer mothers (permanent residents, convention refugees, Ukrainians with CUAET program, or Ukrainian temporary residents) at CLB 3 or 4 level will do short online English-learning activities according to their own schedule and get play activities to do with their children. They will join 2-3 in-person sessions a month while certified childcare educators take care of their children. They will also learn about parenting, life in Canada, and community services.
MOSAIC’s Building Blocks Vancouver helps vulnerable first-time mothers. First-time parents who live in the Vancouver area and are pregnant/have a child under 6 months old can receive parenting support and resources from Family Support Home Visitors. The support and resources include monitoring a baby’s healthy development and milestones, nutritional help for baby and mom, companionship and parenting support, support for feeding baby, understanding baby’s communication, resources for healthy families, and support for finding daycare, preschools, and kindergarten.
MOSAIC is one of the leading organizations in BC that #EmbraceEquity and support women. To learn more about what MOSAIC does, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
Click the links below to learn more about MOSAIC’s programs:
