Social Development Centre Waterloo Region

We have seen some cold spells this winter and we cannot have them discourage us from spending time with our neighbours! Yes, we showell together, and de-ice our sidewalks together, sure, some people bond and have fun this way. There are many paths to take in neighbourhood winterland. Some ideas are in our Winter E-Neighbour, including the 2018 Annua Celebration Inclusion Recognition Recipient neighbourhoods: Doon South, Schneider Creek, Auditorium and New Doon. Next time you organize a neighbourhood gathering in winter, think of the ways to be inclusive of everyone who cannot skate or walk through snow. 

This year, we will be hosting free income tax clinics.  During the tax season, we are offering bookable times, weekend appointments, and drop-off services for your tax return to be completed within two working days. Our clinics start Monday March 4th and will operate until Monday April 29th. In addition to English, we have volunteers that speak Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, and Farsi. Call or email to schedule a time:  519-579-3800 or tax-clinic@waterlooregion.org. To ensure that your return is completed accurately, please have all of the necessary documents as it applies to your situation from the tax clinic check list. Please note that if you are not receiving Ontario Electricity Support Program (OESP), we can assist you in applying for it, even if not all the household members have filed taxes. 

It was a year ago when thirty small groups gathered to talk about a long-term need for a creative common space.  It was in part about an affordable physical space to hold meetings and host events, and it seemed even more so about an expression of commitment to a full and inclusive democratic life. Since then, we have arrived at a common vision: A home, a landmark, ACCESSIBLE to everyone, for civic and grassroots groups to showcases what is being done in the community, for small groups to support each other and build their credibility and capacity to advocate and provide services to the public. How can we leverage the wealth of ideas and resources in Waterloo Region to create a civic social innovation hub? We will explore our vision and the ways to talk to people in our community about the initiative; we will learn about connections with the existing hubs and networks; we will investigate sustainability of such an endeavour; and we will take a look at the benefits of working across culture, identity, and ideas. January 21st, 6pm to 8pm at the Social Development Centre WR, corner of Water St. North and Duke St. in Kitchener.

RSVP by January 16th at admin@waterlooregion.org or 519-579-3800. Your voice counts too. 

Our community is booming with activities aiming to strengthen inclusion and belonging of citizens of all backgrounds. Still, 59% of newcomers to the region said that they feel isolated in the Immigration Partnership WR survey in 2017. Going beyond the survey response scales, we are bringing the members of ethno-cultural communities together to sit and unpack the meaning of social isolation and social connectedness. Together with the Immigration Partnership and Volunteer Action Centre, we hope to kick start some of the connections among diverse groups and spark action that can rally different voices around common causes.