AHCAHC Stories

There’s much to look forward to in 2025 for us at Action for Healthy Communities. For starters, we are celebrating our 30th anniversary this year. Since 1995, we’ve supported Albertans and helped communities. Fast forward 30 years and we’ve continued to ask ourselves how to best serve equity-deserving communities and individuals.  

As we welcome the new year with renewed commitment, it’s only appropriate to reflect on our 2024 year and how we continue to make a difference.  

 

Celebrating Success: AHC Adult Literacy Fall Semester and Reaching New Heights   

Our recent Fall 2024 semester has been a remarkable success.  

The Adult Literacy and Skills Development program saw an exceptional level of engagement from our adult learners in their education module learning and informative sessions, including topics like health literacy, winter preparation, and health screening conversations.  

Over 70% of our students completed the semester and are now moving on to higher levels of English classes. In these classes, they learn to navigate daily life, seek employment opportunities, and engage more fully in their community.  

Beyond language classes, we continue to offer a comprehensive range of settlement support services such as wellness health support, practical guidance on housing, employment, income, and a free tax clinic for low-income earners.  

We are incredibly proud of our adult learners’ achievements and remain committed to supporting AHC clients with the tools and support they need to thrive in their new homes.  

 

Settlement and Integration: Helping Newcomers Feel at Home 

Transitioning to life in Canada can take an emotional and physical toll on newcomers – a fact that doesn’t get talked about enough.   

Many of our clients face issues like anxiety, depression, past traumas, and family relationship struggles. The stress of moving can make these challenges even harder, and it can slow down their integration into Canadian life.    

To better help our clients, the Settlement and Integration program spent 2024 on suicide prevention and caring for those who’ve experienced domestic violence. The team also reached out to local leaders to understand better the mental health challenges in the community, like depression and stress related to settling into Canada.   

While navigating wellness is always challenging, our team remains dedicated to offering culturally sensitive, trauma-informed wellness health services.  

Every newcomer’s journey is unique, and our team is dedicated to ensuring that our clients have the support they need.     

 

Community Capacity Building Empowering Equity Deserving Communities  

Building strong and diverse communities starts at the grassroots level, and our Community Development Unit (CDU) has continued to prove its support.   

In 2024, we launched four Communities of Practice with over 250 participants each and supported ten community initiatives through seed grants. We helped an additional twenty-eight initiatives with capacity-building support.   

To encourage engagement among ethnocultural groups, we held eighty-five community dialogues and organized twenty-eight training sessions on grant applications. We also provided twenty-seven grant writing support sessions and assisted five groups with legal registration, connecting forty-five groups to various resources.   

To wrap up the year, we hosted our 3rd Annual Building Inclusive Communities Forum, bringing together nearly 120 attendees from grassroots organizations and community leaders. Together, we focused on dismantling barriers and promoting inclusivity in the Greater Edmonton Area.   

For our CDU team, it is about empowering and enhancing the voices of diverse communities, ensuring they have the tools and resources to self-determine their best interests.  

 

Employment Supports Program Helping Clients Gain Meaningful Employment  

This year has been challenging for Albertans, especially for newcomers. The unemployment rate for those in Alberta for five years or fewer is 9.8%, exceeding the provincial average.  

Fortunately, our Employment Supports Program has helped over 400 clients, leading to more than 300 job placements.   

Our Workforce Participation Programs (WPP) have been in high demand, with waitlists often exceeding 30 clients. Another popular WPP is our Hospitality program, developed in partnership with an Employer Partner.     

We also hosted Spring and Fall Career Fairs to help job seekers connect with employers.   

Throughout the year, we offered workshops to improve essential job-seeking skills, including:  

    • Resume Writing   
    • Interview Preparation   
    • Job Search Techniques   
    • Networking Skills   

Every job seeker is unique and that’s why our employment counselors created personalized, one-on-one support to meet individual needs.   

The AHC Employment Supports Program’s 2024 achievements demonstrate our commitment to empowering job seekers and bridging the gap between talent and employment opportunities, combining large-scale events with personalized guidance to navigate the job market effectively.  

 

Entrepreneurship Supports Helps Entrepreneurs with Opening Businesses   

Many newcomers to Canada aspire to become entrepreneurs. According to the BDC, “2.9% of the immigrant population aged 15 and over are entrepreneurs in Canada, compared to 2.0% for non-immigrants.”  

Despite Canada’s current economic challenges, our Entrepreneurship Supports Program (ESP) has been offering aspiring entrepreneurs free business training programs, learning sessions and workshops, and sale opportunities.    

In the Spring and Fall 2024 semesters, we mentored over 60 participants in essential skills like customer identification and market research. Our Business Boot Camp trained 22 individuals in business planning and financial forecasting, while 50 participants benefited from networking during Small Business Week.  

We’ve also provided opportunities for entrepreneurs to showcase their products, from handcrafted sweets to fashion. In July, over 40 of our entrepreneurs participated in the KDays Pop-Up Market. We also helped 18 entrepreneurs present at their first holiday market during our AHC Holiday Market.   

AHC’s ESP has helped many entrepreneurs achieve their small business dreams, and will continue to do so by providing more opportunities to help small business owners grow.    

 

Rural Small Centres Welcome Newcomers to Rural Alberta    

Newcomers are increasingly choosing to settle in rural Alberta, and not just Edmonton and Calgary. While more newcomers add diversity to our community, it also presents its fair share of challenges for those adjusting to a new environment with fewer supports compared to major Alberta cities.   

That’s why our Rural Small Centre (RSC) team is dedicated to helping newcomers settle in places like Leduc, Beaumont, Camrose, Cold Lake, and Bonnyville.    

It’s been one of the many pleasures we had as an organization to help newcomers feel welcomed into the country. For example, we supported Ukrainian refugees by celebrating International Vyshyvanka Day, honoring their heritage and resilience.   

Additionally, migrant families from Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa enjoyed their first Canadian summer with outdoor events and activities, including summer camps and a ballet camp in Leduc.  

 

Children and Youth Building the Next Generation 

Moving to a new country is never easy, especially for children and youth, and that’s why our programs help children discover themselves and integrate themselves into Canada.    

Last year, 848 newcomer kids and youth participated in our Children and Family Empowerment programs. These programs support social integration, language learning, emotional well-being, and education. We also engaged 237 parents in Family Empowerment activities that included information sessions and field trips.     

In our Gender Equity Leadership Lab (GELL) programs, we offered leadership opportunities for racialized and immigrant girls to help spark their interest in STEM fields. Our bilingual STEM summer camp for French-speaking newcomers had 40 participants, and 72% of the youth in the STEM Club members made new friends.     

We also organized a summer camp for over 170 kids, featuring activities, sports, guest speakers, and field trips. This camp focused on their physical, social, and emotional well-being.   

Through our programs, we aim to create a supportive environment where children can build friendships, develop life skills, and succeed academically.   

 

Looking Forward to the Future   

As we grow as an organization, we recognize that our main priority is and always has been the betterment of our equity-deserving communities and clients. As we continue to work with the communities and clients we serve, we find new and innovative ways to empower them to achieve their goals in the new year.   

 

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