Ujamaa

Empowering the African Nova Scotian community to reach its full potential

WHAT DOES UJAMAA MEAN?
Ujamaa (oo-JAH-mah): from the fourth of seven guiding principles of Kwanzaa
cooperative economics emphasizes our collective economic strength and encourages us to meet common needs through mutual support.

Branches
Outcomes
Tangible results and success
Community moving forward
in all the strategic areas
Symposiums, discussions, conversations
Energy
Advocacy
Research
Policy Implementation
Trunk
Ujamaa Association
Afro centric philosophy
Cohesion
Coordination
Synergy
Research
Policy development
Advocacy
Gap analysis of key
focal areas
Outcome monitoring
Resource monitoring
Network maintenance
Roots
Network capacity building
Leadership/community capacity
building
Information sharing
Program/project development
Stimulus for communities overall
economic growth

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

AFROCENTRIC PHILOSOPHY
People of African descent working together to respect and promote each other and to celebrate our collective history, identify and adopt an Africentric world view.

WHY IS UJAMAA NEEDED?
Historically, African Nova Scotia (African Nova Scotia) community has been successful implementing projects to address community, economic and social issues
BUT
Long-term sustainability continues to be a challenge

WHY IS UJAMAA NEEDED?
Only three government initiatives specifically target the needs of African Nova Scotian communities:
Black Business Initiative (BBI)
Council on African Canadian Education (CACE), and
African Canadian Services Division
African Nova Scotians are virtually absent from government-affiliated volunteer agencies, boards, and commissions.
Existing statistics state that African Nova Scotian community members:
Earn less than average citizens of the province
Participate in the labour force less
Experience higher levels of unemployment, illiteracy and incarceration than the average citizen
Have higher rates of heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure and diabetes
Greater numbers live in inadequate housing

BLACK AND AFRICAN NOVA SCOTIAN POPULATION
Compared to Average Nova Scotia, African Nova Scotians have:
Lower participation rates in the economy
Higher unemployment
Lower income
Poorer health outcomes
Poorer justice outcomes
Lost potential to Nova Scotia of about $100 million each year
African Nova Scotian Stats:
9,805 African Nova Scotian and 19,225 Black persons in Nova Scotia in 2006;
94% per cent of African Nova Scotians are 64 years of age or younger
20 per cent are 14 years of age or younger, compared to 16.2 per cent for the general population of Nova Scotia

Work to Date

ROUNDTABLES
July 2007 Roundtable
Hosted by the Greater Halifax Partnership at the Preston Area Board of Trade focused on labour market development and economic development in African Nova Scotian communities.
Recommendations
Stakeholders gave a formal endorsement of the work the Greater Halifax Partnership was doing to enable the community to build the capacity required to create sustainable economic opportunities.
The need for a satellite office in Preston.

Action
October 2007 - Greater Halifax Partnership opens a satellite office in Preston in partnership with NSCC and Black Business Initiative

ROUNDTABLES
September 2007 Roundtable
Hosted by Greater Halifax Partnership focused on Community Capacity – participants included the AGS, Martin Luther King Project, Beechville, Preston Board of Trade, and the African Canadian Music Association.
Recommendations
While there are a number of vendors in the African Nova Scotia community, there are a limited number of events where the vendors have the opportunity to showcase and sell their products. The idea of the African Village Bazaar was born.
Action
The Partnership and the Black Business Initiative organized and held an Afrikan Village Bazaar on February 2007 at the WTCC.

ROUNDTABLES
November 2007 Roundtable
Greater Halifax Partnership hosted the November 2008 roundtable exploring a multi-year, multifaceted funding process that would allow the African Nova Scotian community to achieve it goals without having to worry about the year-to-year funding cycle.

Recommendations:
More research is required.
Action:
Establish a Reference Group to give voice and action to African Nova Scotia concerns in HRM.
Achieve commitments for significant, long-term funding focused on African Nova Scotia priorities to:
reduce and ultimately eliminate systemic challenges and barriers to success
build a stronger, sustainable and empowered future for the African Nova Scotia community.

13
REFERENCE GROUP - PURPOSE
Establish a multi-year, multi-party “framework” for full integration of various objectives held by the three levels of government, local institutions, business and community NGOs.

Dr. Burnley “Rocky” Jones, Co-chair
Burnely Jones & Associates
Joan Jones
Nova Scotia Legal Aid
Calvin Gough
African Canadian Services Division
Irvine Carvery
Africville Genealogy Society
Dr. Wayne Adams
Adams Consulting & Management Group
Dr. Les Oliver
Black Cultural Centre
Cynthia Dorrington, Co-Chair
Greater Halifax Partnership Director
Yvonne Atwell
Community Justice Society
Reverend Rhonda Britton
Cornwallis St. Baptist Church
Reverend Wayne Desmond
Cherry Brook United Baptist Church
Gordon Doe/Rustum Southwell
Black Business Initiative
14
REFERENCE GROUP
Reference Group was drawn from community, public and private sector to advise and guide process

REFERENCE GROUP – 2008
Full day working session to synthesize the feedback and recommendations from the roundtable discussions
Reviewed best practice models and governance structures, e.g. East Vancouver Tri-partite Agreement
Developed a Terms of Reference
Seconded staff from Department of Education (3 months) to assist with the development of the initiative
Completed baseline research of reports and services provided for the African Nova Scotian community
Gathered research in the area of Afro centric organizational development, which allows organizational framework to be culturally centered from the initial stages.
Key Deliverables :
Agreed to a network model of operation that will allow for association of organizations to develop and monitor the economic situation of the African Nova Scotia community
Agreed to an internal operation structure that would focus on research, advocacy and policy needs of the African Nova Scotian community
Agreed to the desired approach and building blocks for community consultation and engagement

The network model allows for community groups and individuals to fully participate in this process.
The council will support the capacity of these networks, as they become the life blood of the organization.
As the networks build, they also provide membership for the Council.
Also built into these networks is regional representation.
REGIONAL
WORKING
GROUPS
.
Social Service Organizations
Heritage, Historical, Cultural Organizations
YOUTH
JUSTICE
Ujamaa
Network
Religious and Spiritual Organizations
Business
Organizations
HEALTH
.
EMPLOYMENT
Educational Organizations
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

INTEGRATED, UNIFIED APPROACH TO COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

BUILDING BLOCKS FOR BUILDING CAPACITY

REFERENCE GROUP - 2009
Hosted Network Sessions
Feb - Employment Network Session
Feb & Mar - Regional Education Planning Sessions
Feb , Mar, May & September – Justice and Corrections Network Sessions
Mar , April & September – Youth & Employment Network Session
June – Joint Networking Session
Hosted Information Sessions & Presentations (examples include):
Antigonish – Guysborough Community Development Association
Cape Breton Service Providers Network
Capital District Health Authority
Digby Family Services Association
Black Employment Partnership – Provincial Committee
Black Business Initiative
Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children
Black Cultural Centre
East Preston Recreation Centre/ East Preston Ratepayers/Preston Area Board of Trade/Preston Trails Association
Nova Scotia Regional Development Association (Executive Director)
NDP Caucus
Liberal Caucus
Ongoing Community and Stakeholder Relations and Presentations throughout the Year
Building the Governance Model for the Organization

RECOMMENDATIONS FROM
THE NETWORK SESSIONS
CULTURAL:
Engage regional working groups to ensure needs of various communities are addressed and met
Develop programs that fit the needs of the community
Offer cultural development programs for youth
Develop policy to increase support for cultural institutions in the African Nova Scotia community
HEALTH:
Train more continuing care workers
Increase and provide broader access to mental health services
Increase youth aptitude in math and sciences to increase opportunities in the health professions
Research possibility of holistic health services and centers for the African Nova Scotia communities
HOUSING:
Conduct a land inventory
Develop a provincial strategy
Research and evaluate affordable housing opportunities in the African Nova Scotia community
Research and evaluate home ownership (for data purposes)
YOUTH:
Engage cultural mentors
Train and build access to skilled child and youth care workers with a deep respect for Africentric principles
Create more Drop-in Centres
Increase the number of Black community officers, in partnership with RCMP

JUSTICE:
Create mobile legal clinic
Increase the number of court support workers
Expand curriculum for community legal advocate training
Develop policy re: issue of sentencing inequities
Ensure access to legal information
Train 30 Corrections Officers over the next two years to work in Corrections Facilitates
Extend the existing crime prevention models being delivered by the Community Justice Society into other African Nova Scotian communities across the province
Increase dollars for prevention programs, provided by organizations like the Community Justice Society.
EMPLOYMENT:
Engage government in discussions on the present criteria for EI and Income Assistant, the present criteria excludes the majority of the African Nova Scotian community whom are unemployed.
Evaluate and improve present Life skills and transition to employment programs
Create a data base for stats on employment in the African Nova Scotia community: Where we are where we are not
Create a strategy for hiring, and retention
Evaluate existing best practices in equity hiring programs. Devise a strategy for these programs to be rolled out province wide.
Develop a Cultural Competency program (equity) for employers, to support African Nova Scotia members that are presently employed, and as incentive for employers who hire members of African Nova Scotian community

EDUCATION:
Partner with Africentric Learning Institute (ALI), on community initiatives.
Create a mechanism to measure, what success looks like in the African Nova Scotia community with respect to education
Increase support for and education of parents
Create opportunities for community dialogue with all intuitions and agencies that are responsible for education in the province
ECONOMICS:
Create comprehensive evaluation of community land holdings in African Nova Scotia communities that can have a major impact on sustainable development.
Engage planning department within municipalities and the province in conversations, about land use, “Community Streetscapes”, beautification, and development, to have a community centered approach to building our communities
Create a clear and comprehensive municipal planning and development policies related the African Nova Scotian communities
Create a Talent Strategy (how we retain youth with post secondary education) with a specific focus on the African Nova Scotian community

REFERENCE GROUP – 2010
Signed Memorandum of Understanding with the Greater Halifax Partnership
Created the Bylaws
Hosted Ujamaa Dialogue Lounge
July 2010
August 2010
October 2010
December 2010
Key Deliverables
August 2010 - Ujamaa incorporated under the Societies Act
Transition Reference Group to the Interim Council

Joan Jones
Nova Scotia Legal Aid
Irvine Carvery
Africville Genealogy Society
Dr. Wayne Adams
Adams Consulting & Management Group
Dr. Burnely “Rocky” Jones, Co-chair
Burnely Jones & Associates
Cynthia Dorrington, Co-Chair
Greater Halifax Partnership Director
Yvonne Atwell
Community Justice Society
Reverend Rhonda Britton
Cornwallis St. Baptist Church
26
INTERIM COUNCIL
Role of the Interim Council is to guide the process to operationalize the new organization.

INTERIM COUNCIL – 2011
2011 (January – March)
Prepared drafting funding proposal for two-year operations
Implementing a stakeholder relations plan to advance the funding to the three levels of government
Issued Call for Expression of Interests for Ujamaa Council Members
March 31, 2011 – Transition Interim Council role and responsibilities to Ujamaa Council

UJAMAA COUNCIL - 2011
Joan Jones
Lillian Searl
Malik Adams
Roberta Morrison
Dr. Wayne Adams
Dr. Burnley “Rocky” Jones, Chair
Carm Robertson
Darlene Lawrence
Evan Williams
George Gray
Irvine Carvery
28

UJAMAA COUNCIL
March 30th - Transition role and responsibilities from Interim Council to Ujamaa Council
Priority Agenda Item
Securing funding to operationalize Ujamaa

Economic Data
for the
African Nova Scotian Community

AFRICAN NOVA SCOTIAN COMMUNITY PROFILES
Source: Nova Scotia Community Counts

Distribution of the Black and Total Population by
Education - No certificate diploma or degree
Nova Scotia Census 2006
50%
Nova Scotia
40%
Visible minority: Black
30%
20%
10%
0%
15 to 24 years
25 to 54 years
55 and over

Percentage of Population (15+) with Employment
Income, Nova Scotia Census 2006
Total - Population
74.0%
71.6%
Visible minority: Black
70.4%
72.0%
70.0%
68.0%
66.3%
65.9%
65.9%
66.0%
64.0%
61.4%
62.0%
60.0%
58.0%
56.0%
Total - Sex
Male
Female

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Ujamaa

by Greater Halifax Partnership on Jun 21, 2011

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Ujamaa — Presentation Transcript