FUTFS Newsletter 43 (October 2024)

For You Telecare Family Service (FUTFS) assists individuals and families from all walks of life to overcome cultural, emotional, and psychological barriers through a wide range of counselling and educational services and programs. In collaboration with other social service organizations, we raise awareness of social issues and support clients in the community through the progression of a healthy lifestyle and gradual integration into Canadian society.The projects we provide at FUTFS are for anyone who is willing or interested in participating. Anyone can easily register through our website (www.futfs.org).

Programs & Services in October 2024

1. Senior Art Workshop

This program offers seniors the opportunity to explore their creativity and connect with others through various art activities. Participants can engage in traditional crafts, finger puppet making, card creation, and jewelry crafting, allowing them to express their emotions and learn new skills. Everyone, regardless of their prior artistic experience, is welcome. Take this chance to create your own artwork and share it with others while building new connections. We encourage everyone to participate.



2. Youth Mentoring Program

We have the privilege of forming relationships with mentors who inspire us and help us grow, especially during tough times. This mentoring program will help young students develop leadership skills as peer mentors, guiding others to become their best selves. It’s an important opportunity to understand what it truly means to be a leader in our community.

3. Wellness Group

Participants can share their experiences and grow together. We will talk about different topics, inspire each other, and find solutions to problems. The group will discuss mental, physical, and social health, sharing advice and planning activities for positive change. We invite you to join us and hope this experience helps improve your life!

4. English Cafe

FUTFS holds an English cafe class every Tuesday from 10:30 to 12:00 to improve volunteers' upgraded English speaking skills. Participants in this class will have the opportunity to meet face-to-face at the Young Center Plus to chat and speak English. The class is led by Instructor Heather Sheildrick.



5. Family Growth (Family Counseling)

For the mental health and happiness of your precious family, if you wish to have preventive family counseling through a gentle conversation with experts, please apply. We are here for you. Applications are accepted at all times, so if you are interested, please pre-register through our website or via the QR code, and we will contact you.

6. Mentor-Mentee Matching Program

This allows mentors to share lessons from experiences while fostering a spirit of exploration. Mentors and mentees will engage in conversations and exchange diverse perspectives. Through storytelling sessions, participants can connect with each other. The program includes activities that promote teamwork and creativity.

7. Counseling Service

FUTFS offers a range of counseling services for those in distress, career, or in need of emotional support. We provide counselling services as all possible ways as possible such as Zoom, email, phone for any regions in Canada, and additionally provide in-person counselling for Toronto only such as telephone counseling, individual counseling, family counseling, outreach and more.



Building Leaders: The Importance of Mentorship

As we live, we sometimes have the privilege of engaging in relationships with persons we call our mentors. We all can recall our inspired moments of how mentors motivated us to become the best versions of ourselves, especially at our lowest and darkest times. Mentors can take many different forms and shapes, but one common characteristic binds all mentors – they act as role models to others. Becoming a role model for others is a privilege and also a responsibility for ensuring the continued growth of our close-knit community. Acting as a peer mentor to guide younger students to be the best versions of themselves can be an opportune moment for anyone to truly appreciate what it means to be a leader in our community. This upcoming mentor training workshop will allow aspiring community leaders to develop leadership skills working as peer mentors. There are several important competencies that one needs to demonstrate to be an effective mentor. These include 1) ability to build trust with your mentee through relationship-building and acting by your values; 2) ability to hold transparent but difficult conversations (i.e. addressing specific behaviors of concern); 3) ability to listen and engage in dialogues; 4) willingness to engage in vulnerable yet empathic conversations; 5) willing to set clear expectations for both mentee and mentors; and lastly… 6) ability to motivate and inspire mentees to be leaders in their own spaces. The workshop will support participants in developing the above competencies through such pedagogical approaches as community of practice and co-construction of knowledge.

Jay Han (Organizational Development Specialist)