Communities within: Diversity and Exclusion in Ottawa

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Communities withinDiversity and Exclusion in
Ottawa

• The Social Planning Council of Ottawa
• 280, rue Metcalfe Street, suite/pièce 501
• Tel [phone] - Ext. 307
• Fax [phone]
• Internet www.spcottawa.on.ca
• Email hindiam_at_spcottawa.on.ca

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Brief description

• The Communities within Diversity and Exclusion
  is a joint research and community development
  project of
• The Social Planning Council of Ottawa and
• The Centre for Social Welfare Studies, Carleton
  University.

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Purpose of Project

• To document the nature and extent of social
  exclusion experienced by Ottawas visible and
  ethnic minority populations, in all aspects of
  life
• Education, Employment, and Earnings
• Family circumstances, housing and neighborhood
  conditions
• Civic participation
• Subjective Wellbeing

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What do we mean by Social Exclusion?

• A dynamic, complex, multi-dimensional process
  through which members of some groups find
  themselves on the margins of society, as
  evidenced by outcomes of lower economic and
  social status
• Lack of power, on the part of individuals, to
  change these outcomes since the sources of
  exclusion are beyond the sphere of control of
  any one individual.
• The dynamics of exclusion may have their roots in
  race, immigration status, health, history, etc.

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.Social Exclusion?

• Factors of exclusion go beyond low resources and
  occupational status and include issues of
• Power and recognition
• political rights
• social status
• access to institutions and services
• Dimensions of exclusion are inter-related and
  vary depending on the group under study.

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Project Funders

• Multiculturalism Program, Department of Canadian
  Heritage,
• City of Ottawa
• The United Way of Ottawa, through funding granted
  to the SPCO
• Carleton University
• University of Ottawa
• Community in-kind contributions

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Project supporters and members of Community
Advisory Committee

• LASI EDAC
• CBRNO CIFODE
• SCYWCD Ottawa Mosaic
• Several Community Health and Resource Centres
• Labour Community Services
• City of Ottawa
• The United Way of Ottawa
• Other social service agencies, including
  ethno-specific agencies

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Project Implementation

• Duration of Project - January 2005 - December
  2007
• Project Design
• Combination of research and community
  development
• Wide in scope of analysis - looks into all
  aspects of life
• Adopts both quantitative and qualitative methods
  and builds in the perspectives of minority
  populations
• Will provide concrete recommendations
  implementable by local institutions, social
  service providers, trade unions, and employers
• Ultimate goal is to improve the life conditions
  of members of minority communities

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Case Study Communities

• To capture different experiences of exclusion,
  the project will collect and articulate the
  voices of the following three visible minority
  communities
• Ottawas Lebanese Community
• Ottawas Chinese Community and
• Ottawas Somali Community.

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Discussion Groups

• Within each community, discussions will be held
  with the following subgroups
• Male and female youth (aged 17-25)
• Male and female adults (25 65 year olds)
• Mothers and fathers with dependent children