Sureya is the Supervisor of Community Connections at the Centre for Community Learning & Development. I was born in the city of Harar, Ethiopia. Sureya came to Canada at the age 17 and moved to Regent Park shortly afterwards, having lived in Regent Park ever since, volunteering, studying, and working in the community.
“Generosity means giving out of the kindness your heart!”
In Regent Park, we have a group called Mothers of Peace. One of our objectives is to build the community up, one person at a time. We equip individuals with tools for personal growth and empower them to promote positive change in their community. We want to enhance and support the safety and wellbeing of the Regent Park community.
Within this initiative, we have developed a program called the Healing Circle. The program was created with the intention of scaling generosity in the community. Participants were 10 mothers, who were in need of support. Some of whom had lost children to gun violence in our neighbourhood, some who were single mothers facing obstacles, others who were facing domestic violence at home. Regardless of their personal situations, all women had the goal of receiving support in personal healing. The 10-week program consisted of weekly sessions where a licensed therapist would be present. The women would discuss challenges they were facing in their lives, steps they were taking to self-improvement. Our therapist would help the women heal from traumas they endured, and teach them how to be kind to their selves, discuss practical tips for forgiveness, self-care, and how to let go.
