FILIPINO BROOM SILHOUETTE HOW TO

It has also created friendships and new avenues for sharing with others.”įILIPINX FRONT-LINE WORKERS FEEL 'OVERSIZED TOLL'

FILIPINO BROOM SILHOUETTE HOW TO

“I knew that I was not alone, and that the connection opens opportunities to learn how to navigate in a new country I would call home. “I felt the power of stories in the shared lived experiences of my Filipina sisters,” she said. “Having artists make renditions of our stories gives us the validation that our stories are valuable,” Gretchen Mangahas, a communications specialist and newcomer to Canada, told CTVNews.ca in an email. “Stories of Care” began last summer as a six-week writing course for a few Filipina front-line workers, and has since grown in attendance and centred on less-time-intensive sessions.Īs of last Friday, some of the stories are now featured in a digital exhibition in the DesignTO Festival, based on three Filipinx artists who “read the stories took inspiration from them,” Chan said.Īnother piece features a silhouette of a person holding a sign reading, “we love to deliver,” contrasted with alternating English and Tagalog phrases such as: “I need to sacrifice my comfort for my family,” “I didn’t want to move to Canada” and “Migration is no guarantee for a better future.” She and her colleagues were noticing “a lot of stuff coming to the surface” and they wanted to give them an outlet. A third of internationally trained nurses in the country are from the Philippines, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information with Filipinos making up 90 per cent of migrant caregivers providing in-home care under Canada’s Caregiver Program.Ĭhan was inspired to start the program through her work with North York Community House, where she regularly consults with caregivers from the Philippines, who need help filling out government documents. Jennifer Chan, the lead organizer of the initiative, told CTVNews.ca in a video interview that the writers “feel seen and heard in a completely different way.” She said one participant told her, “it was so meaningful to get to write my story and just spend time thinking about me.”įilipinx people play a crucial role on Canada’s front lines, making up one in 20 health-care workers, according to one study.

“My respect all frontline workers because they all put others before themselves.” “It gives me strength, I feel encouraged because I know that no matter what we are facing, we face it with courage, resilience, and positivity and we continue to love what we do,” Olivia Dela Cruz, a paid caretaker of a household of six children, told CTVNews.ca in an email. The “Stories of Care” writing initiative, run through North York Community House in Toronto, virtually brings together front-line workers such as nurses, retail workers, at-home caretakers, dental hygienists, and cleaners, to share burdens they’ve mostly carried alone.

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“It was great to have a voice and be heard especially during a time when I have been so focused on my work due to increased demands and complex needs.” “Allowing space for my experience to come to the surface became a form of self-care for me,” Almario told CTVNews.ca in an email. Over the past few months, Filipina front-line workers like Almario have found an outlet to relieve bottled-up anxiety, loneliness and fear: Writing their stories down and sharing them. But during the pandemic, she says, it’s become even less likely for her to “take a break and reflect.” Throughout her career, registered psychotherapist Elda Almario has spent a great deal putting the mental health of children she works with ahead of her own.

Filipino broom silhouette