By Dimitrije Martinovic
Dimitrije is a community journalist with FOCUS MEDIA ARTS CENTRE

On August 15, 2023, the Employment and Economic Development Working Group of the Regent Park Social Development Plan held its first meeting since February 2023.

The Regent Park Social Development Plan, also known as the SDP, is a community-wide initiative aimed at fostering unification and community collaboration. The social development plan has four areas of priority; the community building working table, the safety network, employment and economic development, and lastly, the communication table.

The goal of the EED committee is to increase employment rates and entrepreneurial opportunities for residents of Regent Park. This Working Group’s responsibility is to engage residents and stakeholders to develop and lead the implementation of an action plan with support of the Regent Park's Social Development Plan stakeholders Table.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that many Regent Park households are struggling with employment barriers related to language, lack of skills, lack of accreditation, mental health, Islamophobia, systemic racism and more.

Today's meeting was co-facilitated by Ismail Afrah (out-going resident Co-Chair of the EDD), and Gail Lynch (out-going market Co-Chair of the EDD).

The agenda consisted of the following:

• Community Meal
• Overview of EED Projects
• Cafe Pop-up Project Update
• Learning Series Project Update
• Workforce Integrator Project Update
• Election of the New Co-Chairs
• Celebration & Thank You Out-going Co-Chairs

Gail Lynch informed the audience on recent developments, including budget concerns, the upcoming hiring session, and an overview of the long term entrepreneurial goals of the EED.

Layla Zia, the Learning Series Coordinator EED, explained in some detail how community entrepreneurial goals were being addressed and implemented.

Following Layla's presentation, Ebru Sahin, Workforce Integrator, discussed how the EED is engaged with creating place-based workforce development strategies to establish pathways to strengthen relationships between employers and the community.

The meeting then moved onto the election of the Co-Chairs for the EED. Three Candidates were nominated, although only two were present at the meeting, Ibrahim Afrah and Shahzeb Ahia, both Regent Park residents. The working groups are made up of both Toronto Community Housing residents and market residents, each working group is co-chaired by a representative from each community. There were no market residents present at the meeting who wished to run for the EED. When the voting was completed, Ibrahim Afrah was elected.

A small celebration with a cake closed the meeting on an optimistic note.

It is important to bare in mind, that in essence, the Social Development Plan in the revitalization of Regent Park goes beyond bricks and mortar. It seeks to build a strong, connected, and empowered community where residents can flourish and lead fulfilling lives. The combination of physical and social development plans is essential for creating a holistic and sustainable transformation of the neighbourhood.