ACF E-BULLETIN – DEC-JAN 2010

	Atkinson Foundation e-bulletin Featuring news, views and updates from the Atkinson Charitable Foundation and its partners.
IN THIS BULLETIN...  ACF year-end review... Refrew CPAN makes a difference... Cindy Blackstock newest Atkinson Fellow... New CIW report on select populations… Lessons for Early Learning in Ontario......	Poverty reduction key to recovery... J.E. Atkinson's Fighting Words… Brainstorm: new Atkinson series on education… Scroll down for more...

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S CORNER

Charles E. Pascal

ACF year-end review... with an eye to '010    In a year fraught with precariousness and uncertainty for many Canadians, the Atkinson Foundation partners worked hard and smart seizing opportunities to advance the mission of J.E. Atkinson for a more just society.   We must remain impatient for change while we also look for every opportunity to strategically cement ongoing longer-term progress.  We need to remember the strength of collective thought and action, and put all of our respective assets on the table, plot and act together.     More from Charles Pascal...

RUTH ATKINSON HINDMARSH AWARD

Renfrew County Child Poverty Action Network makes difference in tough times   The Renfrew County Child Poverty Action Network (CPAN) is the 2009 recipient of the Ruth Atkinson Hindmarsh Award.  The $50,000 award by ACF honours outstanding contributions to improving the wellbeing of children.   “CPAN’s determination and resourcefulness in tackling child poverty in Renfrew County is remarkable and inspiring.  We applaud their ability to advocate for improved economic and social conditions while at the same time providing tangible, practical assistance to low income families during very difficult times,” said Nancy Hindmarsh, chair of the selection Committee.  More…

ATKINSON FELLOWSHIP IN ECONOMIC JUSTICE

Aboriginal-Rights Champion Cindy Blackstock Awarded Atkinson Fellowship   Cindy Blackstock has been awarded the Atkinson Foundation's Economic Justice Fellowship to support efforts on behalf of First Nations children and communities.   “With every generation comes an opportunity to create a better world.  But First Nations children are debilitated by funding inequalities in education and child welfare.  We can correct past mistakes by giving this generation a real opportunity to understand their place in the world differently and to succeed,” said Cindy Blackstock, Executive Director of the First Nations Child and Family Service Caring Society of Canada.   More including links to Toronto Star Feature...

Cindy Blackstock

CANADIAN INDEX OF WELLBEING

Quality of Life Much Worse for Some Groups, Says New Institute Report   People with low incomes, Aboriginal peoples, racialized groups and youth are falling behind on key quality of life indicators, says a new report rby the Institute of Wellbeing, “How are Canadians Really doing? A Closer Look at Select Groups”   Women in poor neighbourhoods have 25% higher odds of having a premature birth; Aboriginal people are almost four times more likely to live in a crowded dwelling; visible minority or racialized groups are three times more likely to be poor due to low wages, social exclusion and racialization in the labour market; and earnings of young adults relative to other earners have been falling over the past 20 years.    Click here for a fact sheet or download the full report

EARLY LEARNING

Toronto First Duty research informs foundation of full day learning in Ontario   Next September Ontario will become the first jurisdiction in North America to launch a universal, publicly-funded and operated learning and care program for four and five year olds.   The Toronto First Duty (TFD) project has had a clear impact on the province’s promise to implement full day learning.    The Atkinson Centre/OISE UofT research team has led the evaluation and analysis of the TFD early childhood demonstration project.  Phase 2 Research looks at dissemination of the First Duty model and the further development of program integration in one of the five sites, the Bruce Woodgreen Early Learning Centre.   Following are some of the lessons from TFD research that can inform the foundation of full day learning in Ontario.  More…

ECONOMIC JUSTICE: POVERTY REDUCTION

Time to transform Social Assistance By Jennefer Laidley and Deirdre Pike (Hamilton Spectator)   Whether he meant to or not, the auditor general's analysis of social assistance lets a dysfunctional welfare system off the hook and erroneously lays blame with the people who have nowhere else to turn for basic support.   The real problem is the patchwork of more than 800 rules that trap people in poverty, limit their options, and compromise their health with punishingly low levels of income support.  More…   We Must Work To Lift People Out of Poverty By John Stapleton & Greg deGroot-Maggetti (Kitchener-Waterloo Record)   In the 1990s, governments succumbed to repeated rounds of belt-tightening, resulting in increased poverty. This time around, Ontario should approach the recession as an important opportunity to eradicate poverty as part of a plan to contribute to Ontario’s economic recovery… More…

J.E. ATKINSON CORNER

Joseph Atkinson’s Social Crusades Fighting words captured in words and video Joseph Atkinson challenged Canadians to create a just, equitable, safe and healthy society for every citizen, no matter what their circumstances. Big Ideas: The Social Crusades of Joseph E Atkinson, is a book that captures the Atkinson legacy in the words he wrote or commissioned for The Toronto Star during his 49 years at the helm. More by clicking here... Fighting Words is a new documentary produced by the Atkinson Charitable Foundation that examines the life and times of the Star’s legendary publisher, tells the story of a great newspaper in the making, and charts the City of Toronto’s progress towards a more civil society. The documentary is now available on Youtube by clicking here… or on DVD from the Foundation by clicking here….

ATKINSON FELLOWSHIP IN PUBLIC POLICY

2009 Atkinson Fellowship Series: Brainstorm, by Alanna Mitchell   Alanna Mitchell, a Toronto-based writer and journalist who specializes in global science issues, spent much of the past year investigating the controversial push to use brain science to improve education.   She travelled to England, France, Australia and the U.S. as part of her 2008 Atkinson Fellowship in Public Policy.   Her series delves into the push to put the brain at the centre of the education system — and the pushback. An up-close look at neuroscience in action.  What are schools really for? With seven myths about the brain.  More…