FUTFS Newsletter 20 (November 2022)

For You Telecare Family Service (FUTFS) assists individuals and families from all walks of life to overcome cultural, emotional, and psychological barriers through a wide range of counselling and educational services and programs. In collaboration with other social service organizations, FUTFS raises awareness of social issues and supports clients in the community through the progression of a healthy lifestyle and gradual integration into Canadian society.

Program & Service, November 2022

The projects we provide at FUTFS are for anyone who is willing or interested in participating. It is easy to register through our website (www.futfs.org) and active participation promotes the development of ourselves and the Korean Canadian community.

Youth Leaders Meeting for Leadership Initiative

On going event

For You Telecare Family Service organizes many educational programs and events to develop youth leadership skills. We look forward to your participation in the Youth Leaders Meeting. Among the events led by youth, the ECAV project, which is designed to prevent violence against women, is currently recruiting people who can make campaign songs. We welcome the active participation of many talented people in this meaningful event.

ECAV Project: Essential Art Campaign for Violence Against Women

Aug. 2022- Mar. 2023

The ECAV project is an art campaign project against violence against women. Through this project, participants can help women develop skills to withstand and recover from difficult situations by exploring different ways to prevent violence. Activities of the project include creating t-shirts for campaign to promote violence prevention in the community, visiting local schools for youth & holding workshops on healthy gender concepts and healthy relationships, designing & wearing ribbons or bracelets to prevent victim-related violence , designing & printing posters to promote campaigns, drawing murals to promote prevention of violence, composing songs for anti-violence & planning performances. We welcome to anyone who want to join us!



EARS Project: E-Animation Class, Yoga, Basketball  

Sep 2022- Mar 2023

The objective of the EARS project is to improve youth resilience skills, build capacity for the importance of advocating for healthy well-being, and identify and implement positive change and outcomes. It is aimed at young people (ages 12-17) and their parents. The project also enables parents to acquire the skills of communication and advice with their youth or children, and positively in the youth to make the right decisions for themselves. In particular, the E-Animation Workshop, which will be held for 10 sessions from September 20th to November 22nd, is an educational program that allows participants to learn how to make Short Animations with a computer and to express themselves based on their artistry.

Suicide Prevention Workshop Series

Oct. 4th - Nov. 22, 2022

Suicide Prevention Project trains participants to properly understand and prevent suicide so that they can properly understand and prevent the cause of suicide. In order to prevent suicide, various trainings on suicide prevention will be provided, and participants in this project will learn how to recognize warning signs of suicide and learn techniques to talk about and prevent suicide. Workshop activities, Focus group activities, campaign activities, etc. will be held, and anyone can participate.

The 39th Counselling Education & Volunteer Training

Oct.7- Nov.25

This is an educational program for basic understanding of telephone counseling, as well as learning counseling skills and attitudes as a volunteer. Upon completion of this program, you will be given the opportunity and qualification to serve as a telephone counselor at For You Telecare Family Service(FUTFS).



ACCESS Project: Conversation Window for  Seniors  

May, 2022- March, 2023

‘Conversation Window’ is one of the activities in implementing the ACCESS project.  The purpose of this activity is to support healthy and happy lives for seniors and to allow them to share their stories through positive dialogue. We recognize that seniors have various difficulties such as physical, psychological, economic, family and social relationships, but we want them to see that they do not have to solve them on their own. Through ‘Conversation Window,’ the seniors will be able to connect with the local community, share with experts, be cared for, get a reprieve from loneliness and isolation, and obtain various information and the emotional stability necessary for a healthy life. All conversations will be kept confidential.

BASE Project: Outreach Service for Leadership Improvement in Korean-Canadian Community

The Belonging Accepting Sharing and Empowering (BASE) project is a project that teaches the importance of the roles and responsibilities of volunteer leaders in disseminating the right spirit of service and counseling to the Korean community. FUTFS will meet one-on-one with community leaders to share their lives and visions, and provide workshops that are helpful for positive change and growth in the group to which they belong, and provide individual coaching or education at the request of the leaders. In particular, this project provides outreach services for improving the leadership of the Korean-Canadian community leaders and for the development of local groups and organizations.

The English Café

Every Tuesdays 10:30 am- 12:00 pm

FUTFS provides the opportunity to have fun through informative English education classes in order to help trained volunteers do volunteer work without language barriers. This class is held every Tuesday from 10:30 a.m. until noon. It is free and anyone who wishes to attend may do so. 



Covic-19 Impact on youth  Mental Health            

COVID-19 pandemic has had serious global economic and social impacts, and that it has changed the lives of many people, especially youth. Youth are particularly vulnerable to the disruptions the pandemic has caused, and due to the pandemic, many of them were excluded from opportunities in education, economics,  mental health and well-being during a crucial stage of their development. 

This was a very stressful and sudden change for all youth. Birthday celebrations, performances, sports teams and other recreational activities were shut down. This left youth with nothing but nature, electronics, and social media. For youth, communication with friends and family were completely altered, and they had no choice but to adapt. Youth were separated from their opportunities of in-person interactions, and so they began to spend more of their free time gaming, talking with friends on the phone, online shopping, creating media and scrolling through platforms. 

Due to the isolation of the lockdown and increased stress and depression in youth society, many individuals took initiative and brought this topic to social media; thus building awareness. Youth and children are drawn to social media and currently it is the world’s easiest form of communication. Mental health support was provided through several online platforms, and advocacy for mental health became fairly relevant. Thanks to Covid-19 youth have been able to adopt beneficial and positive practices such as communicating with family members more often, taking mental health breaks, stressing less about school and taking advantage of isolated time to plan future goals, exercising, engaging in outdoor activities, and avoiding substance abuse.Ultimately, Covid-19 was a sudden and impactful experience for youth, and for all. 

Sahar Whahedi (FUTFS Field Placement Student)