FUTFS Newsletter 31 (October 2023)

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, we raises awareness of social issues and supports clients in the community through the progression of a healthy lifestyle and gradual integration into Canadian society.The projects we provide at FUTFS are for anyone who is willing or interested in participating. Anyone can easily register through our website (www.futfs.org).

Programs & Services in Oct 2023

1. Family Interview

• Join us for an interview where youth and families can spend time together and openly discuss about daily activities and their influences on the physical and mental health of youth. Become involved in an open and accepting, non-judgemental environment facilitated by 3rd year nursing students who will conduct the interview. This interview will ask general mental health-related questions such as physical activity and overall mood. The data will be used as insight to develop statistics and useful programs for youth health.
• Make an appointment by registering on the website.
• 30 minutes session.

2. Parenting Workshop with Children

The Parenting Workshop with Children is a lecture on parenting procedures and sharing opinions and values with parents who have felt difficulties in conversation and relationships with teenagers. This is a gathering of parents to seek and improve relationships and communication with their children. 4 nursing students will be participating.

3. EAHA Project: Society Where Seniors Smile

EAHA is a project that allows seniors to look back on their lives where they could not participate in activities because of the difficult times of the COVID-19 pandemic. This project allows for seniors to partcipate in balanced education, training and activities. We aim to create a healthy community that alleviates difficulties seniors face. EAHA project will be running untill March 2024.

4. Expressive Art Workshop

Expressive Arts Workshop for youth provides an opportunity to unlock their creativity and start their journey in self-discovery and personal growth. Through art, youth have the opportunity to:

• Express their thoughts, feelings, and experiences
• Release emotions and gain clarity
• And more!

5. The 40th CounselLing Education & Volunteer Training Program

The 40th Counseling Education and Volunteer Training Program is open to anyone interested. Upon completing the '40th Counseling Education and Volunteer Training Program,' participants will have the opportunity to engage in various activities and advanced counseling education programs. Over the course of this 8th edition, attendees will learn from invited lecturers, engage in group activities, share their opinions and life experiences, and acquire the necessary skills for ethical volunteerism and counseling in both social and family life. Through group sharing, they will learn how to apply these skills, not only at the FUTFS but also in Canadian society, providing practical assistance to those in need. This program also offers a chance to gain expertise in appropriate communication and building relationships.

6. Youth Leaders Group

We are looking for Youth Leaders Group Members. Youth Leaders Group is a small group activity, and a group in which leaders gather together to practice their skills as leaders through the process of planning, execution, and evaluation of how to implement youth activities and projects. Volunteer hours, certificates, reference letter, and dinner will be provided.

7. FUTFS Bazaar 2023

Great for yourself or as a gift!

Donations of items are also welcomed! To volunteer on the day of the event or donate items to be sold during the bazaar, please apply through the “FUTFS Bazaar 2023” webpage on the www.futfs.org website so that our staff will contact you as soon as possible.

A hopeful Vision of life in FUTFS

According to Centennial College Field Supervisor Miss Lynne Winter’s introduction, I worked for the “For You Telecare Family Service” (short for FUTFS) agency since September 11th, from Monday and Tuesday. Before working in the “FUTFS” agency, I felt excited and nervous because it was my first time working in Canada, even though it was a field placement job. Fortunately, the agency supervisor Suyeon Jin is a very nice and amiable Korean person, I think she is probably the most approachable of all my supervisors. For example, she always keeps a smiling face whenever talking with us, it makes me feel comfortable and friendly. Besides, she assigned some questions those contents are how

to alleviate youths’ mental health issues, such as What do you think community to you? How to improve connections in the community with youths? Etc. In addition, a few field placement students come from other colleges and universities working together, which also let me have the fusion of Korean culture and Western culture in this agency. Therefore, we are heading in the right direction and our goals are to provide positive influence to youths via collaborating closely with colleagues. For instance, the agency holds different events to encourage kids and youths to engage actively, express their thoughts, and think by painting.

After almost one month of working in the agency, I recognize the importance of volunteerism in community service agencies, I believe these sorts of events are beneficial for youths, even to adult parents. In addition, to increase the agency’s popularity in society and community, we can put more colourful and attractive images to youths in different main social media, such as YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, Linkedln, etc., to promote the agency’s service for them, this is going helpful to the new generations of youths because they are affected by abundant of information from different social media every day. They think that they can have fun from these social media; thus, the best way to reduce youths' stress or maintain mental health is to hold more different types of events among youths in the community, to make the public well known the significance of healthy emotions in this diversity society. To conclude, holding different events to cultivate youths’ thinking, and mindfulness in their living, will have the “one killed two birds with one stone” results. That is a hopeful vision of life in FUTFS.

Marco Sin (Field Placement Student)