Amplifying the work we do together
Stories from Health Commons
Health fairs act as a single door into a non-judgemental, culturally-rooted, and community-centric space for community members to have their social determinants of health met. By bringing together diverse partners in new ways, health fairs create a hyperlocal, integrated offer where people get what they need to be well. For example, health fairs are an emerging and important mechanism to connect people to chronic disease management and primary care that they would otherwise not receive - which is saving lives.
Using learnings from across diverse community partners, together we have defined what we hope is a shared, repeatable, and adaptable process for planning and implementing community health fairs.
This playbook is a companion to the Health Fair Planning Workbook which can be found here.
Released March 2024
Read more about the Neighbours project here.
The purpose of this toolkit is to equip Community Ambassadors and partners with basic information on how to create their own repository of existing mental health services and resources that will allow them to support community members. We invite you to share this toolkit with your networks.
Released October 2023
Read more about the High Priority Communities project here.
The purpose of this product is to help people recognize the signs of poor mental health and mental illness and to build empathy, including how to have safe conversations and make a referral when someone needs support.
Released October 2023
Read more about the High Priority Communities project here.
Between January 2022 and now, the Neighbours Project has been cultivating relationships with exceptional community members and partners who are inspiring seniors’ wellness in Englemount-Lawrence, North York. The purpose of this book is to tell some of their stories. These stories are intended to celebrate and spotlight their contribution and what this work means and looks like to them. This book is not intended to fulfill any obligation other than to celebrate community members and partners who have been a critical part of this work, and to share more about this neighbourhood.
In addition to telling their stories, we also include a set of maps that show where important services, programs, and offerings (or "assets") are within the community. We call these "asset maps" since they show the places and spaces across the neighbourhood that people access to support their health and wellbeing - all of which is part of the Englemount-Lawrence story.
Released August 2023
Read more about the Neighbours project here.
Do you want to learn more about Community Ambassadors in Ontario, including what to look for when hiring someone for this critical role? Look no further!
Since January 2021, Health Commons has been mandated to provide backbone support for Community Ambassadors through the High Priority Communities Strategy. Since then, we have been exploring the solutions and approaches they use to close gaps between what people need and what the health system in Ontario offers.
What have we learned along the way? Over and over, we see and hear about how critical and impactful Community Ambassadors are for community wellbeing and are regularly asked how people can help sustain this model in Ontario. We have also been asked what the core attributes are for Community Ambassadors and what to look for when hiring them.
We have created this resource to strengthen the case for integrating Community Ambassadors into the health system long-term and to support people in hiring them in their communities.
Released July 2023
Read more about the High Priority Communities Strategy project here.
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Community Ambassador Gathering
On March 9, Community Ambassadors from Ontario, peer and social support workers from around the world, and leaders within the Ontario health care system came together in person celebrate and learn from each other, and to explore the past, present, and future of the Community Ambassador roles in Ontario.
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Meet Jamaul Taylor!
Jamaul is a Community Ambassador from Roots Community Services. We spent time recently with him, and invite you to read more about the important work he does.
This is a sneak peek of a day in his role! -
Meet Suganthine Sundaralingam!
Suganthine is a Community Ambassador from Scarborough Centre for Healthy communities. We spent time with her, and invite you to read more about the important work she does.
This is a sneak peek of a day in her role! -
Meet Kashmira Dhamani!
Kashmira is a Community Ambassador from Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities. We spent time with her, and invite you to read more about the important work she does.
This is a sneak peek of a day in her role! -
Meet Maiesha Rahman!
Maiesha is a Community Ambassador from Toronto Shelter Network. We recently spent time with her, and invite you to read more about the important work she does.
This is a sneak peek of a day in her role!
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Meet Nita Goswami!
Nita is a Community Ambassador from Settlement Assistance Support Services. We recently spoke with her, and invite you to read more about the important work she does.
This is a sneak peek of a day in her role! -
Meet Razia Rashed!
Razia is a Community Ambassador from The Neighbourhood Organization. We recently spoke with her, and invite you to read more about the important work she does.
This is a sneak peek of a day in her role! -
Meet Charlotte Naranjit!
Charlotte is a Community Ambassador from Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities. We recently spoke with her, and invite you to read more about the important work she does.
This is a sneak peek of a day in her role! -
Meet Edward Pereira!
Edward is a Community Ambassador from Toronto Shelter Network. We recently spoke with him, and invite you to read more about the important work he does.
This is a sneak peek of a day in his role! -
Meet Mehar Qaisar!
Mehar is a Community Ambassador from Flemingdon Community Health Centre. We recently spoke with her, and invite you to read more about the important work she does.
This is a sneak peek of a day in her role!
