PCC is proud to announce that we have received funding from the Canadian Red Cross and the Public Health Agency of Canada which is intended to strengthen PCC’s capacity to support the mental health and well-being of the Filipino-Canadian community in Canada. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the PCC has created and implemented programs intended to mitigate the negative impacts of social isolation exacerbated by the pandemic. 

In December of 2020, PCC in collaboration with the Ottawa Valley Filipino-Canadian Senior Citizens’ Association (OVFCSCA) implemented the Seniors’ Centre Without Walls (SCWW) telephone-based program. This program saw trained volunteers leading Filipino-Canadian seniors in individual or group phone calls, where they participated in activities designed to improve seniors’ mental health. 

Also during the pandemic, PCC launched a series of workshops and webinars to develop the entrepreneurial skills of Filipino-Canadian youth, as we identified a gap in opportunities available to this group.

With the approval of this recent grant application, PCC intends to promote the mental health and wellbeing of Filipino-Canadian youth through art and music. Musicians and artists from various fields (visual, theater, literary, dance) together with counselors will be running workshops where the youth will learn an art form as means of expression. This project will run from December 2022 to January 2024.

Many Filipino-Canadian migrants and immigrants were disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic, due to our community’s overrepresentation in many fields of front-line work including the healthcare sector and service industries. This funding from the Canadian Red Cross will help our organization as we strive to support our community’s mental health and well-being. To stay up to date on PCC’s activities and initiatives, check our website for regular updates and follow us on Instagram and Facebook.