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❄️December Newsletter 2024❄️ |
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Dear Friends of Solid State,
2024 is almost over! Solid State hit a lot of milestones this year and cohorts have gained so much momentum. In this letter you’ll find updates on our year in review, news from Afiya, Let Her Talk, GenConnect, Black School’d, Symposia, CultureLinks and learn about ways to get involved. |
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What’s New at Solid State? |
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This month, we held our annual Year End Celebration and marked all our accomplishments for 2024. This year, we continued to support our network of racialized communities by training cohorts to be self-reliant and financially independent. We launched our Social Finance Fund which provides financial training and grants cohorts access to non-extractive loaned capital as part of the Seed Commons Network. Our support for our community has extended into other projects including the creation of the Solid State Affordable Housing Society. And we’re excited to be collaborating on our model with First Nations organizations like Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning and international organizations like HIVE12.
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Update from the Solid State Affordable Housing Society (SSAH) |
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Access to affordable housing is more important than ever, and the Solid State Affordable Housing Society (SSAH) is taking action by identifying opportunities on all fronts. This involves acquiring land, securing long-term leases, and pursuing funding to make inclusive housing a reality. Recent efforts include a land use plan for a site near 22nd Street Station in New Westminster and productive discussions with developers like Lark Group and PCI. SSAHS is also exploring community-owned, unoccupied land for future projects. Alongside these initiatives, we are engaging with the community to ensure our housing developments meet the needs of those they serve. We’re gathering input to shape projects that prioritize accessibility and inclusivity. |
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Afiya, Black School’d, and Solid State Make Connections at Black Central Launch |
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Representatives from Afiya, Black School’d, and Solid State attended the launch of Black Central, an online platform that connects and broadcasts Black-owned businesses and organizations to create more access and build community. There were tables designated for community members interested in discussing issues such as: housing, education, immigration, legal and healthcare. Afiya, manned their own booth and made a lot of important connections! They are currently one of the listings in Black Central’s online portal. Participants at the event, including leaders at Black School’d, chatted about work and experiences in respective fields and were met with encouraging words from community elders who praised this strengthening of the community through connection. |
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Let Her Talk Reflects on an Eventful Year |
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Looking back at this year, Let Her Talk had its most successful one yet. The team received the Canada Summer Jobs grant as one of the biggest highlights of 2024. This grant supported them with being able to hire 2 new team members and host 12 events over the summer. Some of the events included, jewelry making, a movie night, crafting their own flower bouquets, a henna night and much more! Stay up to date with the team on Instagram @lethertalkca to hear about upcoming events. |
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Improving Healthcare for Black, African, and Caribbean (BAC) Communities: Afiya’s Survey is LIVE |
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Are you a Black, African, or Caribbean resident in the Lower Mainland?
Afiya want to hear from you! Join their study on healthcare delivery for the BAC community and share your experiences.
Your insights will help shape the future of health services and make care more accessible and equitable for everyone. Your participation will directly impact healthcare improvements for our communities.
How to Get Involved: Take the survey, participate in a focus group, or join a one-on-one interview. Your responses are confidential and will be used to drive positive change.
Click the links below to participate in the survey or schedule an interview. For any questions, reach out to us at info@afiyacarecollective.ca
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Work with CultureLinks for Translation Services |
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Does your organization need help bridging language barriers and reaching diverse cultural communities? CultureLinks is a worker-owned co-operative providing specialized translation, interpretation, and cultural consulting services in 20+ languages. Their team specializes in translating program materials, marketing materials, websites, online courses, video subtitling, and virtual and in-person event interpretation, and they have a strong background in topics such as business, social and solidarity economy, co-operative enterprises, and finance. Get in touch with us at hello@culturelinks.coop to find out more about our services, rates, and how we can help!
CultureLinks is always looking for translators and interpreters to join the team. For more information and to apply, head to their website: |
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GenConnect’s First Cultural Showcase to Debut in January |
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GenConnect is excited to announce their upcoming cultural showcase, Threads of Time, happening January 10th 2025! GenConnect is hosting workshops with Punjabi students from Princess Margaret Secondary School, collaborating with Punjabi seniors to create beautiful cultural items for the show. The event will feature talented artists, engaging performances, delicious food, and more. Follow GenConnect to learn stay up to date! @genconnect |
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11:30-2:30 pm, Friday Jan 10th, 2025 North Delta Arts Theatre |
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Surrey STEAM Academy is Making Connections |
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One of our new cohorts, Surrey STEAM Academy, has a goal to create active spaces for Surrey youth to engage with the sciences. Members visited the Vancouver Hack Space (VHS) and met one of their directors, Phillip Ma.
“We learned that Phillip is from Langley, but the local makerspace is so expensive that it's more cost effective for him to drive to Vancouver to use the VHS Woodshop. At the time of the visit, he was making a giant letter display out of wood which will spell out MEDICINE, for a Surrey Memorial Hospital shindig. We took some pictures and saw some bonafide solid state hardware.” - Surrey STEAM
Surrey STEAM is on the hunt for affordable laptops and other tech in order to host tutoring and workshop sessions for local youth. |
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Symposia’s 2025 Elevate Cohort Finalized! |
| As of December 7th, Symposia officially closed applications for the Elevate program—a collaboration between the PuSh Festival and Symposia. This mentorship initiative pairs young BIPOC art mentees with professional mentors from our community. The response to the program has been incredible, with a strong turnout of submissions. They are now in the exciting phase of interviews and selection and can’t wait to start the program in January 2025. |
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In Real Life Podcast Launch |
| Some of our GenConnect members have been working on a new podcast, In Real Life, which is now live on Spotify! Hosted by two UBC students, Pari and Manpreet, the podcast dives into the unfiltered realities of first-year university life, offering advice, insights, and industry connections.
They’re on the lookout for guest speakers and collaboration opportunities. If you’re interested, please reach out at inreallifexx@gmail.com. Follow @inreallife.podcastt |
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| | As your reward for making it to the end of this year and this newsletter, this is a picture of soap!
Cute and thoughtful handmade soaps from AdisNaturals were given out to our community after the year end celebration! (Get your own party packs from Adriana on Instagram below).
The party organizer may have put them in a glass candy bowl and subsequent Solid Staters may have immediately unwrapped to munch, mistaking these soaps as fruity candies… |
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