2nd Annual National Conference 2024

ACT Now! Black Mental Health and Wellness Conference

Conference Program

REST is Black Liberation!

TAIBU Community Health Centre is excited to host “ACT Now! Black Mental Health and Wellness 2nd Annual National Conference 2024” from March 20-22, 2024.

This conference is part of TAIBU’s Amandla Olwazi-The Power of Knowledge. Building on existing research around anti-Black racism and its impact in Canada, the project raises awareness of the impact of anti-Black racism on the mental health and wellness of Black communities.

Conference Aim

The ACT Now! conference generates new knowledge, resources, and tools around the mental health of Black Canadians. It is a national dialogue toward sustainable efforts of addressing Black Mental Health and well-being and systemic racism. It will also help participants apply African-centered knowledge and ways of engagement in their work setting.

Register for change!

Conference Themes:

The Power of Community (Healing and Thriving in Community)

  • Examine the connection between rest, liberation, and individual/community healing and thriving.
  • Identify strategies to foster both individual and collective well-being.

Intergenerational Health/Wealth

  • Utilize storytelling, arts, and Afrocentric knowledge-sharing approaches to address intergenerational aspects of health and wealth.
  • Explore innovative ways to pass down cultural knowledge for the betterment of Black communities.

Policy, Research & Advocacy

  • Explore the role of rest and liberation in policy development and community initiatives.
  • Discuss the intersectionality of rest as a form of liberation in combating anti-Black racism.

Rest Is Liberation

  • Enhance participants’ understanding of Rest
  • Explore the role of Rest in day-to-day life and on Black bodies

Conference Speakers:

  • Dr. Hamdi Mohamed
    Dr. Hamdi Mohamed
    PhD

Co-founder and Executive Director, Kaafi Integrative Health, Leadership Coach, Social Historian, Researcher

  • Sharon Davis-Murdoch
    Sharon Davis-Murdoch
    C.M.
Black Health Policy Leader & a Founding Member of the Health Association of African Canadians (HAAC)
  • Dr. Onye Nnorom
    Dr. Onye Nnorom
    MDCM, CCFP, MPH, FRCPC

Assistant Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health & Temerty Faculty of Medicine, U of T

  • Aina-Nia Ayo’dele
    Aina-Nia Ayo’dele

Transformative leader and change maker, CEO and Principal, Aina-Nia Learning Journey Inc

Event Location:

In-Person:
Pan Pacific Toronto, 900 York Mills Rd, North York, ON M3B 3H2

See directions

 

 

Virtual:
JOIN THE ZOOM MEETING

Meeting ID: 869 9194 9238
Passcode: 2024

 

 

Registration now open:

Ready to make a difference in Black Mental Health? Register now to participate in the ACT Now! Conference 2024. Your voice matters. Join us on this empowering journey.

 

Register for change!
Dr. Hamdi Mohamed
PhD
Dr. Hamdi Mohamed

Dr. Hamdi Mohamed is a researcher, an organizational development consultant, and the Co-Founder of Kaafi Integrative Health. She has over 20 years of professional experience in leading organizations, consulting, teaching, and designing and implementing organizational change and research projects.

A deep commitment to transformative change, liberation, and communal healing guides Dr. Mohamed’s life, work, and research. She is recognized for her innovative approach, designing, and facilitating highly participatory processes to co-create solutions with impact and capacity to break down old ways of thinking by providing fresh insights. Serving in non-profit sector leadership for over 20+ years, including being the former Executive Director of the Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization (OCISO) and the Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre (ORCC), she initiated and designed ground-breaking and socially innovative programs, shifting existing service delivery models, and conceptualizing new evidence-based, community-focused services.

Dr. Mohamed designed and taught graduate and undergraduate at Carleton University and American University Abroad and lectured widely on refugee resettlement, social work, human rights, social justice, public policy, and gender and politics in North America, Europe, and Africa. She published several research papers and contributed to numerous scholarly works, including books, international conferences, and seminars. Her academic research focuses on African diasporic experiences, community building, social activism, and Afro-Islamic healing practices. Dr. Mohamed has received several leadership awards recognizing her community service and professional achievements. Some awards include being named a Community Builder by the Black History Ottawa and being recognized as one of the Top 10 Inspiring Citizens to Watch in Ottawa in 2010. She holds a PhD and MA in History from the University of Ottawa and a BA in African History and English Literature from the Somali National University.

Sharon Davis-Murdoch
C.M.
Sharon Davis-Murdoch

Sharon Davis-Murdoch C.M., is a social justice champion. Retired from the Nova Scotia Public Service, Sharon’s political science background and public policy experience inform her work in the community. Among her public policy accomplishments was the development of the first Provincial Guidelines for Culturally Competent Primary Health Care in Canada.
Sharon was made a Paul Harris Fellow by the Halifax and Dartmouth Rotary Foundations of Rotary International in April and December 2022, recognizing her commitment to service over self. In December 2021 Sharon was named to the Order of Canada for her dedication to culturally competent care and improving the health equity and inclusion of racialized communities in Nova Scotia. Sharon received Premier’s Awards of Excellence in 2007 and 2015.

Sharon works at the community level and is a founding member and the Co-President of the Health Association of African Canadians. In addition to that role, Sharon was appointed and served as Commissioner on the Independent Commission on Effective Electoral Representation of Acadian and African Nova Scotians in 2017.
In 2018, Sharon received the Inspiration Award from the Dalhousie School of Public Administration awarded to public servants who have demonstrated a superior dedication and commitment to mentoring, coaching, and inspiring students and public servants over the course of their careers.

She served as Co-Manager to the Association of Black Social Workers and Health Association of African Canadians, COVID-19 Response and Impact Team, now evolved to the Advisory Committee for Black Public Health. She is also an Advisor to the Halifax Immigrant Partnership, Secretary of the Dartmouth General Hospital Foundation Board, and the Health Services Working Group Chair of the African Nova Scotian, People of African Descent Coalition (ANSDPAD). She is also currently a co-lead Faculty of the East Coast Public Policy Training Institute. President of Shamardavon Consulting, Sharon is a proud member of the Dartmouth Community and an even prouder Nana of two growing boys.

Dr. Onye Nnorom
MDCM, CCFP, MPH, FRCPC
Dr. Onye Nnorom

Dr. Onye Nnorom is a distinguished physician, advocate, public speaker and leader in the field of public health and equity. She is a family doctor and public health and preventive medicine specialist and Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto. Born in Montreal to parents of Nigerian and Trinidadian backgrounds, she learned at an early age the impact of social injustice and the power of community action. With a deep commitment to social justice and health equity, Dr. Nnorom has dedicated her career to addressing health disparities and improving health outcomes for marginalized communities, with a particular focus on Black populations. Her expertise lies in the intersection of racism and health, and she has been instrumental in advancing equitable healthcare practices and medical education policies.
 
Dr. Nnorom completed her medical training at McGill University, where she developed a passion for community medicine and the importance of addressing social determinants of health. She went on to pursue a Master of Public Health degree at the University of Toronto. Driven by a desire to effect systemic change, Dr. Nnorom has actively advocated for health equity through research and community engagement.
 
She has led numerous initiatives aimed at reducing health disparities, promoting cultural competency in healthcare, and empowering underserved populations. From 2013-18 was  the chronic disease prevention lead at TAIBU Community Health Centre, where she led a number of successful cancer screening initiatives which have been published in peer reviewed journals; the Afrocentric approaches she and her team applied in community programs are being applied in numerous clinics across Ontario to advance Black women’s health. From 2019-2022, she was the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Lead, within the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto. During that time, she was also the President of the Black Physicians’ Association of Ontario where she forged a partnership between the BPAO and the DFCM to lead and coordinate vaccine and wellness clinics across Ontario during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Dr. Nnorom is the host of a podcast called Race, Health and Happiness where she interviews successful Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color, providing wisdom on how to stay well in a “racialized world”. Dr. Nnorom is the co-founder of the Black Health Education Collaborative, which was established to provide online educational resources on anti-Black racism and Black health for health professional students, clinicians and public health practitioners. She is a mother, a dancer, host of the podcast Race, Health and Happiness, and past president of the Black Physicians’ Association of Ontario.
 
Dr. Onye Nnorom’s unwavering dedication to equity and her tireless efforts to create a more just and inclusive healthcare system have earned her widespread recognition and respect within the medical community.

Aina-Nia Ayo’dele
Aina-Nia Ayo’dele

Aina-Nia Ayo’dele is “A transformative leader and change maker.”

She is CEO & Principal of Aina-Nia Learning Journey Inc., and is unapologetically on a mission to influence institutions and individuals to create bold and meaningful change through a decolonized approach to leadership, as a means to equity, inclusion, reparation, and reconciliation and most importantly, SELF love.

Aina-Nia is a leadership coach, author and ancient wisdom teacher who considers herself a Spiritual Liberation Activist. She believes and knows firsthand that a decolonized and re-indigenized approach brings measurable impacts –social, political, and economic.

In 2018, Aina-Nia established North America’s first government sanctioned strategy and permanent office to address anti-Black racism and was the lead consultant on the creation of the Toronto Action Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism. She led in the development of the COVID Equity Plan on Community Engagement & Mobilization for Vaccine Equity, including the establishment of the Black Scientists’ Taskforce for Vaccine Equity, Toronto Youth Vaccination Advisory, and the Accessibility Taskforce. The City of Toronto acknowledges Aina-Nia’s 4 years of ground-breaking as: “Through you a city is transformed.”

Since her retirement from public service at the City of Toronto to continue her public works, Aina-Nia has returned to her love of leadership development. She has been supporting leaders to play their role in advancing social justice as they live the highest version of their vision. Her clients and students span across sectors including social services, healthcare, education, arts & culture, government, and private corporations.

Over a decade ago she founded Sacred Women International and the life transformational
process, Sacred Leaders Training™ which has been transforming individuals, families, and communities. Aina-Nia is known for masterfully integrating her spiritual and corporate expertise throughout all her offerings to create generational impacts. She is multifaceted – a Yoruba priest initiated in various other ancient wisdom traditions as well as an Ontario licensed clergy in Metaphysical & New Thought Ancient Wisdom.

She is a well sought-after public speaker who has presented to academic, corporate, Faith and civil society audiences across North America, Caribbean, and West Africa. Aina-Nia is known for inspiring action through her masterful delivery, transforming you almost immediately. Aina-Nia is often called on to consult on issues of institutional culture change, gender and racial equity, and African Indigenous practices. She has also been featured in various documentaries and learning podcasts on these issues. She sat on the Parliament of World Religions 2018 historic working group for the development of Indigenous Peoples Program and led the Women’s Water Ceremony at its global gathering in Toronto. She was a featured PoWR 2023 luminary at the Parliament of World in Chicago, USA.

For her trailblazing work and the sterling contributions, Aina-Nia was honoured with a Lifetime Advocacy Award in February 2022. In 2018, she was named one of the 100 Most Accomplished Black Canadian Women prior to which she was nominated as 100 Women to Watch in 2017. The Ontario government recognized her for contributions to the community and in 2008, she was nominated as one of Toronto’s Most Inspiring Women. Aina-Nia was also recognized as one of Jamaica’s 58 Best, honouring the country’s 58th Independence. She was recently featured at the Toronto Archives as an Influential Black Leader who has overcome obstacles to make valuable contributions to society and the world.

Her book SELF: An Inner Journey to Re-Membering Your Power was released in 2021 and is on its third print. Aina-Nia’s work is featured in the film Remembering Her Power. The film premiered at the 2018 Parliament of World Religions in Toronto and has been a featured documentary on Global Africa Television Network as well as the LA’s PTA film festival 2020.

http://www.aina-nia.com
Experience the Remembering Her Power Documentary
Aina-Nia Ayo’dele Grant – A Transformative Leader And Changemaker

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