Social Awareness

Highlights

• According to AAP guidelines, toddlers should preferably avoid the use of screen, and children aged 2 years and older should limit to 1 hour per day.
• Positive aspects of screen time include educational and recreational benefits of technology.
• Excessive screen time causes physical health concerns, sleep disturbance, and impacts on mental health.
• Increased risk of anxiety, depression, feelings of loneliness, aggression, impulsive behaviour, and difficulty in focusing are among the mental health impacts.
• Need to set a healthy screen time limits by creating a family media plan and encouraging outdoor/physical activities.
• Parents should set clear rules, they themselves lead by example, choose high-quality content, have open communication, educate on online safety, and monitor screen time to create a family media plan.

Resources

For Children and Teenagers:

• Smiling Mind app offers meditation exercises to help reduce stress.
• Calm Kids app provides guided relaxation for children to manage anxiety.
• MoodGYM app offers online CBT programs to help teenagers with depression/anxiety.
• SuperBetter app help kids to build resilience using gamification elements.
• Stop, Breathe & Think Kids app provides emotional regulation exercises for children.

For Parents and Caregivers:

• Child Mind Institute offers various resources on children’s mental health topics.
• Zero to Three organization provides resources on early childhood development and emotional well-being.
• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) offers published information on kids mental health.
• American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) website provides resources such as fact sheets on mental health topics.
• HealthyChildren.org website offers reliable info on children’s physical and mental health by AAP.
• Parenting for Brain website provides evidence-based parenting tips to support children’s emotional and cognitive development.

Guest Speaker

Dr Saeed Kianpour (Family Therapist)

Video

Slides

Key Points from Guest Speakers

• Engage in Activities Now: Begin participating in professional, artistic, and entertainment activities before retirement. Delaying these activities can lead to decreased motivation and energy in the future. For example, if you plan to travel, start as soon as possible to establish the habit.

• Financial Planning: Ensure proper financial planning well in advance of retirement. Relying solely on minimum government payments is insufficient. While government employees often receive adequate pensions, others need to establish their own retirement savings accounts. Detailed financial planning is essential and warrants a separate discussion.

• Family Presence and Financial Stability: Contrary to popular belief, many Canadian families value spending time together. Insurance consultants observe that families with sound financial planning experience fewer challenges during retirement and maintain stronger family bonds. Conversely, those facing financial difficulties often struggle to keep the family unit intact.

• Independence of Children: Despite moving to Canada for better opportunities for our children, we should not expect them to stay with us during retirement, just as we didn’t stay with our parents. Children should have the freedom to choose their own paths. However, instilling cultural and family values can encourage them to maintain close ties. While their presence can bring joy, it shouldn’t be an expectation.

• Social Services and Emotional Needs: Many needs traditionally met by children, such as healthcare visits and companionship, are provided through social services in Canada. Emotional needs, like seeing children and grandchildren, can be fulfilled through various means, including virtual communication, though face-to-face interactions are preferable.

• Social Connections: Cultivating a network of like-minded friends before retirement is crucial to avoid loneliness. Establishing these social relationships and platforms early is essential for a fulfilling retirement.

• New Activities in Retirement: Retirement is an opportunity to start new artistic, literary, and entertainment activities, such as writing a book or painting. Pre-retirement hobbies can continue and even become income-generating professional or voluntary activities during retirement.

Guest Speakers

Mrs. Chakameh Karimi
Mr. Jahan Kasraei
Mrs. Afsaneh Moradi
Mr. Mehdi Mahdavi

Agenda

• The Importance of Having a Will in Canada

• Consequences of Not Having a Will

• Types of Wills: Which One is Right for You?

• Key Considerations When Drafting a Will

• Identifying Inheritable Assets

• Guardianship of Children After Your Passing

Guest Speaker

Dr Fatemeh Khoshchehreh (Lawyer)

Recorded Audio (Persian)

Highlights

• Community: Forms when people with shared struggles come together, overcoming loneliness and isolation to create spaces of belonging and mutual support.
• Ethnic Communities: Preserve cultural identity, enhance mental health, promote economic mobility, and build resilience and sense of belonging.
• Immigrant Adaptation Categories: Assimilation, Integration, Separation, Marginalization.
• Challenges to Assimilation: Cultural identity, discrimination, language, and economic barriers.
• Integration vs. Assimilation: Integration supports diversity; full assimilation isn’t always ideal.
• Benefits of Biculturalism: Mental well-being, adaptability, and identity balance.
• Building Ethnic Communities: Support systems, cultural preservation, but face discrimination, generational divides, and underrepresentation.
• Challenges for Muslim Communities: Islamophobia, internal fragmentation, generational tensions, and cultural dilution.
• Pathways to Success: Political representation, cultural programs, and community resilience.
• Successful Ethnic Communities: Resilience, resourcefulness, and advocacy to overcome barriers.

Guest Speaker

Mohammad Hossein Tekieh (Community Leader)

Video

Slides