Sister2Sister
How it All Began

Judy Fantham, Executive Director of Newcomer Women’s Service and Sister2Sister Program Manager Sara Asalya.

Judy Fantham, Executive Director of Newcomer Women’s Service and Sister2Sister Program Manager Sara Asalya.

 

The idea to create the Sister2Sister program came from two “sisters” who shared the same passion for advocating for women and their rights. Judy Fantham is the Executive Director of Newcomer Women’s Services and Sara Asalya is the founder and President of Ryerson’s Newcomer Students' Association. She’s also the winner of a RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrants Award and was just named one of Canada’s Top 25 Women of Influence.

Judy, who has become a fierce advocate for immigrant women, joined Newcomer Women’s Services in 2018. At the time, Judy says that she knew that the experience of redefining yourself as a woman in a new country would be different than her own experience and she realized that she needed to understand that experience if she was to be an effective advocate. 

On March 29, 2019 she sought out Sara, who was born and raised in Jabalia, the largest of Gaza’s eight Palestinian refugee camps. Sara was deeply impacted by the displacement and trauma all around her. It instilled in her a passion for social justice and human rights. 

When they first met, they talked about creating a program that would empower immigrant women and support them in their leadership development and civic engagement journey. They wanted to create an outcome-driven program that would have a real impact on these women's lives. They took a holistic approach to designing the program and sought out key partnerships, with the following agencies: 

Canadian Association of Muslim Women in Law, YWCA, Koffler Centre of the Arts, Dixon Hall Neighbourhood Services, Milieu Strategy and Consulting Inc., Danforth Pape Toastmasters, Institute of Change Leaders, Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC), Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI), People & Equity Division of the City of Toronto, Millennial Womxn in Policy, Democratic Engagement Exchange, KAIROS, and powerful activists on, gender-based violence, mentorship and story-telling like Nira Elgueta, Jasmine Rezaee, Khadra Abdulle Anjum Sultana, Saman Tabasinejad, Hoda Ahmed, Olivia Chow, Ruby Latif, Yaldaz Sadakova, Rania Younes and Alfredo Barahona.

More than 1,400 emails, a dozen coffee shop meetings and two community consultations later, Sister2Sister was launched. One of the first graduates, Leila Naderi, summed up her experience:

“Without any exaggeration, this program can be life-changing, especially for newcomers who want to have a more productive life.”

Any questions? Please email us sister2sister@newcomerwomen.org 

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAM

MEET THE 2019/2020 SISTERS

THE SISTERS’ “PHOTOVOICE PROJECT”

THE SISTERS’ “SEEING EYE TO EYE PROJECT”

 

 

 

"As an immigrant woman, I experienced firsthand the challenges and struggles many newcomers face when they come to Canada and have to start a life from scratch. No network, no sense of belonging and having to renegotiate our identities and redefine who we are. I envisioned a program that will create a safe space for immigrant women regardless of their immigration status to feel connected and empowered. Creating a sense of belonging and community was at the core of this program as was developing the leadership capacity of these women to be able to advocate for themselves and others. I am proud that the S2S program achieved its vision and we successfully helped many immigrant women to have a smoother integration. I wish such programs existed when I was a newcomer to Canada!!It is absolutely thrilling to see the graduates of the first cohort growing and developing their sense of self and confidence."

Sara Asalya