Programs

Communities 4 Families encourages the work of various organizations running family programs in Downtown Winnipeg. Over the years, C4F have expressed our support by providing grants to these organizations.

To address some of the gaps in parent-child programs, Communities 4 Families initiated a Healthy Lifestyles pilot project called Wiggle, Giggle & Munch. This program was developed to address the need for families to have activities and resources for raising and playing with their pre-school children. In 2008, Wiggle, Giggle & Munch received the Dieticians of Canada and Kraft Canada Regional “Speaking of Food and Healthy Living Award” in 2008.

In 2009, Family Literacy Programs were commissioned by Communities 4 Families to address this growing need in the downtown.

Parent and Family support continues with the introduction of the Resources 4 Families (R4F) webpage. The development of an online list of resources for families was a direct result of our research project looking at the various stressors parents face in their daily lives.

	Parenting and Family Support As a follow up to the research project Stress, Coping and the Impact on Parenting in the Downtown Residential Communities of Winnipeg completed in 2008, a pilot project was developed to work with parents to reduce systemic barriers. The coordinator of the project is currently working with both the parents and an advisory committee to come up with practical solutions to systemic barriers. Together they will develop an action plan to work for change within the systems.
	Healthy Lifestyles Healthy Lifestyle activities and programs promote good nutrition and physical activity through education, community supports, and skills training. This includes parent education programs, lifestyle counselling, physical activity promotion, food security, nutrition guidance (including food preparation and budgeting), and breastfeeding promotion and support. Wiggle, Giggle, & Munch was an initiative borne out of this focus.
	Literacy Communities 4 Families has chosen to focus on Family Literacy in the downtown. We consider “Family Literacy” to refer to the many ways parents, children, and extended family members use literacy to accomplish everyday tasks within the context of their own culture and community. Family literacy programs involve both parents and children in literacy activities which meet their needs and goals while building on the families’ strengths. Communities 4 Families has provided grants to several organizations to develop Family Literacy models to be used in the community. Manuals and training events for these programs will be available when they are completed.
	Community Capacity Building Community Capacity Building includes activities that support opportunities for community leadership, volunteering, community service, and skill development. These activities encourage and support community residents. Examples might be continuing education programs, youth support programs, employment programs, and leadership opportunities, all community driven projects.