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DG Nancy introduced our speaker as a leader, a foreign-educated teacher, and activist with over 20 years of experience in community development. Titi Tijani holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Ecology from University of Manitoba and certificates in Education, Community Leadership, Trainer and Conflict Resolution. She has worked with Manitoba Housing since 1998 and is currently Manager of Tenant Services, supporting vulnerable Manitobans’ access to housing. Her work with organizations like the African Communities of Manitoba Inc. (ACOMI), Manitoba Lung Association, Youth Justice Committee, Nigerian Association of Manitoba, the Black Community Collective and the Police Accountability Coalition have allowed her to support thousands of community members in building a more diverse, sustainable, and equitable Manitoba. Titi has been recognized by the Spirit of a Community Builder Award, the Premier’s Volunteer Service Award Certificate of Recognition, as one of 100 most fascinating Manitobans in 2020 and most recently as recipient of Manitoba Honour 150. Titi indicated that, having come from Nigeria in 1987, living on Pembina Highway (and noticing the Rotary sign at Pembina and Chancellor), she had always wanted to join Rotary because she loves to help – but other things got in the way. So she was delighted to be invited to speak to our Rotary club. Having acquired her Education degree in Nigeria and having taught high school there, Titi balked at Manitoba’s refusal to recognize her education and experience and require her to take Grade 12 in Manitoba before applying to study Community Development in the Human Ecology Department at the University of Manitoba. Instead, she networked, spoke to the Human Ecology department and was eventually admitted into the program. After graduation, she got a good job with the Manitoba government. She found that this is the case with all new immigrants - their qualifications were under-valued, requiring them to take on menial small jobs to feed their family if they could not afford the Manitoba-based education to become teachers, doctors, engineers, nurses, teachers and so on – again. As a volunteer with the African Communities of Manitoba, Titi got together foreign-trained professionals who had come to Manitoba and they approached the government of the time with the issue – having conversations with government officials, ministers and even the premier, about their situation. In 2009, after about 3 years of these discussions to enact change, the issue was taken to the Office of the Fairness Commissioner, whose responsibility was to look at licencing bodies to work on a path for people who were not trained in Manitoba or Canada to be able to get licenced to continue to work in the career of their choice. Titi was very proud of this accomplishment. In the first year there were about 600 foreign-trained immigrants that went through their respective bridging programs - which included a familiarization course of 6 months to a year, followed by a practicum, after which they could get a licence to practice their profession in Manitoba. This was a win-win situation – for the immigrants and for the local economy as well. Titi likes to volunteer because that is how one learns how things are done. Titi described the African Communities of Manitoba Inc (ACOMI) as an umbrella organization advocating for all the black organizations in Manitoba. It started in 1996 through Folklorama with Africans from 4 countries and has grown to include about 40 national associations (each with 200 - 300 members) creating a vibrant, engaged community contributing to a culturally rich, economically prosperous and socially inclusive society in Manitoba. The organization provides employment-readiness programs (as well as training at how to keep the job) for visible minority women, a youth mentorship program (called “For all that Kids Can Be” for high school age students), as well as an emergency community support and a food relief program this summer. Grants received from the Winnipeg Foundation and United Way are shared with the member organizations so that the services can reach the grassroots communities. They also teach the organizations how to apply for grants, provide reports and how to run programs. This year the African Communities of Manitoba has produced an organization development plan, a 3-year strategic plan and extended its reach beyond Winnipeg (to Altona and Brandon). COVID has forced this outreach from beyond their small facility on Kennedy Street. Titi has been the organization’s president for about 3 years and was its vice-president for about 6 years. She was observing how our club meeting was run and indicated that she felt comfortable as a participant. In response to questions, we learned that immigrants are not at all adverse to living in smaller towns like Altona or Brandon – in fact, not many people actually want to come to Winnipeg. Frequently, the job opportunities (like for medical doctors) only exist in more rural areas. Currently, nurses are able to challenge the credential recognition exam, which ten years ago was not an option. Back in the 1990s many taxi drivers in Winnipeg were foreign-trained medical doctors. Nigerian Professionals in Manitoba, one of ACOMI’s member organizations, is working with people who arrived before 2010 to get them back into their original professions by going through the current bridging programs. Foreign trained professionals arriving in Manitoba can register with the Office of the Fairness Commissioner whose staff members will give them the path to take to get their licence and begin to work happily in their chosen profession. AP Glenn thanked Titi for her inspiring presentation and for her work in bringing about the bridging programs for this province. He informed her about Rotary’s youth programs that sponsor students for programs like Adventures in Agriculture, Adventures in Technology, Adventures in Human Rights, a leadership program every year - and encouraged students to apply for those opportunities through our club. He also invited Titi to join our Rotary club, a part of an international organization. She said she would do that once all the ACOMI committees are working as they should be – plus – she added - if she likes something, she brings others with her. PDG Nancy invited Titi to drop in to our meetings when she has the time and promised to send her each Zoom meeting’s login information. |
