Project Overview
Stories of Care is a project that captures and amplifies the stories of Filipinx/a/o care workers and the impact of the pandemic on them. Built on individual stories, relationships, and trust, the project explores themes of employment, unemployment, family, grief, healing, community, and resilience.
Project Description & Outcomes
The project was commissioned by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and implemented using a participatory research and co-design approach. DIA’s contributions included:
- Convening an Advisory Committee and Newcomer Co-Design Team
- Hosting capacity-building sessions with Newcomers and service providers
- Leading a series of co-design sessions with Newcomers, non-profit service providers, and grassroots leaders
- Collecting and analyzing participant insights alongside funding models research
- Developing a final model recommendation and report for IRCC
- Hosting a Town Hall to present findings to participants
Seven key considerations emerged to inform the structure of the community-based funding model:
- Transparency, equity, and meaningful consultation
- Acknowledgement of grassroots work
- Tailored approach and flexible funding
- Responsive feedback mechanisms and relevant metrics
- Accessible applications and simplified reporting
- Investing in training and relationship-building
- Addressing competition and supporting collaboration
- Key considerations for implementing an intermediary (including trust, accountability, and power-sharing)
“Roles can change. Newcomers have power too. They have rights and capacity. In the first moment, they are at a disadvantage. But the system has to be built to change this situation. If not, the system does not work. They are not burdens. When they are sitting at that table, they should be equal.”
— Newcomer Participant
What we Practiced
- Telling the Truth
- Weaving the Micro and the Macro
- Holding & Metabolizing Contradictions
- Practicing Curiosity
What we Imagined
A funding ecosystem where Newcomers and racialized grassroots leaders are true partners in designing the systems that shape their lives — not just recipients of services, but co-authors of the structures meant to serve them.