Twelve ways we show up for members.

The Eritrean Canadian Multicultural Association's main focus at present is to assist Eritrean youth born and/or raised in Canada to come together and establish an alliance that encourages networking and peer-to-peer support and development. The association wants to be attached to the youth and act as a mentor for them to be educated, responsible, law-abiding and respectable members of the city. By fostering a close relationship with the youth, the association hopes to decrease the number of youth exposed to various kinds of social problems.

Some members are becoming senior citizens, and ECMA has designed a program to adapt to the needs of these individuals. ECMA encourages frontline volunteers of the association to organize a coffee ceremony and invite senior citizens so that they can interact with others. By way of free membership and other initiatives, senior citizens will be encouraged to come out and stay in touch with community members.

Eritrean immigrants in Canada represent different ethnic groups and nationalities within Eritrea. Inter-community dialogues and group forums are, therefore, important to promote unity and harmony among these groups. ECMA frequently organizes such dialogues, and works with local leaders to promote discussion and facilitate peaceful co-existence among various groups. It also works with local government bodies to ensure that decision-making is an inclusive process that builds upon consensus among diverse community members. Further, the association tries to use elders as a mediation committee that assists in mediating group disputes — one of the association's main, ongoing activities as new members continue to arrive as immigrants to the City of Edmonton. As part of the larger ethno-cultural community in Edmonton, ECMA also participates in key Afro-centric events.

As part of the Edmonton Police Service community outreach program, ECMA maintains a strong tie with the Community Liaison Officer. This mutually beneficial relationship helps the Police handle culturally sensitive issues as they arise within the community.

ECMA organizes and supports sport and art training for youth and children, both girls and boys. The program runs on volunteers and members of the association. Community-based sport and art is a program that brings people together — running outdoors in summer and indoors in winter. Many parents do not have the financial capacity to join the programs offered by high-end sport and art clubs in the city. These community-supported sport and art programs are, therefore, vital in providing the mental and physical health and strength, as well as self-esteem and self-discipline, these children need.

Started in 2003 as part of a combined initiative between the Edmonton Public Library and the association, ECMA continues to provide occasional Amharic and English language training for children to help them improve their communication skills and self-expression in both languages. The program was initiated and led by ECMA but often runs on volunteers. ECMA rents halls and facilities, and provides teaching materials — often held indoors in rental facilities, community halls and schools. Non-Eritrean Edmonton families who adopted children from Eritrea, and who are looking to preserve their children's language and cultural heritage, also come to use the service.

ECMA often assists newcomers in getting settlement services, and training in English language, job searches, and other related issues. Beneficiaries include newcomers from Eritrea through the refugee sponsorship program, co-sponsored by community members, and those who resettled from other provinces as well.

The Community Outreach Program of ECMA provides a crucial service to the community, focusing on a number of family-based social issues including financial and moral support, mitigating family violence, counselling and mediation, and assistance with initiatives within Edmonton aimed at helping underprivileged people in Africa, particularly East Africa. Several larger organizations exist in Edmonton to provide support, however, in an immigrant community, members would seek solutions within the community before accessing such publicly available services. ECMA is routinely confronted with members going through different kinds of tragic circumstances but having no support during difficult times. Community volunteers often step in to provide financial and moral support.

Members of the community at large are very private and routinely handle conflicts through intervention and mediation within the community. ECMA provides such a forum and attempts to resolve conflicts through intervention and mediation, experience sharing, or by directing members to the appropriate service provider. Conflicts handled include spousal issues, various contractual arrangements among members (trust-based issues), conflict arising from inter-religion and ethnic issues, and bridging the gap between the generation born in Canada and their first-generation immigrant parents.

Loss of loved ones is handled quite differently in the Eritrean community than in Western society. Repatriation of remains from Edmonton — a common wish among community members — is very expensive, and is mostly handled through rapid fundraising, as members are often unable to cover such expenses on their own. Many people routinely come to pay their respects at these events, which requires significant organizational capacity. ECMA takes a central role in leading and encouraging fundraising activities, and generally organizes support groups for grieving family members.

ECMA is acutely aware of ongoing situations related to natural and man-made disasters in Eritrea or in Eritrean refugee camps. In both cases, the association supports volunteer organizers and assists them in different ways — one being an annual donation collection at a community gathering event. ECMA encourages members to participate actively in this program, which aims to provide financial aid to rural areas of Eritrea and to refugee camps.

In addition to assisting members in various activities, the Association also provides members and their children with support letters upon request. Support letters can be addressed to employers, public services, housing agencies, schools, and other organizations.