Programs and Services

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Programs and Services

Afri-Can Alliance thrives on protocols set out of partners, whose missions and mandates are determined by consensus in the community and adopted by the entire forum which by the way, are non-political and fully voluntary-based to Black communities. We cite accurate and credible sources in our programs and services i.e. grant applications, work strategies, and community portraits. Also, we use this information to increase the quality of engagement with the community and to inform our advocacy which includes raising awareness of issues facing the community while building solidarity and strengthening the vitality of our community. The findings from our research also supports the Private, Educational, and Public Sector partners with information regarding the English-speaking Black population here in Alberta.

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Business Support

Afri-Can Alliance is committed to supporting Alberta entrepreneurs and small businesses start, scale, and succeed through capacity building initiatives, networking and professional advisory services that helps entrepreneurs access businesses access advice and coaching, financing, training and information about market expansion. Some of which are:

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Business Support

Launchpad

Launchpad is a free virtual skill development platform and ongoing program geared at building the next generation of successful Black entrepreneurs.

Open to learners of all ages across Canada, Launchpad aims to help aspiring Black founders develop the personal and professional skills needed to kickstart their entrepreneurial journey.

Whether you’re looking to start your own company, brush up on your entrepreneurship knowledge or simply enhance your resume with a new certification, Launchpad is a great place to start.

Program details:
Launchpad is a completely virtual program that can be completed at your own pace. Program participants will receive free access to the Launchpad platform where they will have access to three courses. Course content is organized into individual chapters with learning resources and video workshops. As learners move through a course, they are prompted to take short quizzes and surveys along the way to ensure they understand key takeaways from each lesson. To successfully complete the program and receive a Launchpad certificate, participants must obtain at least 80% on a final assessment.

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Business Support

SCALE-UP (SBCCI)

Our Sustainable Capacity Advancement for Leadership and Economic Upliftment (SCALE-UP) is a 12-month recurring workshop that is structured to leverage access to strategic partners in the public, private and education sectors to upskill the Black-Canadian communities and key stakeholders through sustainable leadership, investment and stewardship programs that promotes operational efficiency in alignment with the United Nation’s International Decade for People of African Descent 2015-2024 and Canadian Institute for Persons of African Descent (CIPAD)’s feasibility report.
SCALE-UP aims to create an environment where the free flow and exchange of knowledge and ideas can take place. Start-ups and growing SPOs will have access to a variety of workspaces; on-site programs, access to soft-landing programs and personalized referrals to support and funding agencies; and facilitated access and collaboration with local, national, and international communities of accelerators and incubators; common and shared meeting rooms, library, and support resources will be provided.

To achieve this, we would:

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Ensure that leaders and organizations from equity-deserving groups are engaged and equipped with the right training on reporting, governance, finance, quality control, administrative and operational management.

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Deliver programs to SMEs and entrepreneurs to build investment readiness.

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Facilitate access to capital through both mainstream financing and alternative streams.

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Strengthen networks of expertise in our business ecosystem.

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Provide capacity building workshops and networking events to tap new opportunities.

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Business Support

SILO – System Integration Launchpad for Organisations:

The SILO project is an Enterprise Resource Platform (ERP) software that is developed to automate the workflow and internal functions of our organisation and help black businesses and professionals strengthen their digital capacity.
To adapt in a post-pandemic context, our SILO system trains the team on adopting the Agile methodology work process to manage projects with a smart communication and task management plan that integrates workflow through a planning, execution, and evaluation process.

The SILO project will largely empower our mandate in providing innovative training and support services to Black-Canadian communities through the following ways:

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SILO will enable our pre-employment and skills-development training model to integrate technology, sales, and high-performance workplace skills to prepare Black communities for future-oriented careers across Alberta. SILO will promote remote work and virtual programming.

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SILO will help standardise our management functions, business processes, work procedures and keep up with community demands while scaling our operations. It would also speed up teams’ responses, eliminate repetitive tasks, consolidate data, and improve team dynamics.

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SILO will prepare black entrepreneurs and professionals for an evolving economy and encouraging the application of contemporary skills to solve the complexity of social, political, technological, and economic issues of our time, especially in the post-pandemic context.

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Finally, as we are known for being unique and progressive, we would leverage on SILO and partners to up-skill the Black-Canadian communities with digital literacy while implementing an improved communication plan as well as contact system to reach our target audience more effectively since the COVID-19 pandemic.

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SILO will improve communication and community relations; it will manage our entire client’s life cycle swiftly and access data all in one interface.

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Business Support

CEO Roundtable

CEO RoundTable Event is a quarterly-held peer advisory forum that helps business owners, senior executives, and industry leaders within Western Canada understand that they are no longer just running company operations as usual anymore, but also building the right business ecosystems that can mitigate the effect of structural obstacles and economic policies. A company without great collaborative strategies will end up unprofitable and in huge debt, which might eventually lead to financial instability.

This program is delivered through our project partner, Canadian Imperial Advantage; and since the maiden edition, CEO RoundTable has helped built an inclusive business network that has empowered over 100 small business owners by:

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Facilitating access to capital through commercial lenders.

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Coordinating strategies to align with the global economic trend.

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Connecting key stakeholders for strategic partnership and investment.

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Hosting pitch competitions for aspiring entrepreneurs.

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Delivering financial literacy and capacity development trainings.

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Matching mentees with mentees and/or business coaches.

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Providing business advisory support through consultations.

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Offering incubator and accelerator services for start-ups.

Women Empowerment

Afri-Can has over three years, leveraged its access with strategic partners in both private and public sectors, to help Black women including those with disabilities demonstrate an incredible resilience, ingenuity, and ability to innovate amid uncertainty through social empowerment programs and capacity development training.

We are committed to promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth while empowering underserved communities through cost-effective business support services, access to capital, networking, as well as coaching and mentoring.

To further this mission, we are taking steps to increase our ability to respond to the unmet needs of Black women in Western Canada through the following programs:

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Women Empowerment

FAIR PLAY Sports Initiative

Quality sport means good people (responsible leaders, knowledgeable parents, and supportive partners); inclusive places and good physical exercises are effective means to address the needs of women, especially through progressive and meaningful sports.
FAIR PLAY sports initiative is an ongoing quarterly-held sports retreat that aims to deploy positive Black female role models to take part in a range of physical activities that:

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Set up mentoring systems for older or more experienced women and girls to mentor those who are younger or less experienced.

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Challenge sexist assumptions and behaviour among participants.

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Promote beginner and intermediate activities for girls/women as fun, open and non-competitive.

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Combine physical activity with health promotion and expressive arts.

Women Empowerment

HER-conomy Initiative Program (HIP):

HER-conomy is an ongoing 6-week inclusive program that is focused on empowering an exclusive community of women through capacity-building on entrepreneurship, digital literacy, leadership, and empowerment. It is an inclusive network that provides a platform for women with different backgrounds, life experiences, and demographics to connect and thrive with fair advantages while strengthening each other to become great leaders.
This recurring workshop aims to bridge communication and upskill the Albertan women community for equitable economic opportunities that address the current realities and social gap in Black-Canadian communities.

With access to a network of 300 women, we are committed to building an inclusive ecosystem for women to thrive with fair economic advantages through our partners, Canadian Imperial Advantage. The program delivery will be via interactive presentations, and class activities led by seasoned entrepreneurs and instructors.

Program Highlights:

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4-week bridging programs for professionals to increase meaningful labour opportunities and care for women.

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2-week work-experience placement for newcomers, unemployed, and EI beneficiaries.

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4-week incubator and accelerator programs for female entrepreneurs.

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Kindly share this information with women in your network so they can register and participate using the link: imperialadvantage.ca/herconomy-initiative-program/

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4-week digital literacy training with a focus on business analysis and data management for women boosting proficiency in technology.

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4-week bridging programs for professionals to increase meaningful labour opportunities and care for women.

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A chance to win up to $50,000 in cash and contribution at the Grand Finale & Pitch Award event where finalists from the HER-conomy workshop will present their businesses to investors and the ecosystem.

Women Empowerment

She-EO Summit

In the spirit of uplifting the global standards of living for women by acting as agents of economic change, social inclusion, and capacity development. The She-EO Summit is primed to put a spotlight on all women and address the status quo with respect to the empowerment of the women community. She-EO would initiate consequential discussions on gender equality issues, women’s engagement in different disciplines, future challenges, and opportunities. It is made a reality through the resourceful collaboration of CIA’s HER-conomy team with notable educational institutions and community stakeholders in Canada.

What are Areas of Discussion?

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Entrepreneurship

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Access to capital

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Mental health and wellbeing

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Leadership and professional development

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Women and the future of feminism

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Cultural identity & social integration

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Networking, coaching and mentorship.

Seniors Empowerment

E-Connect – Virtual Elders’ Connect
Our ongoing E-Connect initiative has connected 100+ seniors in two years; committed to tackling ageism and social isolation through financial and digital literacy seminars for seniors to bridge the reduce the risk of COVID-19 exposure. We offer virtual, social and educational sessions in order to support the social participation and inclusion of seniors.
Demographic of target groups:

• Seniors (including women)
• Newcomers
• Low Income

Through our 12-month E-Connect project (from March 2023), Afri-Can Alliance would continue to create a world with fair socio-economic advantages for seniors to specifically:

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Connect our Elders (virtually due to covid-19)

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Celebrate diversity and promote social inclusion

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Provide capacity building initiatives for seniors including financial literacy skills.

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Combat ageism and social isolation via digital literacy

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Support seniors’ access to government services and benefits

Career Coaching and Professional Development

SERP – Springboard Employment Readiness Program
Our Springboard Employment Readiness Program is developed to provide high quality capacity development trainings with all aspect of unique and diverse opportunities for under-represented individuals and/or underserved communities, clearly establishing valuable connections and supports in which they may discover career potentials with considered equality, ability, and contributions.

Upon completion, potential employers would have access to a pool of highly skilled participants well equipped with social integral skills to thrive in a standard Canadian workplace regardless of their background.

Our SERP project aims to increase:

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The awareness of socio-economic factors and public policies as it relates to race, tradition and cultural background that may be hindering full participation of the entire Black-Canadian in the society and economy.

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The knowledge and capacity within the Black-Canadian communities in Alberta to address racism and discrimination.

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Public awareness of Canada’s cultural diversity, heritage, human rights and subsequently encourage decision-makers to act for sustainable change.

Career Coaching

BEEP – Bridging Employment and Entrepreneurship Pathways

This is a mandatory preliminary assessment for all candidates seeking employment training or placement through our organization, designed to deploy potential employees through the appropriate career channels. We would:

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Develop a visual-automated tool that helps participants assess their competence and employability.

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Build a process that helps participants assess their viability and ability to function in that profession.

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Bridge and help Black Immigrants (Newcomers) – Women and Girls, transition into the Canadian workforce smoothly.

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Conduct market research – carry out market studies that allow us to know the new individual and industry demands firsthand.

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Evaluate market viability to dig deeper into career prospects

Trainings and Webinars

Financial Literacy & Personal Development

• KYP – Know Your Peaks
Our Know-Your-Peak (KYP) initiative educates and provides the necessary training for Black youths to know their human rights and limits as citizens, prepare them for an evolving job market while encouraging the application of contemporary skills to solve the complex social, political, technological, and environmental issues of our time.
KYP is an online and in-class financial literacy/personal development program integrated into our FAIR PLAY initiative, a national campaign for Black Youth (aged 14-49) that promotes Black pride and positive cultural identity through history, technology, entrepreneurship, social innovation, fashion, culinary, visual, literary and performing arts. The KYP curriculum subscribes to our mission of raising the bar of Black excellence and fostering great leadership delivered by intersecting the themes of capacity development and financial literacy.

Some of our KYP Objectives are:

Our goal is to foster communication and solidarity amongst Black-Canadian families while creating positive impacts on the lives of every Black in our community as well as encouraging our youths to realize their full potentials.

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To provide resources for Black youth to be self-sufficient socio-economically (the application of social skills and integration of financial literacy).

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To ensure Black-Canadians communities have a better sense of how to sustain a regiment that stimulates wealth creation while also maintaining a healthy trajectory of personal development.

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Character development and leadership skills in all aspects of learning, personal and professional development.

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Engaging participants in interactive learning and capacity building through appealing content nestled in the appeal of Pop Culture.

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Leaving participants with practical transferable life and professional skill sets that will render them competitive on the open marketplace and in any number of industries and interests.

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Completing a project with tangible results i.e. personal portfolios that will continue to inspire further achievement.

TRAININGS AND WEBINARS

Digital Literacy

• TD – Tech Deck
Afri-Can Alliance will deliver her Tech Deck (TD) through our project partner, Canford Institute of Technology (CIT). This 6-month program will help foreign trained candidates who already have ICT education and work backgrounds, focus on gaining necessary soft skills and core software development skills to support better connectivity between various systems including virtual work model. They’ll gain practical occupational skills in digital programming – and tap into several years of real industry experience they wouldn’t get on a traditional learning route.

Our Digital Academy is structured to host 20 apprentices, training and working full-time concurrently. We would facilitate a new approach to recruitment by helping CIT and the entire technology sector expand their talent pipeline and develop the next generation of software engineers. Our trainings will match both academic excellence and real-world expertise, so we can develop employees with the specialist skills to take on new jobs and drive future employment opportunity.
The benefits to both apprentices and employers are clear. They bring a new perspective and future talent to the business whilst being committed, passionate and eager to learn. This program would also accept Employment Insurance (EI) recipients with similar background.

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6-month program:

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9 weeks – Employment preparation training

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12 weeks – CIT Occupational skills upgrade

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2 weeks -Work experience placement

Key CIT training components:

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IT Business Analysis

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Microsoft SQL Queries

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Microsoft Azure Fundamentals

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Programming for Data Analytics

Coaching and Mentorship

FAIR PLAY Youth Initiative

Looking for a Mentor???

Afri-Can Alliance’s coaching and mentorship program is a social initiative developed to support Black-Canadian students and professionals aged 15-35 years with professional career counselling in finance, engineering, healthcare, as well as for small business startups.

The program is free and over the course of six months, youth are paired with a mentor who will offer tips and resources to help them achieve their goals towards a sustainable career or business growth.

Our mentorship program will:

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