Centre for Immigrant & Community Services (CICS)
Nominator Comments:
Empower others and delegate responsibility:
1) As a Coordinator, Mario is able to not only train and provide ongoing support to staff but also empower, advice and delegate duties in a manner that leaves the staff with not only enough guidance but also room to develop their own creativity and work style.
2) Coordination and support to front-line staff.
Demonstrate strong relationship building abilities:
1) Mario has been able to develop good relationships with colleagues among different departments but most importantly among the clients. He establishes good rapport and is able to encourage and empower the youth.
2) Clients who have known Mario for a while seem grateful when they come back to visit the centre.
Promote and celebrate diversity:
1) Mario is a diversity ambassador promoting activities that will engage clients from different cultures.
2) He guided the centre’s youth council to run a Multicultural Event for newcomer youth.
Have exceptional communication and listening skills:
1) Mario always keeps open communication lines among his coworkers.
2) He was able to direct concerns a couple of staff had about work load to the manager which led the manager to better understand the staff.
Introduce and manage change effectively:
1) Mario introduced technological changes to better reach clients and promote the department’s work.
2) He built the foundation work for the department’s Facebook page. He also started, created content and still maintains the department’s YouTube channel. The channel has generated so many views and subscriptions. We have gone from having a couple of views per month to an average of 150 views per month.
Inspire those around him:
1) I have heard many stories of youth who were inspired and empowered to do great things with Mario’s help.
2) One example is how he empowered a newcomer youth who has gone from having low confidence and little English to becoming a member of the centre’s Youth Council.
Mario inspired me to make this nomination because of the impact his work has on the lives of many youth. I see many newcomer youth who were once shy but who are now confident leaders. Mario has been there to support many of these youth during their development process. Here is an example of one youth who first started as a program participant in a Hip Hop class at our centre. She was in Grade 9 at the time. After a year and a half, Mario saw her potential and offered a volunteer position for her as Hip Hop assistant. After half a year, she became the centre’s Hip Hop instructor and she is only in Grade 11! Mario is able to see youth’s potential. He is able to encourage, support, and most importantly empower clients and colleagues alike.
Mario’s work has impacted the newcomer youth community in Markham. He also leads the iCAN Committee (IYC Community Action Network). This committee is formed by youth, some who were also newcomers at some point. They plan events that will create networking, volunteering and opportunities for newcomer youth in the community. Their goal is to not only support newcomer youth but also empower them to give back to the community.
He has also partnered with different agencies and community organizations to create a bridge between newcomer youth and the community.
Mario inspired me to make this nomination because of the impact his work has on the lives of many youth. I see many newcomer youth who were once shy but who are now confident leaders. Mario has been there to support many of these youth during their development process. Here is an example of one youth who first started as a program participant in a Hip Hop class at our centre. She was in Grade 9 at the time. After a year and a half, Mario saw her potential and offered a volunteer position for her as Hip Hop assistant. After half a year, she became the centre’s Hip Hop instructor and she is only in Grade 11! Mario is able to see youth’s potential. He is able to encourage, support, and most importantly empower clients and colleagues alike.
Mario’s work has impacted the newcomer youth community in Markham. He also leads the iCAN Committee (IYC Community Action Network). This committee is formed by youth, some who were also newcomers at some point. They plan events that will create networking, volunteering and opportunities for newcomer youth in the community. Their goal is to not only support newcomer youth but also empower them to give back to the community.
He has also partnered with different agencies and community organizations to create a bridge between newcomer youth and the community.
Empowerment.
During his time as a youth worker, Mario has empowered and trained many youth to become leaders. For example, he identified a youth who was in a leadership training program. They had the qualities and potential to become a leader but not enough confidence and self-esteem. He encouraged the youth to apply for a volunteer position that required some of the skills they had. The youth was reluctant, but through ongoing support and guidance, the youth was able to get the position in the end. They were empowered to develop their potential and work in a situation where their specific skills set could flourish.