Providing services and support that ensure health equity for African, Caribbean, Black Individuals.
The Ribbon Rouge Foundation serves African, Caribbean and Black people in Alberta, by facilitating systems change, in structural and social factors that lead to poorer health outcomes, including HIV related health outcomes in African, Caribbean, Black communities.
Our goal is to Achieve Health Equity between African, Caribbean, Black people and those who are not African, Caribbean, Black
About Us
The Ribbon Rouge Foundation is a grassroots organization that focuses on health equity and facilitates social justice through the Arts. The Ribbon Rouge Foundation facilitates storytelling, community-engaged arts and intentional meaningful community conversations to change perceptions, stir social conscience, educate the public and create positive social change.
We remain committed to raising the voices of people who experience poorer health outcomes as a result of racialized health disparities. In particular, we focus our social justice lens on issues related to gender and issues related to race. We believe in the liberating power of the arts to promote self-expression, build community and facilitate positive social change.
What We Do
01.
— Artist Collective
The Artist Collective is a group of artists who serve as community animators to listen in diverse African, Caribbean, Black communities in Alberta and translate that information into art.
02.
— ACB Caucus
Our African, Caribbean and Black (ACB) Caucus for Health Equity – is a rapidly growing group of sixty ACB leaders from a variety of backgrounds (people with lived HIV experience, provincial and front-line health and social care providers, front-line legal services, public health, ethnocultural organizations, business owners and academic and community researchers) who currently develop and test solutions towards closing racialized health gaps between ACB people and non-ACB people.
03.
— The B.E.A.R
The Black Equity in Alberta Rainforest (The B.E.A.R) is a research project that aim to build a large network of individuals, organizations, policy makers, etc. to understand the root causes of ACB related Health Inequity. We are collaborating with strategic community organizations and academics at the University of Alberta and NorQuest College to create knowledge and relationships that will guide sustainable solutions to address Black health equity issues in Alberta.
04.
— Sexual Health Promotion
Culturally Sensitive Community Sexual Health Education: at Church, Masjid, and African, Caribbean, Black ethnocultural associations.
05.
— Otherwise Show
Our Impact
Since we initiated our listening campaign in Black communities across Alberta, we have grown our foundation’s network to comprise of over 180 engaged Black community members.’
‘We’ve grown an African Caribbean Black Leadership Caucus who are committed to achieving Health Justice for Black people across Alberta. This informal coalition consists of about 15% representation of the various African, Caribbean and Black Nations known to live in Alberta’
‘Through our PhotoVoice project, we’ve engaged with African women living with HIV in Alberta and continue to develop safe spaces and communities with and for people living with HIV’.
We have successfully provided systems navigation support [within multiple collaborative community efforts] for up to 9 severely marginalized Black youth and their families experiencing institutionalized anti-Black racism because they were incarcerated or experienced violence at the hands of the CBSA