The concept of a Canadian Institute for People of African Descent (CIPAD) was envisioned as an opportunity for African/Black Canadians to work together to identify and achieve consensus on a number of priorities. These priorities include infrastructure, health, education, justice, governance, regional collaboration, accountability, and economic empowerment.
CIPAD is intended to support initiatives that value, support and promote strong African/Black Canadian family development that is inclusive of the diversity in our communities (eg., Canadian-born, Afro-Caribbean, African, Afro-Latino, bi-racial, Francophone, Anglophone, youth, elders, male, female, transgender, non-binary or queer and a person with a disability) that allow us to speak clearly with a consistent, unified voice that is national in scope. We hope to be an evidence-informed data resources for governments and public and private sector institutions.
The CIPAD vision is a community created and led initiative that is responsive to the International Decade for People of African Descent themes of recognition, justice and development. CIPAD’s aim is to address concerns regarding the social determinants of overall health for members of Canada`s African/Black communities, regionally and nationally.
CIPAD’s main goal is to achieve positive outcomes for African/Black Canadian communities by building a framework to grow and sustain community capacity that is national in scope while remaining sensitive to region-specific needs, versus silos of a localized and individualized approach to resource development and client service delivery.
