Mothers of Peace – Healing the Community
Sureya Ibrahim
Regent Park, Toronto
Sureya’s project worked to address parents’ grief, isolation and trauma following the loss of their children to gun violence. Through storytelling, parents gained healing, empowerment, and connection.
A Year of Creating Safer Spaces
For the past 25 years, Sureya Ibrahim has resided in Regent Park and witnessed several clear problems in the community, including low-income households, addiction, and gun violence. Sureya’s goal is to address the gun violence that has affected Regent Park and other racialized communities across Toronto by providing opportunities for members who are otherwise not able to access them due to class, race, or immigration status.
The project, Mothers of Peace – Healing the Community, was born from witnessing the grief and isolation of parents who lost their sons to gun violence. The goals of the project were defined as creating a safe space for these parents, providing them with support, and helping the broader community address the ripple effect of this trauma.
It is devastating to witness society’s process of handling loss and violence occurring in Black and POC communities.
Since 2015, Sureya Ibrahim has worked with parents who have lost their sons. Since then, gun violence has increased in many parts of the city. Black children are not afforded the same sympathy and understanding as their white counterparts when impacted by gun violence. This discrimination extends to their families, who often have just lost a loved one, and they are not treated with the empathy they deserve.
An 8 80 Cities’ session on storytelling from the monthly meetings inspired Ibrahim to bring this idea to the group. Parents expressed interest in this idea, leading to the integration of storytelling into the program. The introduction of storytelling required thoughtful planning regarding location, facilitators, and participants’ comfort.
Through storytelling, parents learned how to articulate their stories and their children’s stories without fear of stigma. They transformed their grief into empowerment through verbal expression. They were able to reflect on their past through a healed lens and remember their lost children in a manner not shrouded in grief.
Storytelling allowed parents to reflect on their past through a healed lens and remember their lost children without being shrouded in grief. Parents built connections with each other and accessed new opportunities beyond the Mothers of Peace program, including employment, capacity-building initiatives, and media outreach. In addition, an honorarium of gift cards, along with culturally appropriate food, was provided to participants during the sessions.
The project faced several key challenges: securing permits, ensuring attendance, and securing funding. The team applied for a license with the City of Toronto after beginning the storytelling series. The process was unexpectedly lengthy, delaying the start of many planned projects. Regarding attendance, some parents were not comfortable sharing their stories in public outdoor spaces. Although hosting events outdoors was intended to promote healing through nature, it did not align with all participants’ comfort levels. The project also had limited financial resources, so not all goals could be achieved.
In the past year, Sureya learned that group healing through storytelling is not typically associated with outdoor activities. As outdoor spaces were seen as more appropriate for markets or picnics, storytelling was generally viewed as an indoor activity. Sureya challenged these norms by blending the benefits of nature with therapeutic storytelling.
Mothers of Peace – Healing the Community will continue beyond the 8 80 Cities program. The City of Toronto and a private donor provided funding to support the project’s general operations for another year. Funding will be used to host a workshop for participating parents and to develop self-care programming for them. The Toronto Community Housing Cooperative will host workshops focused on human trafficking and gang prevention awareness as part of the project.
About Sureya Ibrahim
Sureya Ibrahim, the founder of Mothers of Peace Regent Park, has worked in the community and become a loved local community champion. Sureya’s work and dedication have been celebrated and documented by organizations and media. She received the 2018 Victims and Victim Services Award from the Attorney General, the 2019 Bhayany Family Foundation Award from United Way, the Community Champion Award from CBC, and the 2023 Community Builder Award, A prize ceremonial key engraved with a map of Ward 13. Ibrahim has been featured on CBC Radio & Television and The New York Times.
Facebook: @mothersofpeacerp
Instagram: @mothersofpeacerp
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sureya-ibrahim-743a4a157/
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