Promising Practices

Introduction

Join us for facilitator training focused on supporting women’s well-being
The Well-Being Groups were developed in Calgary’s ethnocultural communities by focusing on the importance of peer and community support to increase personal wellness and healthy relationships. Through healthy conversations and different activities, participants will have the opportunity to explore and learn more about themselves. Participants will learn how to better cope with stress, self-care, healthy relationships and how to manage conflict and communication. They will learn about their emotions, self-talk, values, as well as reflect on family of origin, past experiences, and patterns of behaviour. These groups provide a space for people to learn from one another and potentially become mentors in their family and in their community.

We serve participants from Bhutan, Ethiopia, Iran, Nepal, and the Philippines under three categories: women, men, and couples.

Contact

Farnaz.Farhidi@aniw.org

Promising Practices: Community‑Led Well‑Being Groups

These infographics highlight key learnings from ANIW’s community‑based well‑being groups, developed in partnership with ethnocultural communities across Alberta. Grounded in participant feedback and follow‑up research, the infographics share how culturally responsive, language‑specific group spaces support emotional well‑being, healthy relationships, and gender‑based violence prevention.

The featured groups include Bhutanese women, Iranian couples, Intercultural men, and Nepali men. Participants consistently emphasized the value of learning practical tools for emotional regulation, stress management, and communication within culturally familiar and trusted environments. Many described increased confidence in expressing emotions, stronger family relationships, and a desire to share what they learned with their communities.

Together, these infographics reflect ANIW’s commitment to community‑led, strengths‑based approaches that center lived experience, cultural connection, and collective well‑being. They offer promising practices for prevention, healing, and relationship‑building across diverse communities.

Gallery

Testimonials

Thanks to the ANIW team for making our Couples’ Well-being Weekend a meaningful success. Over two days, participants engaged in open discussions and activities exploring Eritrean and Canadian cultural expectations around parenting, finances, gender roles, and family relationships.

The group’s energy and honesty were inspiring, and many requested similar sessions for young adults to prepare for family life in Canada. I’m deeply grateful to Desale for co-facilitation and to Dibora for creating a safe, welcoming space. Expanding these sessions will strengthen understanding and help reduce domestic violence in our community.

Selam Fsehaye (Couples Group)

We came together as immigrant women in Alberta to share our journeys and the challenges of rebuilding our careers while balancing family, language, and cultural barriers.

Through discussions and activities like creating our identity wheels, we explored what “Being Enough” means — embracing authenticity, diversity, and self-worth while adapting to professional environments.

We realized the importance of building supportive and inclusive pathways to employment so that we, and others like us, can thrive in Alberta, the place we now proudly call home.

Elham (Diversity and Inclusion Group)

Facilitating the couples’ wellbeing group was a truly informative and meaningful learning experience, for the couples we supported and also for us as a facilitator. The program ensured a safe, trusted environment for couples to share their personal feelings, experiences, and learning in a nonjudgmental manner, where all voices were acknowledged and respected. It provided couples with the opportunity to be more open, understand, empathize, and validate their feelings with support. The learning materials are very informative, visually appealing, and incorporate practical exercises that helped to enhance understanding and make the learning more effective and memorable.

Working with the kindhearted and hardworking ANIW team was inspiring and highly constructive. Everyone was incredibly supportive and assisted us at every step of this program, which fostered confidence, efficiency, and meaningful outcomes

Indira and Badri (Nepalese Couples Wellbeing Facilitators)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the purpose of this program?

This program provides a space for women to learn from one another, build mentorship skills, and focus on topics related to violence prevention and increasing healthy relationships, families, and communities. Upon completion, participants will receive a certificate and the opportunity to become a well-being facilitator.