Sound Times is a multi-service agency built on the values of peer support and consumer/survivor information. Sound Times offers a weekly fitness group in which participants can learn cardiovascular and weight training techniques, address weight management issues as well as meditation methods. This program is offered twice a month on Monday mornings at 10:30 am. Please check the monthly calendar for more details. Individuals use the services of Sound Times by joining as a Member. Membership to Sound Times is free.

The weekly fitness group is supplemented by health promotion activities, such as:

• The Sound Times Marketplace.

For the past year the marketplace has been providing access to fresh fruits and vegetables for our membership at affordable wholesale prices in partnership with the Toronto Christian Resource Center. The market has drawn great interest among members who are housed and trying to cook healthier meals as well as homeless individuals who do not receive adequate access and choice of fresh food in a typical shelter diet. The market place is held once a week every Thursday at 11-12 and 1-2pm; usually there is a cooking class after the market closes, teaching healthy methods of preparing meals.

• Packin' It In

Our group is for Sound Times members who need support regarding their smoking habits. Whether you are looking to quit or reduce the amount of cigarettes you smoke, this is the place to be. Our group meets at Sound Times every second Tuesday each month.

• Cookin’ It Up - Cooking Class

Cookin’ It Up is a group cooking class that meets at Sound Times every Thursday at Noon.

• Diabetes Management Clinic

Sound Times has also established a partnership with DEC NET – Diabetes Education Community Network – to provide a Diabetes Management Clinic at Sound Times, once a month. The members of Sound Times can see the Diabetes Nurse and Dietitian for support.

There have been challenges in getting people involved who are socially marginalized and are not connected with a physical activity program due to long periods of inactivity, lack access to health services and/or health information. We have found that posting current, relevant health information (e.g. diabetic health issues, the benefits of exercise) and group work exercises has helped with group discussion. Members can support each other in a peer support framework.

Through peer support, positive supportive connections are made between Sound Times. Interested members are trained to co-facilitate workshops and take part in leadership orientations regarding community services that are useful to the consumer/survivor community. The peer support that is fostered in this physical activity group also provides support to members in developing their own wellness network and sporting activities.

There have also been successes where members have seen a vast improvement in their quality of life. The exercises are carried out individually and in a group setting. This Wellness program promotes self-efficacy and improves the self-esteem of members. In addition to physical health improvement, members have presented an increased knowledge of diabetes education, which can be used to make informed decisions regarding their personal health and well-being.

For more information, contact:

Nadine Reid
Community Service Worker - Harm Reduction
Sound Times Support Services
280 Parliament St.
Toronto, Ontario M5A 3A4
Phone: 416-979-1700, ext. 504
E-mail: nadinereid [at] soundtimes [dot] com

Please call to arrange a tour of Sound Times at 416-979-1700.
 

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