Knowledge Hub Presents - January 21, 2026
Are you a service provider looking for practical tools to bring the arts into your programs? A manager exploring innovative approaches to support newcomer mental health? Arts for Family Health, a project of Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services, offers a digital platform to learn about arts-based health promotion approaches. This webinar will introduce resources and tools designed for practitioners, managers, researchers, and academics interested in integrating creative methods into their work. Discover how to navigate the digital platform on best practices for delivering expressive arts programs that are inclusive, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed.
Learning objectives:
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Understand Arts Integration: Explore how integrating arts into healthcare and settlement services supports holistic health for newcomer populations.
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Co-Creation in Practice: Learn how knowledge mobilization resources are co-created with participants to ensure relevance and effectiveness for newcomers.
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Navigate the Digital Hub: Discover how to use the Access Alliance Arts for Family Health website, including the research hub, articles, and community stories.
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Inclusive, Culturally Responsive Programming: Highlight approaches that are trauma-informed, culturally grounded, and inclusive in delivering expressive arts programs.
Presenter
Christen Kong is a Registered Social Worker with a Master of Social Work specializing in Human Service Management and Leadership. As a Health Promoter at Access Alliance, she uses art-based practices to improve health outcomes for newcomer populations in Toronto. She coordinates the Hubs of Expressive Arts for Life (HEAL) Project, a Community-Based research initiative supporting newcomer women survivors of domestic violence funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). She believes that arts are a health behaviour and advocates for artists to be part of the interprofessional healthcare team. Christen is actively involved in several working groups and advisory committees focused on addressing gender-based violence and newcomer health.
