Learn More
Please feel free to contact us if you’re interested in learning more.
UCAS & African-Descent Professional Associates (UCAS & ADPA Inc.) is a non-profit organization with a national scope. Our work is informed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR, 1948), the UNESCO Declaration on Race and the Elimination of Racial Prejudice (1978), and the International Decade for People of African Descent (2015–2024). Our broad goals are recognition of equality of human dignity, health-social-economic justice, and sustainable development.
UCAS & ADPA Inc. is an outgrowth of the Uganda Canadian Association of Saskatchewan (UCAS) founded in 1990. After much discussion and strategic planning based on more than 30 years of community organizing, diversity, equity, inclusion and development work, UCAS formalized its extension. It has added research, program development and service delivery towards healing and equitable integration and, human, social and economic development. An updated constitution was adopted, and the name and mandate changed in January 2023 to reflect the new focus.
OUR STORY:
UCAS (the Uganda Canadian Association of Saskatchewan Inc.) was founded and incorporated in 1990. UCAS’s leadership over the years has comprised of people with diverse ethnic backgrounds – although predominately it has been people of diverse African ethnic groups who had lived in more than one country, it has also included a leader with British and Indian ethnicity and ancestry who have lived in Uganda for many years.
Over the years UCAS has undertaken various innovative and collaborative projects – leading to its transition to UCAS & African Descent Professional Associates. Among many, we highlight the following:
- In 1991, UCAS organized the 1st Uganda-Canadian conference in western Canada in – it was held in Fort-Qu’Appelle, near Regina SK. The following five years other Uganda-Canadians communities held similar conferences in Alberta, British Columbia, and Manitoba.
- In 2000 UCAS hosted the 1st Uganda-Canadian National Conference on the theme: Ensuring our Integration in Canadian Society: 2000 and Beyond. In preparation for this conference, UCAS was mentored by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress and preliminary work included the establishment of the organization’s vision statement; strategic planning, skills training and much more that supported personal and organizational capacity development.
- 2005 – 2007 hosted and played a key role in the management of the Uganda Canadian National Association (UCNA) 3-year project titled: Building Capacities toward Equity, Participation and Integration – This project was funded by the Federal Government – Canadian Heritage -Department of Multiculturalism and it included participants from 7 provinces.
- 2012 Organized a Provincial Community Planning Forward Workshop as part of UCAS’s 20th anniversary. This provincial workshop included participants from the multicultural community and presentations covered broad topics – including immigration, equitable settlement and integration, and cooperatives. Through this and related work, in 2012 UCAS attained the provincial cultural organization status with SaskCulture. The following year, through training and professional development work – UCAS established a partnership with Michelle Sereda and launched its performing arts program -Karibu. This program has enabled UCAS to perform in various public spaces provincially.
- During 2013 – 2014 through collaboration with MCoS, University of Regina with Community Research Unit, SaskCulture, CAFS and a community development consultant Flo Frank, UCAS sponsored and led the process that led to the establishment of African Canadian Resource Network in Saskatchewan (ACRN).
- In 2020, as part of its 30th anniversary, UCAS established a partnership with Wesley United Church. Through the United Church’s established culture and goal for social justice, this partnership has included insightful and compassionate leaders who share and have embraced UCAS’s vision – directly and indirectly- leading us thus far.