Yessica Rivera Belsham is the founder and heart of Ollin.ca, an organization which promotes growth within individuals, families, and communities in a compassionate and embracing manner with workshops, events, festivals, services and more which are all fostered in inclusion, diversity, and equity within the Kingston and Ottawa area. The common thread of all our events are focused on caring for Mother Earth, Celebrating Life, Honouring our Ancestors and loved ones that have passed, holistic health, and embracing cultural diversity.
A variety of friends and family make up the Ollin.ca Team depending on the festival, event, initiative.
Grateful to be a part of beautiful collaborations with indigenous drumming and singing across Turtle Island, as well and grow the message of bringing together all people from all directions of the world, in community with compassion and care.
Stay tuned for website updates :)
We look forward to building more relationship and working together with more organizations doing wonderful work in the community.
Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) was the biggest partner with Ollin.ca until March 2020 due to CMHA Kingston Branch's closure. Together CMHA and Ollin hosted events, workshops, and activities for several years that focused on building community.
Ollin.ca has collaborated for several years with (KCHC) Special Events and together supported each other on various events across the community.
Kingston Latino Association (KLA) has collaborated with Ollin.ca for several years in supporting each other with various events across the community.
Although we serve communities across various regions, we would like to acknowledge this sacred land on which Ollin.ca primarily operates. It has been a site of human activity for over 15,000 years. When the first Europeans began to arrive in Southern Ontario in the early 1600’s, the north shore of Lake Ontario and the area originally known as Katarokwi (Kingston) had continued to be a shifting home between the Huron-Wendat Peoples and the Five Nations/St. Lawrence Iroquois. In the Mohawk language, the name Katarokwi means a place where there is clay or where the limestone is, and is defined by two rivers, the Cataraqui River and the St. Lawrence River, while Lake Ontario ecologically marks the region. The French translation of the Algonquin use of the term Cataracoui, means great meeting place.
Today, the meeting place of Kingston is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work in the community, on this territory.
Credit : Adapted from Kingston First Peoples: Purposeful Dialogues. Relationship Building: Phase 1. Dr. Terri-Lynn Brennan (2015)
Ollin.ca is committed to treating all people in a way that allows them to maintain their dignity and independence. We believe in integration and equal opportunity. We are committed to meeting the needs of people with varying abilities in a timely manner, and will do so by striving to prevent and remove any barriers to accessibility and meeting accessibility requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).
Commitment to an inclusive environment: Ollin.ca adheres to the philosophy that all community members should enjoy an environment free of any form of harassment, sexual misconduct, discrimination, or violence.
Ollin.ca embraces a notion of an enriched and enhanced community is one with diversity along a number of dimensions, including race, ethnicity and national origins, gender and gender identity, sexuality, class, spirituality, and religion.
It is our intent to present materials, activities, and events that are respectful of diversity: gender, sexuality, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, and culture.
Your suggestions are encouraged and appreciated. Please let us know ways to improve the effectiveness of our services from personal or group experiences.
Ollin Team Members obtain valid Police Record Checks with Police Vulnerable Sector Checks.
A Police Vulnerable Sector Check is meant for persons who would be in a position of trust or authority with respect to a vulnerable person. According to Kingston Police, vulnerable persons include children, elderly persons as well other persons with cognitive, physical or emotional difficulties and puts them at risk of being exploited.