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St. John's LIP Newsletter, June, 2017
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The St. John’s Local Immigration Partnership is a broad-based partnership designed to support the participation and wellbeing of newcomers in all aspects of life in the city, as well as to strengthen the city’s ability to integrate newcomer needs into municipal planning processes. The St. John’s LIP is co-led by the City of St. John’s and the Association for New Canadians and is funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
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In this Newsletter:
We've heard from our Partnership Council and others that there is a need for more tools for connecting individuals interested in immigration issues in the city. To help meet that need, and to encourage collaboration and information sharing, we have decided to create a newsletter to
be distributed 6 times a year and will include the following information:
- What's New at the St. John's LIP
- News and Updates
- Upcoming Events
- Programs and Initiatives
- New Research
- Get Involved
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What's new at the St. John's LIP
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Affordable Housing Survey
Affordable housing is a foundation for a safe, prosperous and healthy community. The City of St. John's is in the process of developing a new 10-year Affordable Housing Plan – and they are seeking your help to create the best plan possible!
LIP partners have identified that access to affordable housing is a major consideration for newcomers in St. John's. Please take a few minutes to answer the following four (4) questions as they relate to immigrants (refugees, international students, temporary foreign workers, skilled workers, etc.) in St. John's start.
Click here to complete survey
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Islam on the Island: CBC Special Edition
On May 25th, CBC's Here & Now broadcasted a special edition on Islam and NL Muslims. The link below includes this special edition and is shared for those of you who are interested in watching.
CBC Here and Now May 25, 2017
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New Provincial Action Plan - The Way Forward: Immigration in NL
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On March 24th, 2017 the Government of NL launched a 5-year action plan on Immigration to the province.
The plan is divided into two phases, the first addressing immediate actions to be taken in 2017, and the second detailing efforts to continue into 2018 and beyond. Collaboration, engagement, and partnership are integral to the plan in recognition that all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians play a role in immigrant attraction and retention.
Highlights of these partnerships include:
- Collaborating with employers to support better planning and maximize the use of the province’s annual Provincial Nominee Program allocation;
- Exploring opportunities to introduce new categories under the Provincial Nominee Program, including International Entrepreneur and International Graduate Entrepreneur;
- Engaging community organizations and service providers to deliver settlement supports for immigrants;
- Partnering with community organizations and service providers to increase Francophone immigrant attraction and retention;
- Engaging employers to implement the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Project, an opportunity to welcome up to 442 immigrants and their families to the province annually;
- Collaborating with employers to pilot international student placements and the My First Newfoundland and Labrador Job program for international graduates; and
- Partnering with employers to promote the province nationally and internationally
Click here to read the full report
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Share the Spirit of Ramadan
This year the Muslim Association of NL is putting together a food drive to help those in need in our community, irrespective of their gender, race or religion. Our mission is to fill 500 reusable shopping bags with foods and toiletry items and distribute them among local food banks and charities.
We will set up the food drive on Sunday June 18th, 2017 at the Avalon Mall. The food drive is open for everyone in the community to take part in.
Here is how you can get involved:
-Buy the items on the flyer and bring them to the event on June 18
-Donate online at
manal.ca/donate
-Donate online to our GoFundMe page:
www.gofundme.com/sharethespiritNL
-Donate in person at the event
-Become a sponsor! For more information on becoming a sponsor please send us a PM.
Help reduce food insecurities in our local community by donating to this campaign (in person or online at
www.manal.ca) or by bringing the food items to the Food Drive on June 18. Donations will be given to the Community Food Sharing Association, an organization that helps distribute food to over 50 food banks around the province.
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St. John's Celebrates Refugees with Photo Exhibit at City Hall
Residents of the City of St. John's, are invited to view a special photo exhibit showcasing the work of young adult refugees living in St. John’s.
The exhibit, titled ‘Home is Where the Heart Feels’ opens on World Refugee Day June 20 and is available for viewing to the general public from 9 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., until July 11th. The photographers were selected from the Association for New Canadians (ANC) English as Second Language Training Centre and provided the opportunity to tell their story through photographs. The City was delighted to continue our partnership with the ANC on the project to provide the public with an opportunity to see through the eyes of these young refugees what home means to them and learn about their experiences of settling and integrating into the Province.
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Travelling exhibit on Francophone immigration in Canada
May 31 to June 2, 2017 - St-John’s City Hall from June 7 to 16, 2017 – Centre scolaire et communautaire des Grands-Vents
Information Session
An information
in French on the new Provincial Immigration Action at the Centre communautaire et scolaire des Grands-Vents on June 16th. See
www.FrancoTNL.ca or the Facebook page VIVREaTNL for details!
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Canada 150 Youth Video Festival Celebration
This year, in commemoration of Canada's 150th anniversary of Confederation, Sharing Our Cultures Incorporated is hosting it's first ever Youth Video Contest
Since March, high school aged youth from across Newfoundland and Labrador have been encouraged to create and submit three to five minute videos that describe
What Canada Means to Them. On the evening of June 6th, 2017, we will honour participants' hard work and dedication in the creation of their videos by hosting a
Canada 150 Youth Video Festival Celebration. A panel of judges will select five cash prize winners who will have the opportunity to partake in moderated discussions about their videos and be awarded their prizes. The soirée will include light refreshments, local entertainment, and publically showcase all video submissions received from across the province.
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ANC Newcomer Youth Summer Programs Fundraiser June 8th
Every year, the ANC delivers special programming for newcomer children and youth in which they can build community connections as well as develop social and linguistic skills.
This year, to help raise funds for these programs, we are holding a card making event on Thursday, June 8th from 7-9pm in the St. Pius X Parish Hall located underneath our language school [10 Smithville Cres.]
Kay Smith, a Stamp'n Up facilitator, will be facilitating this evening. Each participant receives a collectable tin with the contents to make 16 unique cards [4 cards of 4 designs]. Kay will provide us with stamps to use to make these cards unique to our desires; birthday cards, retirement cards, whatever you need! If you are a well seasoned card maker who owns your own preferred adhesive, bring it along with you, otherwise we will have some adhesive on hand for you to use. The fee to attend this class is $40, upon receiving payment your seat will be reserved. To reserve your seat, please respond to this email, speak with one of our SWIS workers [Maggie, Tilak, Mohammad, Burke] or call our office (722-2828). We can arrange to receive your payment in person or online in advance of the event. We will not be accepting entrance fees at the event itself. Would you like to support the cause but can’t make it on June 8th? If you would like to reserve a seat & donate it to somebody, we will happily share this opportunity with somebody less fortunate.
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M
ulticultural Family Sports Day
June 30 – The ANC will be hosting its 5th annual Multicultural Family Sports Day to celebrate Canadian Multiculturalism Day and Canada Day. Drop by Wishingwell Park, Empire Avenue from 10-1 on June 30 for a variety of family-oriented games/sports, face-painting, bouncy castles, as well as snacks and refreshments. Please feel free to join us and invite your friends and family!
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St. John's Days Celebrations
When: Friday, June 21, 2013 (All day) to Sunday, June 23, 2013 (All day)
Where: Various Locations Celebrate the City’s birthday through outdoor concerts, historical characters and exciting art and cultural events.
June 21-23, various times and locations.
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International Small Island Cultures Conference
The 13th International Small Island Cultures conference will be held in St. John’s from June 15–19, 2017 at Memorial University of Newfoundland.
The main conference theme will be “Stories, Ballads and Island Narratives.” Islands are storied places. We want to hear the stories. We want to hear the ballads. We want to learn about island narratives. And we want to tell you a few stories of our own.
Click here for more information or to register
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Storytelling Initiative
Are you a refugee or immigrant in NL?
A new storytelling initiative is recruiting newcomers participants who wish to share a story of their experience in Newfoundland with us. The stories will be collected and documented, and a storytelling night will be held in later in the summer for community members to hear them as well.
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St. John's Board of Trade Connector Program
The St. John’s Connector Program is an effective networking program that helps local businesses and organizations connect with immigrants, international students and graduates who are interested in starting and growing their career in St. John’s.Through one-on-one meetings, local business and community leaders known as Connectors meet with talent interested in opportunities in St. John’s. The Connector gains access to a wealth of diverse, pre-qualified talent and Connectees gain insight into their professional network, and connect with career opportunities.
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Summer Programming – The Association for New Canadians is seeking donations to support delivery of summer programming for refugee and immigrant children and youth. For more information or to make a contribution, please contact Jon at (709) 579-9172 or [email protected]
Seeking Volunteers – We are in need of volunteers to support a variety of programs. To apply for, or to learn more about, a number of engaging opportunities, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator at (709) 722-9680 or [email protected]
Interpreters Needed – The ANC is seeking interpreters for Swahili, Kiswahili, and Kirundi. Please contact (709) 722-9680 or [email protected] for information or to sign-up.
Diversity Symposium – The Association for New Canadians held its annual Diversity Symposium in Gander at the Quality Hotel & Suites on Thursday, May 25, 2017 – the first time since 2007 that the annual event has been held outside the St. John’s metropolitan area. Focusing on the theme of “Business Diversity at the Crossroads of the World,” the event explored the many ways in which a more diverse workforce can improve the bottom line for businesses operating in the healthcare, aerospace/aviation, and service industries. The keynote address was delivered by Tareq Hadhad, a Syrian refugee and entrepreneur who settled last year in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, and subsequently founded the company Peace by Chocolate. More than 40 business leaders and community stakeholders from the Gander area and the Kittiwake Coast attended. To bring the 2017 Diversity Symposium to Gander, the ANC received funding from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and partnered with the Gander and Area Chamber of Commerce, the Newfoundland and Labrador Organization of Women Entrepreneurs (NLOWE), and Memorial University’s Harris Centre.
Computer Support Class – The ANC is offering a weekly Computer Support Class for newcomer young adults every Wednesday from 2-3:30 in the Computer Lab of our ESL Training Centre. Please contact Meghan at (709) 722-2828 or [email protected] for more information.
CELPIP Testing – We're offering monthly Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) Testing at our ESL Training Centre on Smithville Crescent. For more information, please contact Marlene at (709) 726-6848 or [email protected].
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New Research
Report on Temporary Foreign Workers in Labrador
This report, by a group directed by Dr. Tony Fang, Department of Economics and Stephen Jarislowsky Chair of Cultural and Economic Transformation, Memorial University, offers an analysis of the federal Temporary Foreign Worker Program in Labrador. This program, which, particularly in boom cycles, helps employers meet their labour requirements, was revised in 2014. The new restrictions imposed negatively affected use of the program by Labrador employers. This report reviews the current program and offers some recommendations that could significantly improve its utility in Labrador.
The full report can be found
here
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Submit Your Events and Get Involved
Do you have an upcoming event the community should know about? Would you like us to highlight a successful program or initiative? Get in touch if you wish to have your organization's work included in the newsletter.
The St. John’s LIP also has many opportunities for you to get involved. The LIP is comprised of over 80 volunteers who participate through involvement on the Partnership Council or on one of the four working groups.
Contact Jessica Barry, LIP Project Officer, for more information at [email protected]'s.ca
Follow us on Twitter @StJohnsLIP
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