Immigration Waterloo Region Weekly
August 10, 2020

Stay healthy, Waterloo Region. We are in this together.

Immigration Partnership Updates
You can still Join the #KeepFamiliesSafe campaign and help flatten the curve of family violence!

What to Do:

1.      Record a short video following the 3 steps below.
  • Use this script or customize it to make it your own
  • Feel free to adjust the wording or order to fit the way you communicate best.
  • Look directly into the camera as though you’re speaking to someone face to face.
Keep it short – aim for 60 seconds max.

2.      Post your video to your personal or organization’s social media using the hashtag #KeepFamiliesSafe and invite others to share their own messages with the community. Looking for sample social media posts? Click here

3.      Consider linking to www.preventingcrime.ca/keepfamiliessafe when you post your message to direct followers for more information on how to prevent family violence at home, work or in the community, or to www.211.ca for broader supports.

Thank you for joining your colleagues, community members and friends in sharing a message of hope, connection and resilience and fir work with us together from home, work and in the community to keep families safe, reduce and prevent family violence.
Community Service Updates 
Immigrant Services and Interpretation Open
The Resilient Communities Fund is Now Accepting Applications

The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is funding community-based projects and activities that will support rebuilding the capacity of eligible non-profit organizations that have been impacted by COVID-19, so they can effectively meet the needs of communities across Ontario. If your organization requires additional support on general application and eligibility questions, join the OTF for a series of group coaching clinics and one-on-one coaching.  Application deadline: Sept 2.

City of Kitchener Launches DIY Summer Camp Programs

The City of Kitchener is bringing camps to kids with activities for them to do right in their own homes or local parks this summer. Do-it-yourself summer programs offer families fun activities that promote physical, mental, and emotional well-being in social settings they’re comfortable with. Rent-a-Camp-Counsellor, Camp in a Box, and virtual summer camps are activities families can do on their own time and at their own pace.
How to Help
Isolation has always been a major challenge for newcomers, and today it is doubly so. COVID-19 is disproportionately impacting newcomers. With your support, Reception House can to tackle the gaps and help families adapt in a dramatically altered world.
Federal, Provincial and Local Updates
Immigration
Measures
To learn more about other measures or changes on Immigration legislation,
visit the
Provincial
Government
To learn more about the latest information, measures and changes to legislation due to COVID-19 Outbreak across Ontario, visit the
Federal
Government
To learn more about the government support for individuals, businesses and industries during the COVID-19 Outbreak, visit the  Government of Canada Website.
COVID-19 Information and Resources
This special Statistics Canada article in the Economic Insights series provides a concise overview of the lifting of restrictions on social and economic activity that were implemented as Canada and other countries sought to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.
This first COVID Signpost report, developed by Canadian Urban Institute, examines how life in Canadian cities has changed over the first 100 days of COVID, specifically in how we live, move, work, care and prosper.
The July Labour Force Survey (LFS) results reflect labour market conditions as of the week of July 12 to 18, four months after the beginning of the economic shutdown resulting from the COVID-19 global pandemic. Visible minority groups appear to have been hit disproportionately hard by the economic toll of COVID-19.
This Food Retail Environment Study for Health & Economic Resiliency (FRESHER) study aims to understand the impacts of COVID-19 on restaurants, bars, cafes, grocery stores, farmer’s markets, variety stores, alcohol retailers, and other specialty food stores in Ontario.
Other Information and Resources
In this podcast, the Conference Board of Canada brings Hadiya Roderique, writer, lawyer and diversity advocate, to talk about moving beyond demonstrating inclusion, to actually being inclusive. She calls on those who aligned themselves, and their brands, with Black Lives Matter to move beyond words and symbols and take action.
The Kitchener- Waterloo Community Foundation is now accepting pre-screen applications for the Youth in Recreation Fund. This fund provides grants to registered charitable organizations that encourage broad participation in healthy and safe community recreation activities for children and youth in Waterloo Region.
The City of Waterloo is asking community members for feedback on the new neighbourhood website content and general design. They want to hear from neighbours about the elements that might be missing, any additional resources that would be helpful, and how they would like to see these items presented on the website. Deadline: Sept 11, 2020.
Women in Migration Network is conducting a survey among civil society organizations working on migration and gender issues. They are asking organizations to participate in a quick 10-minute survey that will contribute to compiling a Global Mapping on Gender and Migration to learn how the lives of women in migration are being impacted by COVID-19. 
Virtual Events and Webinars
Welcoming New Arrivals During the Pandemic, Aug 11, 6:30-8pm
This session, designed for Groups of Five, Community Sponsors, along with CGs and co-sponsors working with SAHs, presents information on the resumption of travel and the quarantine requirements when welcoming new arrivals during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Understanding the Impact of Trauma and Abuse on Children, Aug 12, 7-9pm
As part of the Keep Families Safe Campaign, this Porch Chat facilitated by Family and Children Services and Women's Crisis Services will discuss trauma, the impact on families and the harm done when children are exposed to violence in their home or relationships.
Virtual Renison Lecture Series: Between Latin American & the Middle East, August 18, 7-8:30pm
In this Renison and Waterloo Public Library lecture, activists, journalists and psychologists will be exploring women-led activism and its challenges during COVID-19 in Arab and Latin American cultures.
Understanding Family Conflict, Aug 19, 7-9am
As part of the Keep Families Safe Campaign, this Porch Chat facilitated by Community Justice Initiatives will lead a conversation to understand some of the underlying factors which may be leading to unresolved conflict and techniques to resolve the conflict to increase your family’s resilience.
Get Hired: Mastering Your Online Job Profile, Aug 24, 2-3pm
Join the Kitchener Public Library for this workshop hosted in partnership with YMCAs of Cambridge & Kitchener-Waterloo to help job seekers get hired. It will cover job search strategies by using the most popular websites, professional identity management with LinkedIn and more.
COVID 19 Coverage and other News

More tech immigrants choosing Canada over US Business Insider, Aug 7, 2020

How COVID-19 could impact travel for years to come Kitchener Today, August 8, 2020


 


Region launches new discount transit program New Hamburg Independent, August 5, 2020



The Immigration Waterloo Region calendar has information about local programs and events for newcomers. Subscribe for a digest of events coming up in the next week or add your own events to share.
Feel free to send suggestions or relevant events/resources to include to the Immigration Waterlooo Region weekly by emailing Dan Vandebelt ([email protected]) and Alejandra Amezquita Gutierrez ([email protected])
Like us and follow us