Immigration Waterloo Region Weekly
July 12, 2021
Immigration Partnership Updates
WANTED – Recruiting for Three New Members of the Immigration Partnership Council
Help Us Build Community Through Immigration
The Immigration Partnership Council is currently recruiting for three new volunteer members, focused on leaders with involvement in business, housing development, legal services, human rights and equity. The Immigration Partnership Council provides strategic leadership to the Immigration Partnership, with its overall objective being to promote shared awareness and leadership, and create enabling environments for collective action. The Council strives for at least one third of members being immigrants, and encourages applications from racially diverse representatives from multiple sectors, urban and rural regional communities, immigrant groups and differing opinions in Waterloo Region.

If you have a passion for enabling immigrants to reach their full potential, building community, partnerships, collaboration and innovation, we want to hear from you – please see additional information and complete the expression of interest form here. The deadline for submissions is August 27, 2021. 
Building Community Through Immigration at a Glance, Q2 Update
In this issue of the Immigration Waterloo Region Weekly, we are pleased to share a few highlights from collective community efforts to build community through immigration in the second quarter of 2021:

  • We developed, piloted and launched the 2021 Immigrant Survey last month. It had a resounding participation with 1545 people born outside Canada and now in Waterloo Region sharing how to build a better community for everyone. This number exceeded our goal of hearing from 1500 immigrants: 1162 survey responses in English and 383 survey responses in other languages.
  • As part of the Immigration Partnership’s ongoing implementation of its Anti-Racism Commitment, we along with the Children and Youth Planning Table hosted several Anti-Racism 102 training sessions for community partners and staff. The trainings had an excellent participation and focused on racism as a business risk and how to make anti-racist change in practice. Please click here to access the recording.  
  • Continuing our anti-racism journey, we also organized the “Introduction to Indigenization: A Holistic Approach” training to delve into and reflect on the residential schools and their impact on Indigenous people of Canada. Thirty-five members of the Immigration Partnership Council and Steering Groups participated in this four- week certificate training that consisted of three sessions and a virtual residential school tour.
  • We joined Reception House Waterloo Region to recognize area employers’ and Conestoga College's commitment to supporting Reception House’s Working Together Employment Project by hiring hundreds of refugee newcomers into stable jobs and offering a three month on-the-job language course designed to help refugees excel in the workplace.
  • We partnered with the Greater KW Chamber on the weekly Manulife Business Success webinars to cover topics directly related to our work, such as anti-racism in the workplace, the Working Together Program, the future of work, the #ImmigrantsWork initiative, the Connector and Mentorship programs and hiring International Students. The webinars had a high attendance with more than 1,000 employers between September 2020 and June 2021. We will continue this amazing partnership again in Fall 2021 and Winter/Spring of 2022.
  • We hosted an information session on Newcomers and Summer Camps in Waterloo Region with 43 participants attended or viewed recording.

For more information, please click here.
Avinash Kaur, a junior programmer at a start-up company called Conexiom in Kitchener, is the guest of the second episode of "I'mmigrant," a podcast series developed by creative students from Conestoga College’s Bachelor of Public Relations degree program, with mentorship by Immigration Partnership staff.

Avinash believes that immigrants must be self-reliant and should seek opportunities to expand their horizons. "Keep improving your communication skills. Never hesitate to ask questions," she advises newcomers during the podcast.

"I'mmigrant,' is a three-episode podcast series featuring the journeys and struggles of three different Immigrants who have chosen Waterloo Region as their home and a place to succeed: An international student, an entrepreneur and a worker. Listen to the second episode here.
Follow us on our social media platforms for more immigration events and news!
Community Partner Highlights 
Immigrant Services and Interpretation Open
Do you have 1-2 hours per week and Internet access? The KW Multicultural Centre is looking to partner with volunteers to bring English conversation to newcomers, immigrants, and refugees in our community. Volunteers facilitate English conversations and provide companionship and guidance in our community. If you are over 18, are fluent in written and spoken English, and have respect for people of diverse backgrounds, consider applying now.
Community Associations Involvement Survey by the City of Cambridge
The City of Cambridge in collaboration with Neighbourhoods Associations, is looking to hear from residents regarding what they think about community involvement. Please take the survey here. More information.
Federal, Provincial and Local Updates
Municipal Government
To learn more about the latest information, measures and changes to legislation due to COVID-19 Outbreak across the region, visit the Region of Waterloo website.

“Our community has made a remarkable effort to protect each other. We’re working together to push back against the Delta variant, stabilizing our case rates and hospitalizations, while increasing vaccination rates,” Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, Medical Officer of Health. More information.

Provincial
Government
To learn more about the latest information, measures and changes to legislation due to COVID-19 Outbreak across Ontario, visit the
COVID-19 Information and Resources
Workplace Vaccine Clinic for Employees in Waterloo Region

Local businesses that would like to help their employees get vaccinated, they can host a mobile workplace vaccination clinic. Those interested must complete a request form. Check the form here.

A sixth vaccine bulletin developed by Refugee 613, Women’s College Hospital, OCASI and TAIBU Community Health Centre is now available.  It explains why it is safe to mix and match COVID-19 vaccines and why young people aged 12-17 can only get the Pfizer vaccine right now. The bulletin is available in 12 languages: Amharic, Arabic, Bengali, English, Farsi, French, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Tamil, Tigrinya, and Traditional Chinese.
Other Information and Resources
"Let's Be Neighbours" in Cambridge

The Cambridge Newcomer Outreach Program hosted by the Kinbridge Community Association is geared toward newcomer youth ages 15-29 and newcomer adults 55+. Throughout the participants will be offered a variety of programming, with a primary goal of helping participants find their way and make meaningful connections in the City of Cambridge. More information at [email protected].

Canada faces a real conundrum in its post-pandemic recovery: our population is set to shrink without outside help. On this episode of This Is Why, TRIEC CEO, Adwoa K. Buahene, explains why increased immigration will be increasingly important in the years following the coronavirus pandemic.

Pathways to Prosperity is seeking nominations of promising practices from a variety of stakeholders involved in the settlement and integration of immigrants and refugees across Canada. Practices do not have to be IRCC funded and can be self-nominated. Practices must be able to demonstrate their effectiveness through an external evaluation or within-organization measurement of outcomes that can be shared.
Covid-19 and Community Virtual Events and Webinars
Africa Camp: Youth Away Day & Kids Camp, July 14 and July 30
Bring on the Sunshine invites youth aged 13-18 and children aged 6-12 to join "Africa Camp" to explore nature and to participate in Africa themed activities such as art, drumming, dancing, soccer, story time and more.
Orientation to Ontario Workshop, July 14-16, 10am-12:30pm
The YMCA of Three Rivers Immigrant Services will be facilitating the Orientation to Ontario, a three-day FREE ONLINE workshop from July 14-16. This workshop is free for anyone who is interested in getting some helpful information, resources, and support that could help with their settlement journey here in Ontario. 
Supporting Sponsors in Increasing Understanding and Relationships Between Newcomers and Indigenous Peoples, July 13, 2pm ET
The Refugee Sponsorship Training Program invites private refugee sponsorship individuals and groups to a virtual event where Indigenous speakers will share knowledge and wisdom to help sponsors understand what newcomers to Canada should know about Indigenous culture and experiences of the past and present. 
Interpersonal Communications: Dynamics and Context, July 14, 1pm
This webinar organized by the National Newcomer Navigation Network will provide you with best practices for managing conflicts in interpersonal contexts, show how effective interpersonal communication can support diversity and inclusion, and much more!
Indigenous Cultural Competence Lunch & Learn, July 14, 12-1pm
In partnership with the Social Development Centre, Waterloo Region Community Legal Services is presenting a Cultural Competency lunch and learn session with an emphasis on Anishnaabe, Cree and 2 Spirit cultures through storytelling and personal experiences.
Manufacturing Summit 2021, July 15, 9am-1pm
The Greater KW Chamber, along with key corporate sponsors and community partners, host the annual Manufacturing Summit as a way to bring the manufacturing and supply chain communities together in Waterloo Region. This year's event will focus on the importance of localizing supply chains, which has become increasingly important during the pandemic.
Canada’s Immigrant Determinant System and the Experience of the Economic Newcomer. July 21, 1pm
The National Newcomer Navigation Network invites newcomer-serving professionals in health and settlement sectors to attend this webinar that will answer questions like What is Canada’s determination system in accepting newcomers?; how does acceptance of an economic newcomer differ from temporary foreign workers, international students, and the various types of refugees and asylum seekers?; and more.
COVID 19 Coverage and other News








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])
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