Immigration Waterloo Region Weekly
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Immigration Partnership News | |
Accepting applications until this Friday, Sept 23, for the Fund for Immigrant economic Wellbeing. Agencies, individuals, groups and businesses involved in the settlement, integration and economic wellbeing of immigrants and refugees in Waterloo Region can still apply for support from the Fund for Immigrant Economic Wellbeing.
For immigrant-led businesses, this is a great opportunity to help you to develop your business. For other businesses, it is an opportunity to strengthen your workforce by attracting and retaining immigrant talent, providing professional and leadership development opportunities for newcomer employees, and making your workplace more inclusive and welcoming. Supported through the Region of Waterloo’s Equity Fund, a total of $1 million is available for granting.
October 5 is the next deadline to apply to the Immigration Partnership Fund for Immigrant and Refugee Initiatives. Established at the Waterloo Region Community Foundation as a signal of the welcoming community Waterloo Region strives to be, this fund supports initiatives that facilitate the welcoming, settling and integration of Ukrainians fleeing war and Afghan and other refugees in the Region.
Visit www.immigrationwaterlooregion.ca/funding for further information on eligibility and application links.
For more information, please contact Tara Bedard, Immigration Partnership Executive Director, at TBedard@regionofwaterloo.ca
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We had a full house at the "Newcomer Info Night" event hosted by the KW Multicultural Centre last Wednesday at the Kitchener Public Library. New members of our community benefited from the event by making connections to local services related to public transportation, employment, volunteering, English classes, mental health programs and more. | |
For instance, Mariana Romanishen, a newcomer from Ukraine, attended the event to get information about employment opportunities, and Sergey Ko, a volunteer, went to the library to share his experience as a host to help Ukrainians settle in Canada. Children and their parents participated in fun activities such as storytelling and free family portraits. Additionally, 39 participants were able to receive the Covid-19 vaccine on site, as Region of Waterloo Public Health staff set up a vaccine clinic for newcomers. Watch some memories of the event here.
THANK YOU! Many thanks to our community partners that were a part of this event and to our amazing host, the KW Multicultural Centre, for all you do to integrate newcomers to the Region and foster collaboration among community organizations.
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For more details on these events and other immigration, anti-racism and community initiatives, follow us on our social media accounts!
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Community Partner Highlights
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Immigrant Services and Interpretation Open
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The KW Multicultural Centre (KWMC) is offering in-person services at its new location: 715 Fischer Hallman Rd, Suite 401, Kitchener.
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YMCA Immigrant Services is providing in-person and remote settlement services.
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The YMCA language assessment centre is doing online and in-person language assessments.
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In Kitchener-Waterloo and area, KWMC is providing interpretation services remotely (phone or videoconferencing) in over 50 languages. Visit https://kwmulticultural.ca/interpreters or email interpreters@kwmc-on.com if you require an interpreter.
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In Cambridge, the YMCA is providing interpretation services (phone or video conferencing) remotely. Languages include: Arabic, Armenian, Farsi, Persian, Dari, Pashto, Portuguese, Spanish, Turkish. If you require an interpreter email interpretations@ckw.ymca.ca.
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Reception House Waterloo Region is serving government-assisted refugees in person and remotely. Refugee arrivals are ongoing in Waterloo Region.
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COMPASS Refugee Centre (formerly MCRS) is serving refugee claimants virtually and in person for claim and settlement supports. Virtual Ready Tours in preparation for hearings are now available through COMPASS. They also provide safe, in-office access to virtual hearings for claimants who need I.T. support and confidential space.
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Sanctuary Refugee Health Centre continues to meet the health needs of refugees. Call ahead.
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Carizon’s Newcomer Mental Health and Well-Being Program: A Promise of Partnership is currently offering both online and in-person supports to refugees living in Waterloo Region. For more information on current groups, trauma counselling, supports for connecting to mental health resources and workshops, call 519 743-6333 or email promise@carizon.ca.
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St. Louis LINC and ESL. ESL and LINC classes have ended for this school year and the offices are closed until August 30. Please register online or contact the Y Language Assessment Centre at intake@ytr.ymca.ca or 519-579-9622. See here MPORTANT St. Louis Start-up Dates 2022.
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Conestoga LINC language classes. Due to COVID-19, all classes are currently being held on Zoom and through emailed practice activities.
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Refugee Integration Updates | |
Visit www.immigrationwaterlooregion.ca/ukraine to learn how residents of Waterloo Region can support the Ukrainians coming to Canada. In addition, visitors will find helpful information and tools shared by the federal government specifically for Ukrainian individuals and families such as service access instructions, welcome to Canada checklist, SIN for Newcomers, etc.
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Information and Resources | |
Research Participants Needed to
Examine Social Identity, Attitudes and Perceptions Towards Social Groups
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Are you 18-30 years old? Are you living in Ontario? Do you speak English, Arabic, or French? Are you from or is your background from: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, or Yemen? Are you willing to discuss your sense of identity, perceptions of social groups and experiences in a Zoom interview that will take less than two hours of your time?
Then the Department of Psychology of the Western University invites you to participate in the "Social Identity and Perceptions of Social Groups" study.
Your participation in this study is entirely voluntary and confidential. Participants will receive $30 gift card compensation for their participation in the interview.
In order to determine your eligibility, please fill out a quick questionnaire. Choose the language of your preference:
Arabic, English, or French.
If you want to learn more, please contact the co-investigator Rama Eloulabi, at reloulab@uwo.ca.
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Ensuring the Success of International Students: A Collaborative Model, Report
This brief by Toronto Metropolitan University CERC in Migration and Integration recommends a collaborative model between governments, post-secondary institutions and the settlement sector to improve the outcomes for international students which will better meet the government’s policy objectives and help students integrate into the academic institution and labour market.
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Immigrant job seekers are encouraged to attend the Region of Waterloo Employment Services' In-Person Multi-Employer Job Fair at Country Hills Community Centre on Sept 21 to meet potential employers. In addition to the Job Fair, the Region is offering a workshop on Sept 14 at 10am to help job seekers prepare ahead of the event and build their confidence in meeting with prospective employers. Register here.
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Carizon Fall Youth Programs | |
Carizon has designed several programs for young newcomers that will launch in October to foster the sense of belonging, reduce isolation and anxiety and give participants the opportunity to manage their lives in their new communities:
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New Speaker Series Focusing on Business as a Force for Good, Sept 20, 6-8:30pm | |
The City of Kitchener, in collaboration with the Waterloo Region Small Business Centre, is hosting a Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Speaker Series focused on the contributions of entrepreneurship to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal targets. The theme of the series is business as a force for good. The first event will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 20 as part of Global Goals Week, an annual week of action, awareness and accountability for the Sustainable Development Goals. Registration for this event is now open. | |
Healthy Women Together, Sept 21- Oct 11, 12pm and 4pm | |
Healthy Women Together is intended for newcomer women to the area to come together and share experiences as well as learn new skills and information that would be beneficial to getting settled in Canada. YMCA of Three Rivers will be bringing in a variety of expert speakers to talk on topics such as Canadian banking, social media, mental health, fake news, and more! | |
Growing Stronger Adult Trauma Program Sept 22- Dec 15, 1-3pm | |
This is a newcomer mental health and wellbeing program designed by Carizon. A supportive space for group members with similar experiences, to identify what triggers their trauma reactions and practice the skills necessary to cope and feel grounded. Open to adults 18+ who hold refugee or protected person status. | |
Removing Barriers to Employment for Internationally Educated Healthcare Professionals (IEHPs), Sept 22, 1pm EST | |
This webinar, presented by Dr. Zubin Austin of the University of Toronto, will provide a historical context from an Ontario perspective of the work that has occurred to assist in Internationally Trained Medical Graduates (IMG) and Internationally Educated Nurses (IEN) integration as well as the barriers experienced by IEHPs. | |
Anti-Racist and Anti-Oppression Approaches when Working with Immigrants and Refugees, Sept 29, 1:30-2:30pm EST | |
How can providers deliver services in a mutually respectful relationship when the newcomer is from a different race, culture or class? Join this webinar to learn about:
· Racism and its effects on mental health
· Intersecting identifies
· Power and privilege
· Working from an anti-oppression and anti-racism approach
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SettleNet.org/Réseau-Étab.org: A platform for settlement practitioners, Sept 29, 1pm EST | |
Settlement workers are invited to join the Community of Practice SettleNet.org to learn, connect, share and collaborate onSettleNet.org | Réseau-Étab.org. This is a bilingual online platform created and developed by settlement practitioners for settlement practitioners. On SettleNet.org | Réseau-Étab.org, workers from the Immigrants and Refugees Serving sector can learn, connect and collaborate. | |
Parent's Talk it Through, Oct 3-Nov 21, 11am-12:30pm | |
Do you find parenting in a new culture stressful? Are you looking for ways to connect with your child? Carizon’s Newcomer Mental Health and Well-being Program invites newcomer parents to come Talk it Through where they can learn and share strategies. Open to Parents of children of all ages who currently have refugee or protected person status. | |
Let’s Talk Program for Newcomer Youth, Oct 5-Nov 23, 5-7pm | |
Let’s Talk is a free program by KW Multicultural Centre for newcomer youth ages 14-21 that focuses on academic and career guidance. The upcoming Fall sessions will run weekly on Wednesdays between Oct 5 - Nov 23 at the KPL Central Library, 85 Queen Street North, Kitchener. During this 8-week free program, youth will be connected with various community and career mentors for support and guidance based on their needs and interests. Please contact letstalk@kwmulticultural.ca for more information. | |
Tea and talk Women's Group, Oct 7-Nov 25, 10-11:30am | |
This is a group for newcomer women organized by Carizon that provides an opportunity to discuss their experiences adjusting to life in Canada, learn strategies to enhance holistic wellbeing, and focus on building connections and relationships within the group and larger community. | |
La Semaine nationale de l'immigration francophone, Du 6 au 12 novembre 2022 | |
Du 6 au 12 novembre 2022, célébrons la Semaine nationale de l’immigration francophone et contribuons à mettre en valeur nos communautés francophones plurielles et inclusives. Cette 10e édition consacrée à « Nos traditions et notre avenir » proposera une multitude d’activités rassembleuses pour apprécier les différentes traditions francophones et réfléchir à un meilleur avenir pour chacune et chacun. Impliquez-vous à la célébration de la Semaine pour souligner les traditions et réfléchir ensemble sur l'avenir et le comment mieux vivre demain! | | | | | |