St. John's LIP Newsletter, April/May 2018

The St. John’s Local Immigration Partnership is a broad-based partnership designed to support the well-being and participation 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.

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 send out a newsletter 6 times a year that includes the following information:

Multiculturalism Week

The LIP held several activities during Multiculturalism Week (March 18-24) with support from the Department of Advanced, Education, Skills and Labour, Government of NL and the City of St. John's.

Welcome to My St. John’s Video:

"Welcome to My St. John's", as we work together to build a welcoming and inclusive city where the contributions of all cultures are recognized and celebrated. Thanks to Hassen Hai from Project Kindnessi & friends for helping put this video together, with 22 video clips with over 60 residents and 18 different languages represented!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36OHlhz8Wmw

Multiculturalism Week Reception

On March 22 we hosted a reception at City Hall to showcase some of the great work being done by our community partners to promote diversity and intercultural understanding.

The event included

·        Photo Exhibits from the Association for New Canadians “Home is where the Heart Feels” and Francophone community “Combattons les stéréotypes”

·        Launch of Tales from Afar booklet, including live storytelling from 5 of the projects contributors

·        Demonstration of the Memorial University Music, Media and Place’s Neighbours App

·        Traditional Taiwanese food from Smiling Sisters catering

Outdoor Family Fun Day at Bowring Park

On Saturday, March 24th the City's Outdoor Team led outdoor family activities with about 100 participants at Bowring Park, including

·        Geocaching, free snowshoes rentals

·        Outdoors games and activities

·        Free hot chocolate

·        Information on City programs and services

"My New St. John's" Service Mapping Project

The St. John's LIP has received funding through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, the Department of Advanced Education Skills and Labour and the City of St. John's to create an interactive, online and mobile-friendly services map to help newcomers easily find and access existing programs and services.

Using this tool newcomers will be able to search under fields such as, language training, health services, religious institutions, cultural groups, employment services, entrepreneurship services, voluntary organizations, and recreational programs and activities.

The tool will also:

·          Allow the user to tailor search criteria to include individual characteristics and eligibility requirements

·          Provide information about the service and service provider, including contact information, whether it is a paid or free service, etc.

·          Provide location on a map, directions and transportation options.

The project will be officially launched in the summer of 2018. 

Newcomers and Transportation in St. John's - Call for Focus Group Participants

Are you new to Canada? (or were you once a newcomer to Canada?) Would you like to help shape how newcomers make their way around our city?

The St. John’s Local Immigration Partnership would like to better understand the transportation barriers newcomers to Canada face in the city - and to discuss possible solutions that the City of St. John’s could play a role in. If you are available we would love to hear your thoughts and experiences in a focus group conversation. Please click " Register " below to tell us when you are available.

At the end of each focus group there will be a draw for prizes including grocery gift cards and bus passes.

Please note: This research is being conducted on behalf of the St. John’s Local Immigration Partnership by a local company called Mind the Gap Consulting™ (led by Willow Anderson). If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Willow at [email protected]  

Click here to research Register

Tales from Afar Launch Event, Thursday March 22nd

Office of Immigration and Multiculturalism, Department of Advanced Education, Skills and Labour, Government of NL

2018 Diversity Calendar

Recognizing cultural events and holidays supports increased awareness of diversity in our province and can help all our residents feel welcome in communities throughout the province.

The Office of Immigration and Multiculturalism has developed a diversity calendar to promote various cultural holidays and events, in response to input from communities, libraries, employers, schools, and other stakeholders interested in organizing multicultural activities.

The diversity calendar will be issued annually, and will feature cultural holidays and events celebrated by various cultural groups living in Newfoundland and Labrador. If you would like to suggest a holiday for inclusion in future editions of the calendar, please e-mail  [email protected]  for more information.

The calendar can be downloaded here

A Guide to Immigration in Newfoundland and Labrador

The Department of Advanced Education, Skills and Labour offers a suite of information and promotion cards and brochures to help potential applicants learn more about the programs offered by the Office of Immigration and Multiculturalism. Programs administered by the Office of Immigration and Multiculturalism are the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program and the Atlantic Immigration Pilot. As part of The Way Forward on Immigration in Newfoundland and Labrador commitments to develop resources to educate partners on their roles in attracting, settling and retaining immigrants, as well as inform and educate employers on immigration programs and processes, the Department has developed a number of resources for employers, applicants, communities and other key stakeholders. For more information, click  here.

Complimentary resources include new Information Cards and Brochures on:

Sharing our Cultures 2018: "Music, Dance, Stories"

Over 600 people attended the Sharing Our Cultures event at The Rooms on March 18 to celebrate Multiculturalism Week. During the two days following the event, 889 Grade six students learned about several aspects of culture, including Chinese shadow puppets, ancient Namibian rock paintings, the Cheung Chau Tai Ping Festival, and Nigerian folktales, as well as participated in Eritrean and Nepali dancing, and Inuit and Congolese drumming.

A live webcast of the event was offered to Grade six students who could not attend due to distance and space limitations at The Rooms. A teacher from a school in Port Au Port indicated that her “ students loved the Nigerian story about the turtle, how Inuit drums were made, and the song with different cultural groups singing together and students speaking in their own languages. It was a very positive experience .” Overall, the event achieved its goals in providing opportunities for the public and students to gain understanding and appreciation of the diverse cultures in the province.

 

We extend sincere appreciation to our partners, sponsors, and student volunteers who contributed to the success of our program and events. Financial assistance was provided by the Government of Canada and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Refugee retention: Jarislowsky chair releases report on retention, integration of refugees in N.L

A new research report from the Stephen Jarislowsky chair of cultural and economic transformation at Memorial examines the experiences of refugees that have settled in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The report found that the respondents’ first impressions of Newfoundland and Labrador are an extremely important factor that impacted their decision to stay in or leave the province. There was an overwhelmingly positive impression of the people here, whose friendliness and welcoming and respectful attitude were lauded and sincerely appreciated.

Respondents cited employment as the primary reason for deciding whether to stay in the province or move elsewhere.

Read the report here: https://www.mun.ca/harriscentre/reports/FANG_ARF_16-17.pdf

Internationalization Office Multicultural Arts and Crafts Market

On March 23rd the Internationalization Office at Memorial University held a Multicultural Arts and Crafts Market.

The Multicultural Arts and Crafts Market at Memorial University in St. John’s gives students an opportunity to showcase and sell beautiful items such as jewelry, knitted items, arts, crafts, food and more from their home countries. It also gives students the chance to connect with the community since the venue is open to the public. It is also a wonderful opportunity for a gathering rich in diversity which provides positive student engagement.

The Business Case for Diversity

The ANC is hosting two workshops at The Rocket Room (272 Water Street) during April as part of its business-focused Cultural Competency Toolkit:

 The Business Case for Diversity – April 12 – 8:30 am – 10:30 am – $30 per person

· Engaging a Diverse Workforce – April 26 – 8:30 am – 10:30 am – $30 per person

 

Register by phone or email:

[email protected]

(709) 722-0718

Multicultural Food and Craft Shows

Multicultural Food and Craft Shows - - Food and Craft Vendor Applications now Open

We are now accepting applications from local and immigrant food and craft vendors for 3 upcoming Multicultural Food and Craft Shows in St. John's. We want individuals and groups in the multicultural community to participate. These are the 3 upcoming shows:

1). SPRING MULTICULTURAL FOOD AND CRAFT FAIR, Sunday, April 15, from 12:00 noon – 5:00 pm at St. Augustine's Anglican Church Hall.

2). TOMBOLO MULTICULTURAL FOOD AND CRAFT FAIR, Sunday, July 8, from 12:00noon – 5:00 pm at St. John's Arts and Culture Centre.

3). ST. JOHN'S INTERNATIONAL FOOD AND CRAFT EXPO, Sunday, November 4, from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm at the Holiday Inn (upstairs in the main Salon)



Individuals and groups interested please contact us . Tel.: 722-8103. E-mail: [email protected]

Music, Media and Place: Neighbours Project

Réseau immigration francophone de Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador

St. John's Board of Trade Connector Program

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 60 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 jbar [email protected]

Follow us on Twitter @StJohnsLIP