Agenda. London & Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership

Transcription

1 Agenda LMLIP Settlement Sub-council Location: Kinsmen Arena Rm. 4 Date: January 12, 2016 Time: 9:30-11am Item Description 1. Chair s Opening Remarks 2. Additions to Agenda 3. Adoption of November 10, 2015 minutes 4. Central Council Update - Mohamed Al-Adeimi 5. Welcoming Syrian Newcomers Update - Mohamed 6. Settlement Strategic Plan Discussion 7. Work group updates: a. Engaging Landlords and Tenants Amani Radhaa b. Family Settlement Collaborative Update Huda 8. Information Sharing 9. Chairperson s Closing Summary and Review of Action Items 10. Adjourn 11. Next Meeting: March 8, 2015 from Kinsmen Arena Rm. 4 1

2 Minutes LMLIP Settlement Sub-council Meeting Location: Kinsmen Arena, 20 Granville Street Date and Time: January 27, :00 am 10:30 am Present: Jacquie Rumiel, Ramona Lucan, Amani Radhaa, Mohamed Al-Adeimi, Sheila Foster, Ayan Aden, Jill Tansley, Huda Hussein, Vivette Martin Absent: Tam Dam, Rifat Hussain Item Description 1. Chair s Opening Remarks Mohamed Al-Adeimi welcomed the group. After introductions, he informed them that Dania Ajami is no longer able to participate in the Sub-council 2. Adoption of Previous Minutes Motion to approve November 10, 2015 Minutes was moved by Jill Tansley seconded by Mohamed Al-Adeimi and approved. 3. Additions to Agenda Updates on January 29 event. Motion to approve the agenda was moved by Sheila Foster, seconded by Jacquie Rumiel and passed. 4. LMLIP Central Council Update: Mohamed Al-Adeimi Update on Welcoming Refugees: The city is helping to encourage communication and information sharing; Matching needs with groups who think they can assist; Challenges faced include conveying information to private sponsors. The LIP will be hosting an information session. Details are listed below under Point 7, Information; United Way has set up a fundraising campaign; The Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) and London Intercommunity Health Centre (LIHC) have been assessing the health status of newcomers, a vaccination campaign is on this week; The South London Neighbourhood Resource Centre (SLNRC) has seen many of Privately Sponsored Refugees (PSRs), no Government Assisted Refugees (GARs) as yet and The Project Team will send an update on Syrian refugees to the Central Council and Sub-councils. 5. Settlement Strategic Plan : Discussion Group went through the Strategic Plan Draft with Central Council s new ratified themes and assessed Gaps/Needs. Information, Update, Action, Lead and Due Date 2

3 6. Updates from Working Groups: a. Engaging Landlords & Tenants: Amani Radhaa Shared the Rights and Responsibilities of Landlords and Tenants handout at a presentation in December for students at the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC).. b. Family Settlement Collaborative (FSC): Huda Hussein Three workshops have been delivered from December to January. Information is provided as per the need identified. The FSC Team met last week to discuss timelines and schedules. 7. Information Sharing The LIP will be hosting an event Jan 29, 2016 for groups and individuals sponsoring refugees. There will be presenters on settlement, education, employment and other supports. In addition there will be displays from service providers. Please share the event with your networks. 8. Chairperson s Closing Summary and Review of Action Items Mohamed Al-Adeimi thanked members for attending the meeting. The group briefly discussed changing the meeting location to SLNRC and will re-evaluate in March. 9. Adjourn The meeting was adjourned at 10:41 am. Video to be shared with Jacquie Rumiel for use in Windsor 10. Next Meeting Location and Date March 8, 2016, 9:30-11:00 am, Kinsmen Arena, Room 4. 3

4 Agenda LMLIP Settlement Sub-council Location: Kinsmen Arena Rm. 4 Date: March 8, 2016 Time: 9:30-11:00 am Item Description 1. Chair s Opening Remarks 2. Additions to Agenda 3. Adoption of January 12, 2016 minutes 4. Central Council Update - Mohamed Al-Adeimi 5. Welcoming Syrian Newcomers: Update from Mohamed Al Adeimi 6. Settlement Sub-council Strategic Plan :- Discussion 7. Work group updates: a. Engaging Landlords and Tenants Amani Radhaa b. Family Settlement Collaborative Update Maria D Souza 8. Discussions on: a) Opportunity to collaborate with students in a Community Engaged Learning component at Western University b) Contribution of content and suggestions for periodicity of LMLIP newsletter c) Dates and location for meetings 9. Information Sharing 10. Chairperson s Closing Summary and Review of Action Items 11. Adjourn 12. Next Meeting: To be decided. 4

5 Minutes LMLIP Settlement Sub-council Meeting Location: Kinsmen Arena, 20 Granville Street Item Description 1. Chair s Opening Remarks Date and Time: March 8, :30 am 11:00 am Present: Mohamed Al-Adeimi, Sheila Foster, Jill Tansley, Lana Winchester-Tucker, Speciose Mukakamanzi, Maria DSouza Regrets: Jacquie Rumiel, Ayan Aden, Ramona Lucan, Amani Radhaa, Kathy Milczarek, Rifat Hussain, Huda Hussein Absent: Tam Dam Mohamed Al-Adeimi welcomed the group and introduced new member, Speciose Mukakamanzi, who works at College Boreal. Roundtable introductions were made. 2. Additions to Agenda None. 3. Adoption of Previous Minutes Motion to approve January 27, 2016 Minutes was moved by Jill Tansley, seconded by Sheila Foster and approved. 4. LMLIP Central Council Update: Mohamed Al-Adeimi Mohamed informed the group that the Strategic Plan has been the main focus of the last few Central Council meetings. The overarching themes, gaps and activities were discussed. All sub-councils shared their plans and overlapping areas were identified. All sub-councils will be meeting this month to finalize their plans. 5. Settlement Strategic Plan : Discussion The Group reviewed and finalized the Strategic Plan. 6. Welcoming Syrian Newcomers: Update by Jill Tansley and Mohamed Al- Adeimi Newcomer numbers have increased and the figures are changing daily; The federal government met its goal of resettling 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of February 2016; London has received 900 government assisted refugees, 150 privately sponsored refugees and some refugees on a blended visa program; The London Cross Cultural Learner Centre (CCLC) expects that 500 more refugees will arrive in the city by the end of the year; Various groups have offered support in numerous areas including housing, Information, Update, Action, Lead and Due Date 5

6 transportation, health, education and recreation. Several landlords have also been very receptive, offering rent reductions for a year; Finding suitable housing is a challenge for large families and the disabled who need accessible units, and London s task force, which involves many agencies, will be meeting in early April 7. Updates from Working Groups: a. Engaging Landlords & Tenants: Amani Radhaa (Tabled to next meeting as Amani is away) b. Family Settlement Collaborative (FSC): Maria D Souza (Tabled to next meeting due to lack of time). 8. a) Opportunity to collaborate with students in a Community Engaged Learning component at Western University: Maria D Souza Maria D Souza informed the group that Prof. Leora Swartzman is awaiting final approval for a course on Community Psychology in which Community Engaged Learning (CEL) is a component. If the course is approved, her students could work on a couple of projects for the LMLIP where they could give 4-5 hours of time per week for a 20 week period (around hours). Prof. Swartzman also mentioned that students could collaborate with other Western professors who offer a course on qualitative research and survey methods respectively. Members are requested to think of and suggest projects that they could coordinate with the students on. A list of possible projects from all sub-councils will be compiled by project staff and sent to Prof. Swartzman by May. The students will then select the two projects based on their interest. b) Contribution of content and suggestions for periodicity of LMLIP newsletter After some discussion, the group decided that a quarterly publishing schedule would work best for the LMLIP newsletter. c) Dates and location of meetings Since many members were absent, dates for next year s meetings will be ed for feedback. 9. Information Sharing None. 10. Chairperson s Closing Summary and Review of Action Items Mohamed Al-Adeimi thanked members for their time and commitment. 11. Adjourn The meeting was adjourned at 11:20 am. 12. Next Meeting Location and Date To be decided. 6

7 7

8 Agenda LMLIP Settlement Sub-council Location: South London Community Centre, 1119 Jalna Blvd. Date: April 14, 2016 Time: 9:30-11:00 am Item Description 1. Chair s Opening Remarks 2. Additions to Agenda 3. Adoption of March 8, 2016 minutes 4. Central Council Update - Mohamed Al-Adeimi 5. Welcoming Syrian Newcomers: Update from Jill Tansley and Mohamed Al Adeimi 6. Settlement Sub-council Strategic Plan implementation. Discussion of: a. Projects and formation of work groups b. Opportunity to collaborate with students in a Community Engaged Learning component at Western University 7. Work group updates: a. Engaging Landlords and Tenants Amani Radhaa b. Family Settlement Collaborative Update Huda Hussein 8. Information Sharing 9. Chairperson s Closing Summary and Review of Action Items 10. Adjourn 11. Next Meeting: June 14, 9:30-11:00 am 8

9 Minutes LMLIP Settlement Sub-council Meeting Location: South London Community Centre, 1119 Jalna Blvd Item Description 1. Chair s Opening Remarks Date and Time: April 14, :30 am 11:00 am Present: Mohamed Al-Adeimi, Sheila Foster, Jill Tansley, Lana Winchester-Tucker, Speciose Mukakamanzi, Jacquie Rumiel, Ayan Aden, Ramona Lucan, Amani Radhaa, Huda Hussein, Maria DSouza Regrets: Kathy Milczarek Absent: Tam Dam, Rifat Hussain Guest: Abbey Duggal Mohamed Al-Adeimi welcomed the group and introduced guest, Abbey Duggal. 2. Additions to Agenda None. 3. Adoption of Previous Minutes Motion to approve March 8, 2016 Minutes was moved by Sheila Foster, seconded by Speciose Mukakamanzi and approved. 4. LMLIP Central Council Update: Mohamed Al-Adeimi The Central Council finalized its Strategic Plan in March; LMLIP Co-chairs and staff met with system partners (school boards, fire, City, etc.) on March 22 and ethno-cultural groups on March 23. Participants at both meetings supported the role of Settlement Workers in Schools (SWIS). SWIS budgets have been reinstated for the year and the demand for them is overwhelming, and Pathways to Prosperity (P2P) annual conference will be held in Ottawa from November 30 through to December 2, including the pre-conference. 5. Welcoming Syrian Newcomers: Update by Jill Tansley and Mohamed Al- Adeimi The City of London has initiated a task force to support all service agencies to assist with new immigrants. London has received close to 1,400 refugees in all three categories (government assisted, privately sponsored and blended visas). The task force met in early April; London is the third largest recipient of Syrian refugees in the province and the seventh in the country; New connections are being forged between agencies. For instance WIL Employment Services is partnering with the South London Neighbourhood Centre Information, Update, Action, Lead and Due Date 9

10 (SLNRC); Tourism London is seeking activities for the Syrians to participate in and arranged 500 tickets for them to attend the London Lightning game. Summer programming will be held to keep the children occupied; Recognizing the trauma many of them faced, thinking about the mental health crises that may impact them and job prospects are amongst future issues that the agencies are discussing; Mohamed mentioned that Londoners have come together and welcomed the Syrians. The SLNRC has recruited a Community Integration Worker for this year to help Syrians with their transition. He observed that most are very resilient and many of them want to find work immediately. The SLNRC s main focus as a settlement agency is to help them understand the services available and hold information sessions for other agencies that are helping them. Abbey Duggal suggested basic workshops on cultural sensitivity for Canadians. It was also mentioned that some years back, the LMLIP had developed a position paper on the topic and presented it to the Faculties of Education in London; Jacquie Rumiel reported that the YMCA in London was offering primarily Language Instruction for Newcomers (LINC). They are also providing a free two-month membership to all immigrants till the end of August. Those who wish to extend may also be able to obtain a subsidized membership rate. The YMCA received federal funding to bus Syrian children from hotels to their facilities for activities. Ayan Aden informed the group that ACFO received 38 new Syrian clients. The agency is adjusting to meet their specific demands and plans hold some information sessions in Arabic, and Speciose reported that College Boreal has started offering services to Syrians at the London Mosque every Tuesday and Friday. They will also start evening language classes shortly. 6. Settlement Sub-council Implementation Plan Implementation. Discussion of: a) Projects and formation of work groups: Activity: Engage immigrants and receiving communities in joint activities in neighbourhood Since some immigrants live in apartments and miss the gardens and farms they had previously, Amani Radhaa suggested engage them in Reforest London initiatives on weekends. Sheila suggested involving them in working on community gardens as well, and Jacquie suggested involving newcomers in Earth Day in Activity: Inform immigrants about services and opportunities Amani suggested setting up an intranet network for settlement services on the immigration portal, allowing them to share information and coordinate more effectively. Information sessions (similar to the one hosted by LMLIP for private sponsors in January) could also be held to inform agencies of services available. If staff are aware of services and programs offered by other agencies, they can convey the information more effectively to immigrants. Activity: Organize information sessions for private sponsors to inform about services and supports to assist families Jill Tansley mentioned that the federal immigration website mentioned that 269 private sponsorship applications are currently being processed for London; Amani suggested setting up a group similar to the FSC to organize information Sheila to contact Janice Walter regarding Reforest London and community gardens 10

11 sessions. Lana Winchester-Tucker, Ayane, Speciose and Mohamed will participate in the work group. Activity: Explore the opportunity to present to faith groups though the LMLIP Family Settlement Collaborative In order to explore the opportunity to present to faith groups through the FSC, the group s Terms of Reference will first have to be checked. Activity: Provide networking opportunities for frontline staff Mohamed mentioned that London has an Orientation Community Partnership and executive directors of all settlement services will have to be involved to ensure all participate. Jacquie offered to lead the project. Activity: Coordinate brownbag lunches using existing models to connect frontline settlement staff to learn and share Mohamed, Sheila and Jacquie will work on organizing a brownbag lunch to connect settlement staff Activity: Continue working with landlords and tenants to address issues that impede renting to new immigrants Jill suggested translating the housing video, which explains the rights and responsibilities of landlords and tenants, into various languages. Amani will continue on the work group. Activity: Enhance the coordination with faith groups to engage established immigrants Mohamed will explore ideas with project staff. Activity: Explore opportunities to collaborate with programs funded to support childminding to facilitate immigrants access to information workshops and language classes The activity will be discussed later because United Way has requested agencies to submit funding proposals for childminding supports. Next steps can be decided when there is more information on the agencies approved. b) Opportunity to collaborate with students in a Community Engaged Learning component at Western University: It was suggested that students participate in the activity that calls for involving established immigrants in assisting newcomers. Train the trainer types of programs can be used to coach established immigrants in how they can assist newcomers. The students can develop and provide lesson plans for the training module. Note on the Settlement Strategic Plan: Ayan requested that francophone service providers be included under the Settlement Sub-council Plan in addition to the francophone immigration network. 7. Updates from Working Groups: a. Engaging Landlords & Tenants: No update b. Family Settlement Collaborative (FSC): Huda Hussein A total of 44 sessions were held at LINC sites from September 2015 till date; Project staff to check FSC s Terms of Reference Huda will seek Governance committee approval for the inclusion 11

12 8. Information Sharing None. One of the LINC sites requested an information session for Syrians on appropriate behaviour in Canada, and Suggestions for enhancing member communication including hosting an FSC newsletter on the immigration portal and sharing information through Google documents. 9. Chairperson s Closing Summary and Review of Action Items Mohamed Al-Adeimi thanked members for attending. 10. Adjourn The meeting was adjourned at 11:30 am. 11. Next Meeting Location and Date June 14, South London Community Centre, 1119 Jalna Blvd 12