Action for Healthy Communities Society of Edmonton


Engaging Immigrants and Refugees (EIR)


A Learning Process for Immigrants and Refugees
Settlement and Integration


October 2008-October 2009,
Edmonton, Alberta


The Government of Canada provided funding to support this initiative, as did the Edmonton Community Foundation







Action for Healthy Communities' EIR project was one designed to help members of Edmonton's African and Latin American immigrant and refugee communities localize or develop the skills and abilities connections and ideas necessary to adapt to and fully adopt their new home.


meeting_image

EIR Participants in a workshop



First, the project, through longstanding and new connections, engaged Latin American and African communities to connect with new immigrants and refugees and to encourage them to join the project. We held some Community Dialogues to support this process.

Our strategy was to involve our community members and promote the general plans while we also focused on particulars.

[Participant, Evaluation Workshop, 17-10-2009]

From the recruits we enrolled people to become Community Development Promoters or Community Animators, people who would commit to becoming better-connected to Edmonton and who would also commit to supporting their fellow new-immigrants to share these learnings through developing Community Initiatives. Community members, enrolled participants, and staff did a learning needs assessment from which a curriculum of work was created by external and internal consultants, including people at EISA. See the curriculum that resulted from the work, (EIRCurriculumV4.pdf)

I really enjoyed the workshop. It was informative and well-presented. I have some cultural understanding of different ethnic groups in a broader way.

[Workshop participant, 8-26-09]
Wonderful opportunity to meet new people, experience different cultures and learn and laugh together. Thank you!

[Workshop Participant, 9-12-09]

Enrolled participants not only did to the workshop set, but used the learnings from it to create 17 CI during the project period. Now, (January, 2010), two more CI have been created because of the project, and we expect more to come. Some participants also created a fundraiser too. Participating in these 13 CI were over 500 people, over 70% of whom were immigrants /refugees. Thus the CI supported, but did not ghettoize new immigrants and refugees.

We had to resolve many challenges in our initiative. For example, we didn't have a warehouse to store things to give on to people.

[Participant, Evaluation Workshop, 17/10/2009]

A list of the EIR project CI follows.

Table 1. EIR Community Initiatives 2009.


ID #

Theme/ Name of the CI

# in CI

Settlement and Integration Goals

October 2009 Update



1

Dragon Voices Choir

40

To address isolation among individuals and promotes healthy choices and connections for elderly immigrant populations.

The choir is very active with performances and promoting singing among Chinese seniors. The project continues; it seems this CI will continue beyond project life-cycle.



2

Sudanese Nuer Soccer Club

40

To create cultural awareness and integration opportunities for youth through engagement in positive activities such as soccer.
Project is approaching the end its life-cycle, but the organized group is continuing working together



3

Save and Spend

50
To build financial literacy and to prevent debt among newcomer families and individuals
The project is progressing according to plan.
Three sessions were delivered



4

Mom and Dad

50

To build parenting skills to address child and family issues among new immigrants. Raising bi-cultural family.
The project is progressing on track


An interim report was submitted



5

Good Canadian

150
To facilitate immigrant integration, and create awareness of immigrant and citizenship rights
The project is progressing on track
An interim report was submitted



6

Drums of Thunder

15-20
To address feelings of isolation and stress by offering opportunities to multi-barriered individuals to spend evenings in a friendly environment.
Te project is progressing according to plan.
A monitoring visit
was conducted on July 22, 2009
There are strong indications that this CI will continue beyond project life-cycle.



7
Women for Women

12
To enable female community members to build healthy relationships and improve their social support.
The project continue
progressing, it seems this CI will continue beyond the project life-cycle



8

Youth in Action

10-12
To address Isolation and lack of accessible opportunities for youth with challenges and other barriers that affect their lives.
A monitoring visit was conducted to assess in situ the project progress.


Project expecting to entrance in the closing stage




9

Sudanese Women and Children's Development.

20

To address the issue of isolation among older immigrant women
Organized group.
4 Activities delivered
Interim report submitted



10

Equipping Newcomer Houses

40

To improve the lives of new comer families and individuals by relieving stress related to limited household resources
Organized group.
plan the activities
Delivering house equipment. Submitted interim report.
There are strong indications that this CI will continue beyond project life-cycle



11

Children and Youth Development

34

To provide weekend programs for youth who lack necessary academic support.
Organized Group
Develop work plan
4 Activities delivered
Submitted interim report.



12

Community Meeting for Pojulu Community Members

25

To facilitate the integration of members of the Pojulu community into the Canadian society
Organized Group
Develop work plan.
Project currently in progress.



13

Clean and Healthy Initiative

50

To address health hazards and issues related to improper use of home cleaning equipment and substances
Organized group.
Develop work plan
Training session
Delivering services



14

Visual Expressions Workshop

12
To break the isolation of a group of African Artists in practising their art and living in a new country and culture.
Organized group.
Plan the activities
Delivering activities.
One. art display at City Hall
Project currently in progress



15

Computer training

10
To improve basic computer skills of Bari-Sudanese members, and
to increase access to important information
Recently approved, in the planning stage.
This CI is expecting to keep progressing until the end of the year 2009



16

Day home-care

3-10

To train women to operate day homes as a means of income-generation for women in the home with young children
Recently approved, in the planning stage.
The agency Child Development Day home is working with the group leader



17

Seniors Guitar Group

14-50

To preserve their musical heritage and to break the isolation of seniors living alone.

Recently approved, in the planning stage.


This CI is expected to keep progressing beyond the project life-cycle


The CI program brought many community members together and empowered us in many ways.

[Mom and Dad CI Group Representative, Initiative Evaluation Questionnaire]

From the 'Recommendations' section:

6. Because of its initial success, the participants have unanimously recommended that this AHC community- driven project should be sustained. Without the much needed support, it could suffer the same fate as those community agencies described by Waylaid (2006) in her research report in that they have come up with potential solutions but they are unable to find funding to move forward with their visions. (p. 9).

Wayland, S.V. (2006)
Unsettled: Legal and Policy Barriers for Newcomers to Canada.
CFC and LCC