It’s never been more important to share how we’re doing. Share successes, new models of service delivery, but also the struggle. I’ve been enjoying seeing how immigrant and refugee-serving agencies have been successfully pivoting to online services. I’ve been enjoying even more how some are sharing their experiences. There is so much to learn from each other.

In this interview, I surface conversations I’ve been having with Chris Friesen of ISSofBC. We talk at what settlement work looks like now, during a pandemic. What are the opportunities the sector needs to seize? What does the funder need to understand? What do we need to understand about the digital divide and digital literacy of the newcomers and communities we serve? And more.

It’s useful to understand how your clients look for, find, assess and act on information. In this interview, U of T Professor Nadia Caidi provides an overview of newcomer information seeking behaviour and practice. I interviewed Professor Caidi in 2018 for Findhelp’s online course Settlement Information and Referral Online Training Program.

This study found that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) owned by immigrants were more likely than similar enterprises owned by Canadian-born individuals to implement a product or process innovation (2020).

When asylum seekers and refugees are displaced, how do they use communication technologies to maintain links with friends and family during flight and forced migration? When they are detained, what role does technology play in the ways asylum seekers communicate with the "outside"?

In this study, the researcher sought to answer these questions: What motivates immigrants to use information and communication technology (ICT)? What are the factors that influence immigrants’ ICT behaviors?

The WES Gateway Program provides refugees with a high-quality credential evaluation report that is recognized and accepted by employers, higher-education institutions, and regulatory bodies throughout Canada.

The Welcome Group Program matches volunteer “Welcome Groups” of five or more volunteers with Government Assisted Refugees for settlement and integration support.

The Welcome Ambassador Program trains volunteers to run workshops within their social, professional, and volunteer networks to build cultural awareness skills; examine the understanding of their role in systemic oppression; develop skills and knowledge around power, privilege and ally-ship; develop knowledge and awareness about refugee newcomers; and participate actively in making Nova Scotia a more welcoming and inclusive province.