Canadian immigrant and refugee-serving sector communities of practice

Ongoing professional development, training, and learning is essential in our sector. There isn't enough consistent, ongoing, funded, and baseline training that occurs. For many, it's a task that individual workers must take on and maintain.

That learning can take place formally, through courses, webinars, workshops, conferences, etc. It can also take place informally (or formally) in Communities of Practice.

Below I'm outlining learning spaces that are specific to the sector, where both formal and informal learning takes place.

Sector-specific professional development programs/projects:

• AMSSA’s repository of webinar and e-symposia recordings
• OCASI’s online learning site (self-directed and facilitated courses) and Settlement AtWork site and wiki and Professional Education and Training project AND OrgWise – Organizational Standards for sector agencies
• AAISA’s in-person training and certificate program
• Pathways to Prosperity’s video recordings of conference presentations
• Maytree’s repository of Five Good Idea presentations
• Cities of Migration Learning Exchange
• Hire Immigrants and Immigrant Employment Councils like TRIEC and their Learning platform (yes, ALL agencies can learn something about creating inclusive workplaces!)
• CAMH’s Immigrant and Refugee Mental Health project

Communities of Practice I'm aware of:

• SettleNet.org/Réseau-Etab.org (there are additional smaller networks and communities that have created their space on the site, I think, that you can find in their groups listing https://settlenet.org/en/groups)
• AMSSA’s Settlement Net
• CAMH Immigrant and Refugee Mental Health Project Community
• LIP Basecamp CoP (closed community for LIP staff)
• National Newcomer Navigation Network
• Pre-Arrival Partners' Portal (closed community for pre-arrival service providers)
• Gender-Based Violence Settlement Sector Strategy
• Tutela
• Avenue.ca
• Newcomer Info Hub
• Community Health, Immigration, Settlement & Resource Centre Friends
• National GAR Case Management – Client Support Services (CSS) National Coordination Team
• OCASI's SettlementAtWork.org is less a community of practice and more an information hub, but it would fit in this list to a degree

There are probably other smaller communities I'm not aware of similar to the last 2 on Facebook, where sector practitioners network and connect, both informally and formally, including in local LIPs.

Please let me know any I've missed that you find useful in the comments below or through my online form.