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During some work a few years ago on the digital messaging practices of immigrant and refugee-serving organizations and newcomers, I came across some really interesting research that just struck me as a great model. Building from this Smartphone Evaluation Framework theory, I proposed a similar Digital Messaging Evaluation Framework.

Regarding innovation and interaction, some refer to this as big “I”, and little “i” innovation instead. Big “I” innovation refers to big or disruptive innovations that totally change the landscape of a business, its products or the dynamics of the market. In contrast, little “i” innovation refers more to incremental changes or improvements to businesses and products. Another way to look at little “i” innovation is as iteration.

If you work with immigrants and refugees in Canada, chances are you're using WhatsApp to communicate with some of them. In this short video, I show you why you should consider moving to the WhatsApp Business app for your professional work.

In this Technology in Human Services podcast episode I chat with Aletheia Délivré about service and human centred design.

In January 2021, Refugee 613 hosted the Digital Messaging Summit to share practical strategies and advice about managing digital messaging services by and for immigrants and refugees and build a network of people working in this area.

TechSoup/Public Good App House event. Explore solutions for translation, supporting LGBTQ+ asylum seekers, and connecting your clients with vital information and resources.

I publish a semi-regular email newsletter that helps pull together some thoughts, find threads, etc., from time to time. You might find it interesting.

We have lost one of the good ones. Francisco was a presence in our sector. I feel lucky to have known and learned from him.

How can we ensure the immigrant-serving sector is responsive, collaborative, innovative, and sustainable, in order to meet the evolving needs of newcomers in Canada? In this session, presenters shared reflections on current challenges identified to date, facilitated an interactive discussion on the sector’s needs, and discussed how the sector can be strengthened to better support the success of immigrants and refugees.