Category: innovation

In this December 2018 video I thought out loud about the future of immigrant/refugee settlement work, but really human service more broadly. We've learned a lot since then. Experienced a lot. I thought it would be interesting to reshare this 2018 reflection now to see where we're at. And not much has changed.

This report explored the contexts in which IRCC Settlement Program services could be offered online, which newcomer clients could be best-served through remote services, and whether online services can be offered in a responsive, effective, and efficient way.

In this January 2024 webinar, Refugee 613 provided information for Immigrant and Refugee-serving organizations to build their capacity to communicate with clients and other stakeholders. The session shared specific advice related to the recent IRCC CFP, including a suggested budget template, but the information and advice is useful beyond the CFP process. They presented generally accepted principles of good communications in the non-profit sector. 

Following the first Settlement Outcomes Highlights Report published in 2021, this report represents the second publication by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) that provides a high-level analysis and summary of the newcomer settlement experience for clients of IRCC’s Settlement Program.

I was watching a video about Apple’s new Vision Pro, their Virtual Reality headset. The video talked about questions you might typically ask when creating a new product or technology. Specifically, what problem is this product trying to solve? Combined with tech stewardship questions such as can we build the solution, should we build it, how do we do it responsibly, I thought it would be useful to go through these questions when it comes to technology and the Immigrant and Refugee-serving sector.

Someone recently asked me how I do what I do to stay on top of, curate, and share information in the Immigrant and Refugee-serving sector. I realized that my strategy hasn't actually changed that much in over 17 years. Sources and tools, yes. But not the overall approach I continue to use today. I thought I'd share what I wrote back.

I don’t spend a lot of time looking at my site analytics, but I was curious this year, so had a look. I’m biased, but the lesson is that people want to share and access shared resources. They want to know what’s happening in the sector. They want to know who’s doing what. They want to understand and learn from their peers. They want to know what is being funded.

Four years ago I took a stab at outlining what I think the future of immigrant/refugee settlement work is. It's 33 minutes of my sense of the future of settlement work and all the moving parts and connections. I think it's still very relevant and part of the conversation we need to be having as a sector.

Refugee 613's 2021 Digital Messaging Summit was a dynamic interactive gathering bringing practitioners together to share and learn 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.