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Someone wrote that no technology project team is complete without a social worker, because "Social work excels at understanding the entire system while also understanding the needs of the individual." In our sector, no technology project should be considered complete without front line workers and Newcomers present, for the same reason. We must centre staff and Newcomers in all technology-related planning and decision-making.

As I look forward into 2024, I thought I'd look back. In 2023 I posted 146 articles, 28 publications, and 5 good ideas on this site. That's not enough publications and good ideas, given how much is out there, and how much folks in the sector want, need, and like to hear about interesting projects and insightful resources. My goal for 2024 would be to post more of those.

Earlier this year, Jennifer Chan and I surveyed the Canadian immigrant and refugee-serving sector to find out how you are doing, both individually and organizationally.  In today's post, we asked front-line workers and organizational leaders to agree/disagree with some statements.

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.

Imagine, an organization that provides support and solutions made up of peers who understand you, your work, and your sector? It's the right solution for any and all non-profits. AlphaPlus offers that for Ontario literacy providers. Why not for the Immigrant and Refugee-serving sector?

I was honoured to be asked to present at The Immigrant Education Society's event Celebrate e-Learning with TIES: Innovation + Inspiration in the Nonprofit Sector. My presentation focused on exploring how to get the word out/promote the great work language professionals are doing not just to Newcomers, but also to other sector organizations.

Strengthening hybrid service delivery means that the settlement sector consistently fosters an enabling service environment characterized by a shared vision of digital transformation, and the baseline capacities, infrastructure and culture needed to achieve that vision.

I’ve found that when it comes to technology and our sector we make far too many assumptions based on anecdote rather than data. Of course, our work should be guided by both. I’m a big believer in qualitative and quantitative feedback and data. But we should be using both when we’re coming to conclusions that guide our move to a hybrid service delivery model.

I participated on a panel at the Atlantic Regional Settlement Conference recently - 2022 Summit: Navigating Disruption and the Future of Settlement. Here is a summary of my presentation (not much new if you already follow my work, a bit of a summary).