Projects
ISCC’s 2010 – 2012 Strategic Plan organizes our work into four major strategic areas: Civic Engagement, CARE Strategy, Public Policy and Stakeholder Relations, and Sector Capacity. The following describes our current projects and initiatives relating to each of these areas.
Civic Engagement
Regulated Professions: Continuing to Build a Fair Alberta June 18th Panel
Immigrant Services Calgary invited ISCC to co-host a community consultation on June 18, 2010 with Jean Augustine as a keynote speaker. A panel presentation will follow with representatives from APEGGA, corporate Calgary, CRIEC, Alberta’s FQR Unit, and an internationally trained professional (pending confirmation). The remainder of the session will be a lively discussion between panel members and the audience. Please join us from 8am – 11am to discuss the fairness of Alberta’s professional accreditation process and ways to improve it.
To register for this event, please contact:
Dorothy Zaharko, Senior Administrative Assistant
ISCC-City of Calgary Partnership Project
The ISCC-City of Calgary Partnership Project was established in 2007 and aims to facilitate the hiring of immigrants by The City of Calgary. The Partnership has made presentations to City staff, held forums for both newcomers and career practitioners of immigrant serving agencies to inform participants on employment opportunities, job requirements and The City’s hiring process.
The Project committee has developed its Strategic Plan for 2009 - 2011. Below is a description and update on their three strategic areas of focus:
Strategic Focus 1 – Communication & Outreach Framework
Employment Forum for Newcomers: The next forum is planned for July 12, 2010. The focus will be on Human Resources, Customer Services & Engineers. City of Calgary employees from those areas will present and then engage with newcomers one-on-one in a table discussion about working at The City. Staff from ISA will screen registrants and provide facilitation for this session.
Strategic Focus 2 – Recruitment Policies, Procedures & Practices
Recruitment Practices and Processes Review Committee has listed barriers, a set of definitions, and some suggestions for policy revision. It was determined that a new project outline would be required in order to tackle the analysis of recruitment practices and processes. Two City of Calgary Human Resources Outreach staff were selected in April, and they commence work on May 17, 2010. They will be involved in developing and implementing the project on recruitment practices. The scope of this project will be beyond immigrants only, and will encompass various aspects of diversity (age, abilities, gender, aboriginal groups). As this part of the review is now primarily internal to The City of Calgary, the implementation will be in Quarter 3, so as not to coincide with other key HR projects.
Strategic Focus 3 – Internships, Work Experience & Employment Bridging Programs
T.O.W.E.L. program – Work continued with the Transit Operator Workplace English and Literacy program. Staff of immigrant serving agencies presented on resume development and critiqued resumes for the students along with City of Calgary staff.
Co-Chairs:
Cheryl Goldsmith, Human Resources, The City of Calgary
Cheryl.Goldsmith@calgary.ca
Lorraine Moulding, Career Development Practitioner,
Centre for Newcomers/ ISCC Representative
l.moulding@centrefornewcomers.ca
Community Action Team on Refugee Claimants
Immigrant Sector Council of Calgary has been looking into some of the issues facing Refugee Claimants in Calgary. ISCC has been instrumental in leading conversations between Alberta Income Support and Citizenship and Immigration Canada, who have now streamlined the process for receving Interim Federal Health support. ISCC held a Roundtable on Refugee Claimants on Nov. 4th, 2009 at the Hillhurst-Sunnyside Community Association to bring together representatives from the housing, legal, settlement, and government service-providers to identify the key issues and develop next steps for improving the community support system available to claimants in Calgary. A steering committee was identified as a needed element, and five individuals volunteered to sit on this committee to develop a plan of action. The event was led by Doug Chudleigh, who compiled a summary report. The steering committee, now known as the Community Action Team on Refugee Claimants, has been meeting to operationalize some of the recommendations from the roundtable. Focus groups with refugee claimants were held on May 18, 20, 29, to understand what the gaps in information are for Refugee Claimants in Calgary and how this information would best be distributed. The information gathered will be analyzed to inform the Action Team’s next steps.
For more information, please contact:
Charla Vall, ISCC Project Manager
Every Vote Counts
Ethno-Cultural Council of Calgary (ECCC) and ISCC are partnering on a project based on electoral participation of immigrants in Calgary. We want to validate the findings of Debbie Belgrave’s research within the community, specifically ethno-cultural communities, and provide a space where members of ethno-cultural communities can plan action ideas for increasing the voter turnout rate of immigrants in civic elections. The project is timely, as a civic election will take place in Calgary on October 18, 2010.
We are currently accepting survey responses www.surveymonkey.com/s/everyvotecounts, and will hold focus groups starting on June 26, 2010. Please see the event invite here.
For more information, please contact:
Charla Vall, ISCC Project Manager
CARE Strategy for Children and Youth of Immigrant Families
The CARE Strategy for Children and Youth of Immigrant Families is a comprehensive framework which supports a system-wide approach for addressing key areas/issues for children and youth of immigrant families. It provides an assessment tool to identify what is already being accomplished, alternatives for program/service delivery, more effective ways to collaborate and so forth. In May 2008, the ISCC agreed to house this initiative. Learn more about the CARE Strategy here.
Co-Chairs:
Trish Bond, Planner, United Way of Calgary and Area/ ISCC Member
pbond@calgaryunitedway.org
Harry Yee, Executive Director, Calgary Bridge Foundation for Youth/ ISCC Member
HYee@calgarybridgefoundation.com
Staff:
Lianne Lee, CARE Strategy Manager
care@iscc-calgary.com
Public Policy and Stakeholder Relations
Municipal Immigration Strategy
In March 2009, ISCC identified the creation of a municipal immigration strategy for Calgary as a priority. ISCC requested a meeting with Aldermen Ric McIver, Bob Hawkesworth and Joe Ceci for July 23, 2009. As it turns out, The City had put forward and passed a motion to develop a settlement and integration framework on July 13, 2009. With the exception of Alderman Hodges, the motion passed unanimously. ISCC members proceeded to meet with the three Alderman in July 2009 to encourage The City to build on the work that has already been done in Calgary, and to ensure development and implementation of the framework is community-led.
The City Administration’s work on developing a municipal immigration policy was reviewed at the Standing Policy Committee on Community and Protective Services on April 7, 2010. ISCC representatives—Beba Svigir, Djaka Blais-Amare, Charla Vall—attended to express our support and to recommend The City involve community so that it can become a community-driven strategy. City Councilors were enthusiastic and engaged in our presentation. Originally, the motion was to direct City Administration to work with business units to understand their needs and develop options for a framework. After hearing our presentation however, they amended the motion, calling it a ‘Community Driven Municipal Immigration Policy’. The motion, moved by Joe Ceci, and carried. ISCC will be working to ensure the policy truly becomes community driven.
For more information, please contact:
Charla Vall, ISCC Project Manager
Sector Capacity
Immigrant Sector HR Compensation Strategy: Phase II and Phase III
In early 2007, the ISCC formed a committee to address the speculative concern that a salary gap exists between the immigrant sector and the broader non-profit sector. Consultants Pat Rice and Peter Boland were hired to conduct a study to determine whether or not the salary gap truly does exist, and if so, it’s size. This began Phase I of the Immigrant Sector HR Compensation Strategy. The study was documented in a report entitled ‘Immigrant Sector Compensation Review: Final Report’. The study found that an average salary gap of 19% exists between immigrant serving agencies and a select market sample, made up of non-profit organizations in Alberta. Several recommendations for future action were also laid out in the final pages of the Report. The report was distributed to all participating immigrant serving agencies in December 2007.
With the help of our consultants, Pat Rice and Peter Boland, we began Phase II by engaging funder and service provider stakeholders through a series of consultation sessions. The sessions communicated the results of the Report, facilitated understanding, and generated discussion across the sector about the report’s findings. These consultations also allowed stakeholders to relay which action pieces they feel are the most imperative.
The entire process, including identified options and four prioritized options were consolidated into a report by our consultants entitled, ‘Toward Sustainability in Alberta’s Immigrant Serving Sector’. The four prioritized options are: formal accreditation for sector positions; position classification; salary structure; and, a sector-wide communications strategy.
Phase III, which involves the implementation of the identified priorities, is underway. We have completed a position classification structure for career development practitioners and settlement practitioners.
Co-Chair, Implementation Advisory Committee:
Din Ladak, CEO Immigrant Services Calgary, ISCC Member
Dladak@immigrantservicescalgary.ca
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