2017 Embracing Diversity Full Report

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Objectives The main objectives of this research study were well defined and clarified with the Project Advisory Committee at the outset. The following list outlines the objectives of this research study: 1. To investigate and reveal the experience of newcomers in small and rural communities 2. To reveal barriers and obstacles newcomers face in Perth and Huron Counties 3. To identify service gaps that exist 4. To identify employment barriers that exist 5. To identify and profile current practices in communities of similar size and population 6. To compile recommendations for next steps toward attracting and retaining newcomers in the area Statistics Canada defines newcomers as landed immigrants who have arrived in Canada up to five years prior to a given census year. 12 Defining a newcomer based solely on their time spent in Canada is problematic as it does not account for the fact that a person who has immigrated three years ago or 14 years ago may still be undergoing similar challenges and barriers associated with being new to Canada. For the purposes of this study, newcomers are defined as immigrants or refugees who have been in Canada under 10 years. Although Eco-Ethonomics consultants attempted to recruit focus group participants who fit this description, participants who have been living in Canada over 10 years were not excluded from the dataset so long as they self-identified as being a newcomer. 12 Statistics Canada (2010) https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/as-sa/97-562/note-eng.cfm 10 Introduction
Summary of Findings Part I – Newcomer Experiences As part of this study, three focus groups were conducted with newcomers across Perth and Huron Counties, two in Stratford and one in Huron County. Preceding this study, the NONA survey gathered information from 70 participants. The newcomer focus groups from this study were held over two consecutive days in February 2017 and lasted between two and three hours. In Perth, the newcomer focus group was held at the office of a local service provider. The participants in Huron were identified with assistance from Huron businesses, informal networks and the Centre for Employment and Learning. In total, 22 newcomers participated in the newcomer focus groups and there was a relatively even gender-split, with 10 females and 12 males. Below is a demographic overview of the participants in the NONA survey and three additional focus groups, followed by insights and information gathered during the survey and focus group sessions. The NONA survey and focus groups, with a total of 70 participants, are collectively referred to as the NONA survey. The three additional focus groups, with a total of 22 participants, are referred to as the focus groups. The findings have been organized into cross-cutting themes that speak to the unique experiences of newcomers who have moved to and are living in Perth and Huron Counties. Demographic Overview Participants in the NONA survey and focus groups came from a range of places around the world, such as: Czech Republic, South Korea, Thailand, Syria, Philippines, Colombia, Mexico, Honduras, Brazil, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, China and Vietnam. Furthermore, the diversity of native languages they spoke included: Czech, Korean, Thai, Kurdish, Arabic, Spanish, Visayan, Vietnamese, Farsi, Chinese, Portuguese, Amharic and Tagalog. Length of Time in Canada Fifty-nine per cent of the 92 participants had been in Canada for more than three years (45 of 70 NONA survey respondents and 9 of 22 focus group participants). Sixteen per cent of participants (10 from NONA survey and five from focus groups) had been in Canada for 1-3 years. The remaining 23% had been in Canada for less than a year (13 from the NONA survey and eight from focus groups. Two NONA survey participants did not disclose how long they had been in Canada. Embracing Diversity: Newcomer Experiences in Perth and Huron Counties 11
Page 1 and 2: Embracing Diversity Newcomer Experi
Page 3 and 4: Table of Contents Background 3 Pert
Page 5 and 6: Background In 2015, more than 75% o
Page 7 and 8: Table 1: Migration by Age in Perth
Page 9 and 10: As Figure 1 indicates, Perth County
Page 11: Introduction The Social Research an
Page 15 and 16: Table 3: Employment status of parti
Page 17 and 18: Figure 3. Reasons why newcomers mov
Page 19 and 20: Newcomers participating in the focu
Page 21 and 22: Education and Employment Focus grou
Page 23 and 24: ecognized, spanned across the group
Page 25 and 26: “We have four churches sponsoring
Page 27 and 28: Part II - Service Providers and Sup
Page 29 and 30: Rural Employment Initiative Through
Page 31 and 32: Funding and Policy There are a numb
Page 33 and 34: The Need for Better Access to Trans
Page 35 and 36: To assist with addressing these gap
Page 37 and 38: When asked about their current empl
Page 39 and 40: A few of the employers who particip
Page 41 and 42: Organizational Profiles The followi
Page 43 and 44: Stratford Welcome Refugees Program
Page 45 and 46: The Centre for Employment and Learn
Page 47 and 48: Rural Response for Healthy Children
Page 49 and 50: Huron Business Development Corporat
Page 51 and 52: Four County Labour Market Support O
Page 53 and 54: City of Stratford - Social Services
Page 55 and 56: Part III - Other Rural Communities
Page 57 and 58: Other Services and Supports: The re
Page 59 and 60: My New City App: Windsor has launch
Page 61 and 62: newcomers. One example of how grant
Page 63 and 64:
success in terms of attracting high
Page 65 and 66:
Despite settling in the area due to
Page 67 and 68:
Recommendations Coordinated Service
Page 69 and 70:
Increasing Awareness 2. Employer re
Page 71 and 72:
How can you make your community mor
Page 73 and 74:
Immigrant Health Clinic, Erie St. C
Page 75 and 76:
Embracing Diversity: Newcomer Exper
show all

2017 Embracing Diversity Full Report

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?