OCS Outcomes Report 2015-2016
Volunteers increased our ability to offer the high number of workshops, short-term courses and community connections activities that we offered on a regular basis.
As mentioned above, they assisted staff in a variety of ways. Additionally, we would not have been able to complete many of our contracted activities without volunteer participation.
Settlement Activities Supported by Volunteers • Seniors Cross Cultural Connections • Access Information and Resources using Computers • English Conversation Circles - volunteer teachers • Financial Literacy Workshops • Integration through Reading Canadian News • Professional & Social Mentorship • Orientation Sessions • Support Services: volunteer childminders • Topical Workshops • Tours for Newcomers • Meeting Employers Series • Healthy Living Series • Summer Youth Activities • Translation and Interpretation • Office Work & Data Entry • Accompaniment & Community Connections
In light of all the events that were happening in Surrey with Somali youth, the ISP Somali Settlement Workers organized a Gang Prevention information session for the Somali Community; this initiative was well received by the Surrey School district. The Somali SWIS workers, OCS Settlement Workers, and the RCMP School Liaison officer provided information to the parents. This was held at Princess Margaret Secondary School. Parents, school staff and RCMP were pleased with the number of clients (29 participants) that were recruited by OCS and to see the community wanting to participate in this important initiative. Through increased promotion and word-of-mouth, we started to see a growing number of clients accessing settlement services at our new outreach location at Guildford/Fleetwood WorkBC Employment Service Centre. This location helped us to meet the needs of job-seeking newcomer clients who require settlement service support or support in connecting to WorkBC services. It also specifically met the needs of a growing number of Arabic refugee clients who accessed employment services at this WorkBC Centre. Based on client feedback and requests for more opportunities to practice conversational English after clients have completed their Conversation Circle classes, we successfully launched a volunteer-run conversation classes in the summer. In addition to improving basic English skills, this activity provided social networking opportunities for newcomers leading to more community involvement, integration and satisfaction of their new life in Canada.
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