December 2006

AMSSA Winners!

AMSSA is delighted to have received Honourable Mention in the City of Vancouver’s Cultural Harmony Award in the organization category for our 2006 Multicultural Health Fair. Emese Szucs (AMSSA President) and Lynn Moran (AMSSA Executive Director) received the award for AMSSA from the Mayor and Council at a ceremony in the Council Chambers.

The City’s Cultural Harmony Awards are for activities that result in better understanding, acceptance, and relations among people of different cultural backgrounds. AMSSA’s Multicultural Health Fair involves multicultural and multilingual communities together with health and settlement service providers in Greater Vancouver to improve immigrant wellness and access to health care services.

There are two categories of awards: individual and organizational. AMSSA would like to congratulate the Cultural Harmony Award winner in the individual category for 2006, Sherman Chan, Director of Settlement Services at MOSAIC, one of AMSSA’s member organizations!

AMSSA also congratulates Baljit Sethi, Executive Director of the Immigrant and Multicultural Services Society, who has been awarded this year’s Prince George Citizen of the Year!

New Safe Harbour Communities in BC!

Exciting news! Three new Safe Harbour Communities have just joined us in the past month. Welcome Prince Rupert’s “Anti-Racism Committee”, Burns Lake’s “Let’s Enhance Diversity Society”, and Penticton & District Multicultural Society! They will have their first diversity facilitation in early 2007.

AMSSA has just launched the Safe Harbour Organizers online forum, a message board for Safe Harbour Community Organizers across the province to connect and communicate using the Safe Harbour website. Through sharing stories and resources, they will now be able to better support each other in bringing Safe Harbour to their communities. 

A new postcard has also been designed and printed to outreach to the business community and other agencies, raising their awareness of the Safe Harbour Program, and inviting them to take part in the training to become Safe Harbour locations. For more information about the program, please visit: http://www.safeharbour.ca.

Multicultural Health Fair 2007

The 2007 health fair postcards are available – make sure you obtain them for distribution to your networks and clients! 

Funding for the health fair is being secured and over 100 sponsorship packages have been mailed to potential sponsors and media sponsors, including both multicultural and mainstream media.  Over 60 exhibitor packages and invitations have been mailed to past and new exhibitors. The Exhibitor Guidelines and Application Form are available for download from the health fair website at http://www.amssa.org/healthfair2007.

If you are an ELSA Net teacher, please visit http://www.amssa.org/healthfair2007/esl.htm for teacher resource sheets, as well as volunteer information for your students. Resources include class ideas and activities for students to prepare for, participate at and discuss after the health fair!

If you would like postcards or know of an organization that would be interested in being a sponsor or exhibitor, or would like to contribute a door prize, please contact Vivianne de Pass, the Multicultural Health Fair Coordinator, at healthfair@amssa.org.

Multifaith Calendars Selling Like Hotcakes!

AMSSA has sold over 6000 Multifaith Calendars for 2007. There is still time to put your order in for the holiday season. Online purchasing is available at: http://www.amssa.org/calendar/index.htm. Get yours today!

The Immigrant Integration Coordinating Committee (IICC)

Managers and staff of AMSSA’s immigrant settlement member agencies met in October for IICC Regional Meetings.  The meetings included strategic planning sessions led by IICC Regional Representatives. Priorities from each region were shared at the November IICC Steering Committee Meeting to guide IICC activities in the coming months.

Also at regional meetings, AMSSA consulted with BC settlement professionals about their communication and networking needs. The BC Settlement and Multicutluralism Division has directed AMSSA to extend our settlement sector communication and networking services to all BCSAP service positions. To design potential new services, AMSSA invited a settlement staff member from each IICC organization to give their thoughts about the changing nature of their work, what types of information they need and in what forms, and how relationships can be improved between staff of different organizations for the benefit of newcomers.

Staff support component ideas include a general webpage with important links and information for settlement workers, an online list of available resources and organizations in each region, regular face-to-face meetings and training to connect with other settlement workers, and a function to share settlement information with other workers within and between regions.

AMSSA is now reviewing that feedback with the Settlement and Multiculturalism Division and IICC member agency managers for the development of a service plan. AMSSA has limited funding to provide some Internet-based services to all BCSAP service staff by early 2007, and will prepare a proposal to the Settlement and Multicultural Division for broader services.

Promoting Healthy Living in BC’s Multicultural Communities

The main purpose of the guide is to help BC newcomers access health programs and resources that are available in Vancouver to address their needs. Many newcomers have limited English proficiency and face cultural and linguistic barriers. The Guide includes an introduction in seven languages and information about multicultural health programs and resources in Vancouver that are provided in one or more languages other than English. Information also includes accessing interpretation services and / or translated publications.

Programs and resources are indexed in alphabetical order by agency and program, health condition / issue, service type and language provided. AMSSA will distribute 6000 Multicultural Health Guides widely among Health Authorities, member agencies / partners, community health agencies, ESL students and the public at large. To obtain copies, please contact: amssahealth@amssa.org.

Comparative Multiculturalism Policy Study

The comparative study on the implementation of the multicultural policy in urban and rural areas is underway with AMSSA support. The research, headed by Dr. Shirley Chau from the Department of Social Work at UBC Okanagan, has completed focus group sessions in Vancouver, Prince George and Kelowna. Each city hosted two focus groups: one for multicultural service providers to share information about their multicultural services, and the other for multicultural service users to share their experiences of receiving these services.

The next stage of data collection will be in the form of a survey. AMSSA will be circulating this to service agencies in the three regions.  If you are in any of the study’s regions, and would like to participate, contact Ada at 604-718-2776 or diversity@amssa.org. This study is a part of the Metropolis project, a forum for bridging research, policy and practice on migration and diversity (see www.riim.metropolis.net/frameset_e.html)

AMSSA Turns Thirty!

2007 marks AMSSA’s thirtieth anniversary. We are planning a number of events including an anniversary edition of Cultures West, a dinner dance/silent auction in the Fall, and some Regional celebrations. The Board Thirtieth Anniversary Planning Committee is currently looking for volunteers. If you would like to help out with one or all of our activities, please get in touch with Lynn at lmoran@amssa.org.

Cultures West - Metropolis Issues

AMSSA ’s newest issue of Cultures West magazine will be hot off the press next week! Copies are being mailed and will also available online at: http://www.amssa.org/publications/publications.htm. The Fall 2006 issue chronicles some of the main topics at the 2006 National Metropolis Conference in Vancouver, featuring articles on immigration, settlement and diversity in urban centres.

Office Holiday Closure Dates

AMSSA staff would like to extend warm and happy holiday greetings to all! Please note that our office is closed from Friday December 22, 2006 – Tuesday January 2, 2007, and opens again on Wednesday, January 3, 2007.

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