Annual General Meeting – Fast Approaching!

It’s that time of year again for our Annual General Meeting. This year, it will take place on Friday, September 25th, from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. at the Vancouver Museum (Joyce Walley Learning Center) 1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver.

There will be a talk by film director Monika Delmos, who's latest film "Everybody's Children" has played on CBC, as well as Special Presentations of the AMSSA Riasat Ali Khan Diversity Award and the AMSSA Service Recognition Awards.

If you have not already done so, please RSVP to 604-718-2778 or amssa@amssa.org.

Refreshments will be served.

Hot Off the Press… the 2010 Multifaith Calendars!

Our 2010 Multifaith Calendars have arrived. The theme for this year's calendar is "Cherishing Earth's Bounty". To order your calendar today call 604 718-2784 or toll free 1-888-355-5560. You can also order online from the AMSSA Store at www.amssastore.org.

Safe Harbour Launches Respect for All Day!

Safe Harbour celebrated our first Respect for All Day on September 1st. On the first Tuesday of every month, Friends of Safe Harbour will thanked for their support in our E-Newsletter and are encouraged to wear our blue Respect for All wristband while inviting others to join our growing movement for diversity across Canada.

Our expanding list of Friends of Safe Harbour – including people such as a Manager of a Home Depot and Morris Flewwelling - Mayor of Red Deer - tells us that many people care about better understanding diversity and promoting welcoming communities for people of all backgrounds. We encourage anyone with a tale of respect or of discrimination to please share it with us anonymously on our ‘Share Your Story’ postcard, available at select Safe Harbour locations and on our Blog: http://safeharbourblog.wordpress.com/

Safe Harbour opens up conversations about the changing face of communities and how to better serve customers/clients and employees of diverse backgrounds. The Orientations create opportunities for acknowledgement of issues like racial profiling, discrimination based on ethnicity, lack of accessibility for people of different abilities, and intolerance towards LGBTQ members, as a sample of the issues communities are working to address. Safe Harbour Community Organizers continue to reach marginalized community members with a message of respect and equitable treatment in BC, Alberta, and Manitoba.

Small businesses such as the Mountaineer Publishing Company and South Edmonton Chiropractic Centre, corporations such as the KPMG, Sobeys and Safeway, non-profit organizations such as the Canadian Red Cross Society and Volunteer Red Deer, and many other Safe Harbour-certified locations are striving to build inclusive workplace environments and healthy communities.

Join us! As an individual or a workplace, you can take a stand for diversity.
Respect for All – Pass It On
www.safeharbour.ca

Safe Harbour British Columbia

Safe Harbour now has over 600 locations across the province! Some of BC’s newest Safe Harbour locations include: Kardel Consulting in Victoria, an assisted living services agency with more than 150 employees, the staff and volunteers from the Burnaby Meals on Wheels program, and the Mayor of the Township of Langley, Rick Greene, who is a strong supporter of the program and has future plans to have his staff trained.

Upcoming Events
Do you know of an outstanding business leader or organization that has demonstrated great multicultural business contribution to the BC community? If so, please consider contacting your local Community Organizer to nominate this organization for the Safe Harbour Champion Award!

On Tuesday November 3rd, 2009, the Safe Harbour program will be hosting its inaugural Safe Harbour Champion’s Breakfast. The Safe Harbour Champion’s Breakfast recognizes the multicultural business contribution of BC Safe Harbour diversity champions. This event will be attended by the business community, government officials, and community leaders featuring a breakfast reception, keynote speakers, and the presentation of the inaugural Safe Harbour Champion Award.

To find contact information for your local Community Organizer, please click here.

For more information or purchase tickets to the Safe Harbour Champion’s Breakfast, please contact Provincial Safe Harbour Coordinator, Pansy Hui 604.718.2776 amssash@amssa.org

New SPARC BC / AMSSA Research Report

The Social Planning and Research Council of BC (SPARC BC), in partnership with AMSSA, has released Taking the Long View of Integration Services: The Service Needs of Post-Three-Year Immigrants in Vancouver and Burnaby, a research report on the integration needs of settlement service seeking immigrants in Canada for more than three years. The report includes a literature review of policies, programs and approaches to immigrant integration, as well as an analysis of data from surveys and focus groups with immigrants in Vancouver and Burnaby. SPARC BC and AMSSA gratefully acknowledge the United Way of the Lower Mainland for their support. To view a copy of the report, please click here.

AMSSA Research Connections E-Symposium

On September 2, AMSSA hosted its second research connections e-symposium at Vancouver’s SFU Harbour Centre, this time focusing on Immigration: The Next Generation. The event featured two presentations: Dr. Lee Gunderson, Professor of Education at UBC, provided an overview of the Education Outcomes for Immigrant Children: Following the Academic Trajectories of 1,300 Immigrant Children over Ten Years, while Dr. Miu Chung Yan, Co-Director of Metropolis, spoke about Social Capital and the Labour Market Process among New Generation Youth from Visible Minority Immigrant Families. Over 250 participants joined the event, in person or online, from across BC, including frontline service staff from immigrant serving agencies, SWIS school districts and the Government of BC. AMSSA gratefully acknowledges the Government of BC and Metropolis BC for their support. And thank you to all presenters and participants for making this event another success. A video recording of the first e-symposium is now available for viewing, and the second e-symposium will soon be available.

AMSSA Staff Changes

Goodbye EJ.

AMSSA was sad to say goodbye to EJ Shu, who worked for the summer on the soon to be launched, AMSSA Research Connections website. We wish EJ all the best in her future endeavors.

Welcome Irada and Melissa Jay

Melissa Jay, an SFU Co-op student, will be working as the Health Fair Assistant until the year end.

Irada Yuzbayova will be taking over the coordination and distribution of the Multifaith Calendars. We are very excited to welcome Irada and Melissa into the AMSSA family!

If you would like to be taken off the AMSSA Insider distribution email list, please respond with the subject “unsubscribe”.