AMSSA

AMSSA Webinar - Alcohol and Drug Use: Supporting Migrant Workers Who are Facing Addiction
2019-06-18 09:00 - 11:00 (America/Denver) | Online
Due to the stigma and negative connotations linked to alcohol and drug addiction, it is difficult for many users to accept they have a problem. Consuming excessive amounts of alcohol and drugs can have adverse health impacts, the effects may last long and can cause permanent damage. Isolation, family separation and anxiety associated to living in a foreign country, among other factors, can put migrant workers at risk of facing alcohol and drug addiction. For this reason, it is important for people who are involved in supporting workers’ adaptation to Canada, to be aware of the signs of addiction, learn about the effects and rehabilitation options available to them.
This webinar will provide organizations, unions, employers and individuals in general, knowledge on how to identify and support migrant workers who may be facing an addiction.
Event Detail
Date: Tuesday, June 18, 2019
Time: 9:00 am to 11:00 am (PST)
Location: Online
Presenter:
Gerald Thomas, Director, Alcohol, Tobacco, Cannabis and Gambling Policy and Prevention, Ministry of Health
Varinder Kamboj, Substance Use Counsellor, DIVERSEcity Community Resources Society
To register click here

Family Sponsorship
2019-06-16 13:00 - 15:00 | Seminar Room, School Gym, St. Mary’s Parish, 5239 Joyce Street, Vancouver, BC, V5R 4G8, Canada
Join ISSofBC’s Settlement Program in collaboration with St. Mary’s Migrant Ministry for the Family Sponsorship workshop!

The Art Of Facilitation
2019-06-15 08:30 - 16:00 | Knox United Church, 5600 Balaclava St.,, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6N 1L1, Canada
Be prepared to join “The Art Of Facilitation” hosted by Beyond the Conversation to have fun, talk about empowerment and how to make a difference.

You have rights! Workshop: Rights & Responsibilities
2019-06-12 09:00 - 12:00 | Progressive Intercultural Community Services, #205 - 12725 80th Avenue, Surrey, BC, Canada
MOSAIC and the Progressive Intercultural Community Services Society (PICS) presents a workshop on rights and responsibilities for Temporary Migrant Foreign Workers.

Prepare for a Career in Banking
2019-06-07 12:30 - 15:30 | Coquitlam Public Library- City Centre, 1169 Pinetree Way,, Coquitlam, BC, V3B 0Y1, Canada
Join ISSofBC for an event by women for women: Prepare for a Career in Banking.

WorkBC Job Fair
2019-05-31 13:30 - 15:30 | WorkBC Vancouver Northeast, Unit 312 - 2555 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5N4C1, Canada
Join the Vancouver North East WorkBC Centre for the WorkBC Job Fair!

Foreign Credential Recognition (FCR) Loan Program - Free Information Session
2019-05-30 10:00 - 12:00 | Progressive Intercultural Community Services Society – Vancouver, 200 - 8153 Main Street, Vancouver, BC, V5X 3L2, Canada
Join Progressive Intercultural Community Services Society (PICS) for the Foreign Credential Recognition (FCR) Loan Program Information Session!

Parenting Matters: Stress and Anxiety Effects in the Family
2019-05-14 17:30 - 19:30 | Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House, 800 E. Broadway , Vancouver, BC, Canada
Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House presents Parenting Matters: Stress and Anxiety Effects in the Family.

Citizenship Application process (in Russian)
2019-04-30 18:00 - 19:30 | Welcome Centre – ISSofBC, 2610 Victoria Drive , Vancouver , BC, Canada
Join ISSofBC for the Citizenship Application process, an interactive discussion.

The Social Impact Lab: Collaboratory Event Launch
2019-04-24 17:00 - 19:30 | Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House, 800 E. Broadway , Vancouver, BC, Canada
On April 24th, CCEL will launch a new program called Collaboratory with an event titled “Social Impact Lab”. This event brings together community partners, UBC students, staff, and faculty to celebrate past university-community collective actions and explore social issues in Vancouver.
Participants will also have the opportunity to join other passionate attendees to collaborate on a collective action project over the summer in one of the following areas: poverty reduction, housing, environmental sustainability, mental health, Black neighbourhood revitalization, refugee settlement, and healthy masculinity and non-violence from an Indigenous perspective.
Community partners are invited to this event. Meet like-minded organizations, network with UBC students and faculty, engage with UBC on some of your organizational needs, and inform CCEL on the social issues directly related to your industry.
Please share this event to your network and on your social media pages.
We hope you can join us.
Event Details:
When: April 24, 2019; 5:00-7:30pm
Where: Mt. Pleasant Neighbourhood House (800 East Broadway)
Refreshments and catering will be served.
Register today as space is limited! Click here to register.
If you have any questions, contact Sydney Kroes at sydney.kroes@ubc.ca

Safety Talk - About Scams (Chinese)
2019-04-15 10:30 - 12:30

"The Caregiver Program"
2019-04-07 13:00 - 15:00 | Seminar Room, School Gym, St. Mary’s Parish, 5239 Joyce Street, Vancouver, BC, V5R 4G8, Canada
Join ISSofBC for an interactive discussion and learn about your options for permanent residence in regard to the Caregiver Program.
To register or for more information, contact Lenn Castro at stmarysmigrant@gmail.com and Resochita Ama at resochita.arma@issbc.org

AMSSA Online Broadcast: "Indigenous-Newcomers Relationships": An Organizational Dialogue on Unsettling Practices
2019-04-05 08:30 - 13:00 | Online
The Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of BC (AMSSA), the British Columbia Institute of Technology’s (BCIT) Indigenous Initiatives and Partnerships, and the City of Vancouver’s Vancouver Immigration Partnership (VIP), are pleased to invite you and/or designates to a symposium aimed at discussing how organizational leadership can be understood from a critical perspective to design and establish processes that build mindful relationships with Indigenous people and the unceded territories we all work on.
The symposium will be divided in 2 parts:

Centering organizational leadership in relation to Indigenous presence and accountability to the Coast Salish Peoples and territories (keynote and panel discussion)
Exploring ideas for specific practice and for a workbook

Registration is required.
The symposium is open to anyone interested in learning and leading processes to establish relationships with Indigenous people in their organizations. Board members, Executive Directors, CEOs, Program and Management Directors and similar leading roles are encouraged to attend. Networking opportunities at the end of the event.
Event Details:
When: Friday, April 5, 2019
Time: 8:30 AM – 1:00 PM PST
Where: Online (live video broadcast). A link will be sent to you by April 4, 2019.
The registration deadline is April 3, 2019.
To register to watch the broadcast online, click here.

AMSSA Webinar: Reflections on Belonging, Relationships, and Responsibilities in Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Lands
2019-03-29 12:00 - 13:30 | online
In this lunch and learn webinar, cultural planner Kamala Todd will share her experience as a Metis-Cree living and working in the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tseil-Waututh Nations, and how to observe protocols in a territory different to that of her ancestors.
Born and raised in these lands, she continually asks herself, in her work and in the ways she lives and raises her children, how she can address the colonialism of Vancouver and enact her own teachings of reciprocity and gratitude in finding ways to support the original owners of the lands. Kamala is currently the City of Vancouver’s Indigenous Arts and Culture planner, and she has worked with the City for many years in various capacities, including the Dialogues Project.
Kamala will talk about some of the current conversations and considerations about the work of “reconciliation” and decolonization, and she will also address how those of us whose ancestors are elsewhere can work to repair the harms done to the ancestors of these lands and waters in this beautiful place we are so fortunate to live and work.
She will place an emphasis on questions that people and organizations often have about how to begin, like “Where do we start?”
This lunch and learn webinar is a preliminary conversation to the April 5th Symposium “Indigenous-Newcomers Relationships”: An Organizational Dialogue on Unsettling Practices that will be held in Vancouver. The Symposium will be available online. To register to the Symposium’s live broadcast click here.
Webinar Details:
Date: Friday, March 29, 2019
Time: 12:00 – 1:30 PM
To register, click here.
We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Government of British Columbia through the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Multiculturalism Grant

AMSSA Webinar: Recognizing and Assisting Victims of Labour Trafficking
2019-03-26 10:00 - 11:00 | Online
Migrant workers contribute to the Canadian labour market and economy. However, some migrant workers may be vulnerable to human trafficking for labour exploitation given their lack of knowledge of their rights in Canada, inability to speak the language and isolation. Settlement and other frontline organizations can play a very important role in preventing labour trafficking as well as supporting the victims.
This webinar will provide management and frontline staff that work with temporary foreign workers with knowledge on how to recognize, protect and assist migrant workers who may have been trafficked to Canada.
Event Details:
Date: Tuesday, March 26, 2019
Time: 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM (PST)
Location:Online
Presenter:
Larissa Maxwell, Anti-Human Trafficking Programs, The Salvation Army Canada
To register, click here.

It is not ME or YOU | It is US: An educational forum on discrimination and racism
2019-03-20 08:45 - 12:45 | Ismaili Centre Burnaby, Social Hall, 4010 Canada Way, Burnaby, BC, V5G 1G8, Canada

Get Hired! An ISSofBC Job Fair
2019-03-15 13:00 - 16:00 | ISSofBC Vancouver, 501-333 Terminal Avenue, Vancouver, BC, Canada

International Women's Day afternoon tea
2019-03-08 15:00 - 18:00 | Welcome Centre – ISSofBC, 2610 Victoria Drive , Vancouver , BC, Canada

Webinar: The Other Side of Trauma: Supporting Newcomers through Healing and Resiliency Centred
2019-02-26 10:00 - 12:00 | online
This is the second part of a two-part webinar series on community based training for working with newcomers with trauma. The first webinar explored how practitioners in settlement can better understand trauma, and how it presents itself in community spaces. The webinar also provided some techniques that practitioners can use to address the issues of trauma, along with approaches to provide a more inclusive space for newcomers with trauma.
This follow-up webinar will address how we can further support our more vulnerable newcomers to Canada through learning with healing centered engagement. This learning event will explore how those with migration journey experiences can move beyond merely coping with trauma, and explore their own resiliency and positive transformative changes that can occur beyond trauma, allowing positive emotional growth and a greater sense of well-being.
Event Details:
When: Tuesday, February 26, 2019
Time: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM (PST)
Click here to register.
Webinar Presenter:
Diana Jeffries specializes in working with practitioners who work with refugees. She is the training manager at Pacific Immigrant Resources Society (PIRS) where she facilitates training workshops on trauma-informed practice in the settlement sector. Diana has written three resources on trauma and teaching along with curriculum development for refugee women and refugee youth.

Any questions about the event? Please contact Sabrina Dumitra at sdumitra@amssa.org.
Please note, AMSSA is only responsible for the logistics of the event. For content information, please contact PIRS directly.

MFBCS Annual Fundraising Dinner
2019-02-23 18:00 - 23:00 | Royal King Palace, 366 – 8158 128th Street, Surrey, BC, Canada
Event Details

Date: Saturday, February 23, 2019
Time: 6:00pm – 11:00pm
Location: Royal King Palace – 8158 128 St, Surrey
Cost: $30 – Adults; $20 Kids under 10 years; $40 at the door (sponsorship opportunities available, see below)

This event will draw a significant gathering consisting of supporters from Metro Vancouver Muslim communities including many influential stakeholders and decision-makers.
It will therefore be a unique sponsorship and exhibition opportunity for businesses, associations and community organizations. The event will feature presentations and displays about the Muslim Food Bank and our sponsors in addition to a delicious dinner.
The Muslim Food Bank is therefore providing businesses and marketers an opportunity to target decision makers in the Muslim market. As a result the following options are available to you-our potential sponsors:

Platinum Sponsorship Package – $2500
Gold Sponsorship Package – $2000
Silver Sponsorship Package – $1000
Bronze Sponsorship Package – $500

Benefits of sponsorship

Cultivating relationships with about 500 community members
Access to a network of Muslim activists
Exclusive access to build relationships with the leaders of one of the largest grassroots Muslim organizations in BC

Contact Zebun at coordinator@muslimfoodbank.com
Learn more here: https://muslimfoodbank.com/events/2019-fundraising-dinner/

Let's Talk about Reconciliation Film Series
2019-02-20 18:00 - 20:00 | Newton Library, 13795 70 Ave, Surrey, BC, Canada
Watch Indigenous-created films that showcase the rich culture, history, realities, and resilience of Indigenous people.

2019 Lunar New Year Lunch and Celebration
2019-02-09 11:00 - 14:00 | Kiwassa Neighbourhood House, 2425 Oxford Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Join Kiwassa Neighbourhood House at their 2019 Lunar New Year celebration!

Pinatas and Pete - Parenting Matters at MPNH
2019-02-06 17:30 - 19:00 | Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House, 800 E. Broadway , Vancouver, BC, Canada
Join Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House for Pinatas and Pete – a fun evening of crafts and creativity!

Taxes and Benefits for Families
2019-01-30 17:00 - 20:00 | Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House, 800 E. Broadway , Vancouver, BC, Canada
Join Family Services of Greater Vancouver for a Taxes and Benefits for Families workshop.

We Speak Translate Webinar
2019-01-30 09:30 - 10:30, 2019-01-18 09:30 - 10:30 | Online
The We Speak Translate project is a first of its kind collaboration between Google Translate and the Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria (ICA), BC, Canada, which uses the Google Translate app to aid in refugee resettlement and newcomer inclusion in communities. The We Speak Translate project address the number on barrier to new immigrant integration – language – by re-purposing technology as a tool and symbol for welcoming communities – which value diversity and inclusion.
The project involves training community stakeholders, organizations and institutions in the Google Translate app. Upon completion of the free, 50-minute training, participants receive a We Speak Translate decal, a visible symbol of inclusion and commitment to promoting diversity and communication across language barriers. Familiarity with the Google Translate app establishes a common platform for communication while newcomers develop their English language skills.
Since the project launched in April 2017, over 2500 community members and stakeholders have received Google Translate training through the We Speak Translate project.
Google is humbled and excited to be supporting this project with the goal of helping new Canadians make the often challenging transition to life in Canada through language and engagement – Roque Silva, Interaction Designer, Google Translate
Training Goals & Benefits:

Encourage welcoming communities that value diversity, inclusion and integration.
Become familiar with the Google Translate app (free, downloadable app for smartphones and tablets).
Establish a common platform for communication with newcomers while English language skills develop.

Workshop Format:

Introduction and overview of project/objective
Google Translate training presentation
Explore the capacity of the Google Translate app
Learn how to effectively use the Google Translate app
Interact with the app

Upon completion of the training the We Speak Translate decals can be mailed to webinar participants.
We Speak Translate Training Facilitator:
Kate Longpre, M.A. is the Community Integration Coordinator at ICA. Kate works strategically across sectors to ensure that resettled refugees entering the Greater Victoria area are successfully integrated into welcoming communities. Kate approached Google Translate in September 2016 with the idea for the We Speak Translate project. In April 2017 the project launched in Victoria, BC, the first location worldwide to initiate the project.

Let's Talk about Reconciliation Film Series
2019-01-24 18:00 - 20:00 | City Centre Library, 10350 University Drive, Surrey, BC, Canada

Dads at play!
2019-01-24 18:00 - 19:00 | Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House, 800 E. Broadway , Vancouver, BC, Canada
Join Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House for Dads at play!
An evening drop-in program for dads with 0-5 years.

AMSSA Webinar: Unpacking LINC Placement, Delivery and Assessment
2019-01-15 10:00 - 11:00 | Online
This webinar will educate settlement and LINC staff on the roles of LINC assessors and the Canadian Language Benchmarks Placement Test (CLBPT) in LINC service delivery. The webinar will identify and extrapolate on the sequence of:

Placement assessment (CLBPT) in different regions
LINC classroom formative assessment
Summative assessment (PBLA) and
Official language testing for citizenship purposes.

The webinar will also distinguish the CLBPT from other IRCC testing methods including the Literacy Placement Tool Assessments (CLB-LPT, NCLC-OCA).
Event Details:
Date: Tuesday, January 15, 2019
Time: 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM (PST)
Register by clicking here. *Please note, the registration deadline is January 14, 2019.
Presenters:
Krista Walsh-Murray has been working as a project manager with the Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks (CCLB) since 2012. Primarily, she oversees the Centre’s projects related to the development and implementation of CLB assessment tools and training. These include the CLBPT, CLBPT Remote, Literacy Placement Test and Milestones test. As part of CCLB’s collaboration with The Centre for Education and Training (TCET) on the new CLBPA placement test, she is currently overseeing the reading and writing development. Krista holds a Master of Education, TESL certification and has over 10 years of experience in the fields of ESL, settlement and employment services.
Vasso Vahlas has been operating the Surrey Language Assessment Centre since 2005. She was the LINC assessor for Northern BC from 1993 until her relocation to the Lower Mainland in 2000. As a partner in Anne Jeffrey and Associates in Prince George, Vasso worked on Canadian Job Strategies projects, targeting immigrant and mainstream displaced workers and developed the curriculum for employment search programs. She also took part in the production of Detailed Training Design for underemployed immigrants in Northern BC including the designing and development of the career exploration center. She is currently serving on the Settlement Language Working Group and the City of Surrey’s immigrant and refugee advisory committees.
Marie Irving has close to two decades of teaching experience. Before moving to Vancouver Island, Marie worked at Langara College in Vancouver as an instructor in an academic English language program. After moving to the Comox Valley, she was employed as a LINC instructor at North Island College and then hired in 2017 by the Immigrant Welcome Centre in North Vancouver Island to assist in creating their first-ever, newly funded LINC offering. Marie is the LINC Coordinator and Instructor for the Comox Valley branch, Lead Teacher for the organization, a certified CLBPT Assessor, and Team Manager and Community Liaison for the Comox Valley Branch. Marie assesses approximately 30 newcomers per year.
Wes Schroeder has been an ESL instructor, coordinator and assessment specialist since 1979, having spent a number of years at the University of British Columbia English Language Institute and Vancouver Community College (VCC). He managed the first LINC assessment centre in Canada while at VCC and established Western ESL Services (LINC Assessment and Referral Centre) in 1992. Since then he has been responsible for eligibility determination, assessment and referral for approximately 200,000 LINC clients. He is certified by the CCLB as the national master and regional trainer for the CLBPT and for the speaking assessment of the Milestones Test.

BCFED Annual Labour Free Community Christmas Dinner
2018-12-24 17:00 - 20:00
When: December 4, 2018
Time: 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Where:
Maritime Labour Centre
1880 Triumph St.
Vancouver
Upper Auditorium
Whalley Legion
13525-106th Avenue
Surrey
This dinner is for those in the community who are less fortunate. They are served a full turkey dinner with all the trimmings, music, carol sing-a-longs, gifts from Santa for every child and teenager, a visit to the boutique, and a food hamper. Reservations are not necessary, so you can come anytime between 5:00 pm and 8:00 pm.
Regular transit service is available Christmas Eve, but we also provide free rides on our Santa Express – in Vancouver leaving from the Carnigie Hall. We hope you will come out and enjoy dinner and warm company on Christmas Eve. If you need a place to go, you’re definitely welcome here.
To volunteer or learn more about the event please call Marisha Zuckerman at 604-306-4156 or email at labourxmasdinner@hotmail.ca.
