Welcoming Communities and Supports for Families Michelle P. Goldberg, PhD Metropolis Brown Bag Seminar Ottawa, Ontario May 25, 2009

Outline Project Background Impacts Across Generations Supports to Families and Communities Academic supports Emotional and social Mitigating effects of poverty Building community social capital M. Goldberg 2

Project Background Settlement reality is local Commissioned by Region of Peel to inform its Peel Newcomer Strategy 5 papers Introduction (housing) Health Social capital Life cycle (early childhood – seniors) Human Capital and second generation M. Goldberg 3

Principles of Service Needs Similar to rest of population Life-course framework Barriers exist – Some have greater needs Not met by settlement sector alone - collaboration Lack of integrated & comprehensive settlement policy Available, accessible, adequate, needs-based, culturally appropriate, holistic Ethnic match Community Engagement M. Goldberg 4

Why Family Supports Migration and changes in family dynamics puts increased stress on families Pooling of labour and economic resources Success for parents translates to success for children Impact on second generation (variation) M. Goldberg 5

Second Generation Racial and country of origin differences Visible minorities often have the worst employment outcomes in Canada Blacks and black men in particular do not fare as well Any strategy designed to improve social inclusion must acknowledge the significant heterogeneity within the second generation M. Goldberg 6

Supports to Families and Communities Academic supports Emotional and social Mitigating effects of poverty Building community social capital M. Goldberg 7

A Focus on Schools Easily accessible Create welcoming society Civic engagement Community cohesion Beyond traditional notion of schooling Social service agencies Hub of community Parental involvement M. Goldberg 8

1. Academic Supports Parental involvement benefits parents Learning about education in Ontario Community & citizen engagement M. Goldberg 9

Strategies Start early Promote benefits of parent engagement Multilingual materials Philosophy of partnership Welcome newcomers Community agencies build capacity, engage, empower and motivate parents M. Goldberg 10

Promising Examples Employ bilingual and bicultural staff Multilingual materials Newcomer orientation week Peer mentors or ambassadors School board conferences Antiracism and equity policies Early Years Centres and similar services ome.htm ome.htm

2. Emotional and Social Supports Recreation programs Bring services together to meet immigrant needs One ministry to lead integration of services for children, youth and families Maintain competency in home language or culture M. Goldberg 12

Strategies and Promising Examples Funding for heritage language learning Single ministry to lead integration of services for children, youth and families Settlement services in Schools, e.g, SWISS or multicultural liaison officers Encourage, facilitate and enable the use of schools space to meet needs of community Accessible recreation M. Goldberg 13

3. Mitigating the Effects of Poverty Advocate and collaborate on regional policies and programs to ensure accessibility and adequacy of: Income supports Housing Health care Child care M. Goldberg 14

4. Building Community Social Capital Close community ties Community support plan (CLBC) Neighbourhood with social supports and stability Schools as community hubs to build connections Community use of schools Settlement as empowerment and community development M. Goldberg 15

Strategies Policy that supports schools as community hubs Inclusive education, culturally responsive curriculum Social inclusion Funding for community groups to encourage civic engagement, community capacity and social capital M. Goldberg 16

Promising Examples Australias Schools at the Centre fm?id=7824&count=1 fm?id=7824&count=1 Gathering under One Tree: In Conversation with Parents and Communities of Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Schools York University Faculty of Education and the York Region District School Board Saskatchewan Community Schools B.C. Neighbourhood Learning Project M. Goldberg 17

Summary Longer term focus on inclusion Heterogeneity within groups outcomes Help those most in need Tangible & intangible inclusion measures Collaborative Integrated Whole family M. Goldberg 18

Future Dialogue Solutions designed in consultation with newcomers and service providers Help to co-ordinate, prioritize, strategize and mobilize collaborative community action

Contact Information Michelle P. Goldberg For paper: