CICS Annual Report 2021-2022

In Conversation/Staff Highlight

10 Mitigating Barriers Mental Health Worker Alan Yim

14 Creating Dialogues

LINC Toronto Program Manager Tayebeh Shalmani

22 Expanding Further North Manager of CICS Newmarket Centre Christine Ng

28 Bringing People Together Program Director of Community Services Brian Joyce

32 A Journey of Growth Senior Program Manager Alex Heung (Effective April 2022)

How we fared in 2021-2022

About Centre for Immigrant and Community Services (CICS)

Founded in 1968, CICS is a not-for-profit organization and a registered charity that provides core settlement and integration services at eight locations across Toronto and York Region.

Our Commitment to Clients

We are committed to providing our clients with equal access to services that meet their individual needs.

Mission

To empower newcomers in settling and integrating as contributing members of Canadian society through diverse, professional and innovative services.

Vision

Fully integrated newcomers who participate in and contribute to all spheres of Canadian Society.

Core Values

CICS Annual Report 2021-2022

Editor-in-Chief and Writer: Alfred Lam

Editor: Nicole Leung

Photographers: Stephen Woo, Lily Wu

Statistics: Clement Kuo

Published in July 2022

Message from the Board Chair and Executive Director:

Joining Hands to Work Together

Through Another COVID-19 Year

As we look back on all that CICS accomplished in 2021-2022, we caught up with Board Chair Mercy Yan and Executive Director Alfred Lam to hear their perspectives on how their working relationship jointly provided the leadership that navigated CICS through another COVID-affected year.

AS THE PANDEMIC DRAGGED ON MONTH AFTER MONTH, it seemed like the world slowly went into a waiting state: waiting for restaurants to reopen so they can share a meal with friends; for borders to reopen so people can travel again; for recreational facilities to reopen so we can resume the activities that we love. The world was waiting to return to life as we knew it.

However, CICS took a different approach from day one. Alfred decided early on that CICS would not wait, simply because many of our clients had needs that could not wait.

“Life after the pandemic will not be the same as before. So rather than simply waiting to get back to doing the same things the same way as before, we made a strategic decision to aggressively revamp how we deliver services so we will emerge from the pandemic, being effective in meeting the community’s needs in the new world.”

Joining Hands

Such an ambitious approach requires strong leadership. In any organization, the relationship between the Board Chair and the Executive Director forms the foundation of its leadership culture. In many unhealthy scenarios, that relation-

ship ends up being an “arm wrestle battle” as the two players constantly try to gain the upper hand in a power struggle.

Fortunately, CICS is blessed with a highly effective Board of Directors. So rather than an arm wrestle, Mercy sees her role as joining hands with Alfred to achieve CICS’ mission, which is to empower newcomers in settling and integrating as contributing members of Canadian society through diverse, professional and innovative services.

“From the Board’s perspective, we have a lot of trust in Alfred being our Executive Director. Through the pandemic, he led our staff to ensure that services to the community remained the same. New services such as our seniors’ meals delivery program greatly enhanced our brand and reputation,” Mercy says.

“I consider it part of our board’s responsibility to build governance infrastructure to fully support Alfred’s vision of growth for CICS. So this year, we have enhanced our risk management strategy to align and monitor the implementation of our strategic plan. We are also ready to support Alfred as he leads us to develop our new strategic plan.”

Alfred shares a similar vision of how that relationship works. “My position as the Executive Director demands equal parts of daily operational management and long-term strategic leadership. Our board members are all experienced leaders in their own fields. Starting with Mercy, they are all very supportive of taking a long-range view of putting CICS on a strong footing to grow after the pandemic.”

A Hybrid Service Delivery Model

“CICS has always been well known for providing our clients with the personal touch in our services,” Alfred says. “But there was always a tension between being able to do that and at the same time being able to serve many people.”

When COVID-19 shut down in-person services, it provided CICS with the impetus to try and resolve that tension. “We asked, rather than looking at online or remote services being a limitation or a drawback, how can we take advantage of this opportunity to learn and provide the CICS personal touch to a great number of people at the same time?”

“For example, we realized that through our work on various social media platforms, we are interacting with thousands of clients every day. Some of them have questions that do not require a full-length, sit-down appointment with a staff

member, which often takes weeks to schedule. So, on various social media platforms like WeChat, our clients can post a question to us, and we can answer right away, and at the same time, other clients with similar concerns can chime in and learn from the exchange.”

Alfred sees a hybrid service delivery as the way of the future, rather than a temporary or a “necessary evil” because of the pandemic.

“CICS made a strategic decision to invest in agency-wide staff training and technical resources to make our online service delivery as accessible and seamless as possible. We also built professional quality ‘broadcast studios’ in multiple locations and invested in developing a Virtual Service Location that is set to be launched soon.”

Resource development is a crucial part of any strategic plan, and Mercy reflects on efforts in the past year to build a stronger fundraising base.

“The CICS Board reached an understanding with our sister organization, the CICS Foundation, to strengthen and expand our fundraising efforts. We hope to raise new funds to support much-needed areas that are not funded by our government funders, such as support for international students. Of course, to that end, we need to thank our many sponsors and our government funders for their continued support to CICS.”

Care for Staff

During the pandemic, everyone is under a tremendous amount of stress. CICS made sure our staff found empathy, compassion, trust and respect in how they were treated at work. “We exist in this business to help people, to be good to people. This means we start with treating our staff well,” Alfred says. “I am a firm believer that staff who are valued, respected, and treated well will naturally treat our clients the same way.”

CICS carried out this commitment by granting requests for different work arrangements, having a compassionate sick leave policy, and involving our staff in discussions on what our in-person return to work plan will ultimately look like.

COVID-19 has changed the world. Regardless of how different the post-pandemic world will become, our unwavering commitment to innovation, to put our clients first, to treat our staff well will continue to put us in good stead. ◆

CICS made a strategic decision to invest in agency-wide staff training and technical resources to make our online service delivery as accessible and seamless as possible.

Board of Directors

Irene Guo Director

Glendy Sze Director

Mercy Yan Chair

Julie Scott Vice-Chair and Treasurer

Jeremy Mullin Secretary

Joshua Chan Director

William Chu Kwan Director

Hisham Ghostine Director

Berta Zaccardi Director

Client and Social Media Statistics

Native Language

Gender Age

Social Media Reach

Total Views 2021-2022

Compared with 2020-2021...

Settlement and Integration Services (SIS) WeChat Account: cicssettlement

90%

Total Views

Total Followers

95%

Total Followers

As of March 2021: 1,856

As of March 2022: 3,615

Settlement Services

Weaving Stories Together to Build Communities

For the last two “pandemic years,” when society went through different stages of lockdown, the work at CICS never stopped. Newcomers were still coming into the country, albeit in lower numbers. Those who had arrived before the pandemic were still in the initial stages of trying to settle in this new country, and they needed services to help them navigate. Their challenges were amplified with various government offices and agencies closing their doors to in-person traffic.

Desperate for help, clients began calling CICS in droves. During the early stages of the pandemic, we shifted almost 100% of our services to be delivered online, and as the community began to reopen, we returned services from online to in-person, in pace with what public health guidelines allowed.

One thing we observed was that whether we were online or in-person, our clients managed to find us. When social media was proliferated with sometimes conflicting news about the pandemic, CICS became a source of reliable information in the media and community at large. Last year, our team at the Settlement and Integration Services (SIS) in Toronto published over 200 information articles, while our York Region Settlement team enjoyed a regular presence

on both Chinese and Tamil radio and television. Our goal was to ensure that our clients received timely and helpful information needed for their settlement process.

At the same time, our Settlement Education Partnership Toronto (SEPT) program continued to offer guidance to newcomer students and their families. Its Newcomers

Orientation Week (NOW) program helped introduce new students to the Canadian education system. SEPT hosted seasonal activities like the Winterfest (where participants enjoyed fun outdoor activities and learned how to prepare for a Canadian winter) as well as a regular lineup of programs in academics, student mentoring, employment support, diversity promotion and anti-racism campaigns.

We conducted six focus groups for parents and one for youth to get their feedback on the services we provided, and the parent groups expressed that they received accurate and most updated information, which helped them access and navigate resources. There is a sense of comfort and security knowing that a settlement worker who speaks their native language is always readily available to support them with their needs.

There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach to settlement services. Every client has their own unique story. Our job is to listen to them and offer information, services and referrals tailored to their needs. As a result, every day, we have the privilege of hearing inspiring stories of how our clients overcame incredible barriers to come to Canada and their determination to build their new lives here. ◆

When social media was proliferated with sometimes conflicting news about the pandemic, CICS became a source of reliable information in the media and community at large.

Client Story: Neeli Kella and Bhaskar Kumar

One of the most rewarding experiences for our staff at CICS is not only providing services to individuals, but seeing different members of the family accessing services that speak to their unique needs and, as a result, helping the family come together. That is the story of Neeli and Bhaskar, a mother and son who came to CICS.

Originally from Pakistan, Neeli and her family came to Canada and initially lived in Windsor, where Neeli and her husband attended university. After her husband was offered a job in Toronto, the family moved again, settling in Markham. With her husband working and her children attending school during the day, Neeli found herself all alone, and the loneliness affected her mental health. “We had no friends, and I was isolated with nothing to do, and being all alone made me depressed.”

Fortunately, her neighbour told her about CICS’ Markham South Welcome Centre (MSWC), and Neeli decided to walk in and was immediately impressed with the range of services available. She wanted to join everything, from computer programming and English classes to employment skills programs. “The classes were very, very useful, and I really liked them. It was an amazing experience for me.”

Before coming to Canada, Bhaskar experienced racial and religious discrimination growing up simply because he and his family were part of a minority ethnic group in their home country. This hardship has made him appreciate the diversity that is part of the Canadian culture, in which people can experience different cultures. “Canada is a diverse place with people calling it their home from all over the world.”

As much as Neeli enjoyed the services, it was the relationships she cultivated through the women’s support group that she treasured the most. She participated in activities that promoted wellness and recreation, such as baking classes, yoga and meditation. Through the process, she became part of a circle of friends and a support network.

When Neeli’s son Bhaskar started high school and discovered he needed 40 community volunteer hours as part of the graduation requirement, Neeli knew exactly where he could get help — she sent him to the Immigrant Youth Centre (IYC). And like his mother who found a home at the MSWC, Bhaskar fit right in at the IYC.

Bhaskar quickly got involved in a wide range of activities at the IYC, like the homework club, the gardening program and an art program where youth created canvas paintings as Christmas gifts to seniors, but just like his mom, it was the personal connection he valued the most. “I got to know other people, as well as make connections with the staff while I explore different volunteering opportunities.”

At CICS, our clients are always our best advocates. Neeli enjoyed her experiences at MSWC so much that she has been promoting our services to other newcomers. “I would definitely recommend CICS to others. If anyone asks me, I say to them ‘go to the Welcome Centre. You will learn many things. They help a lot.’” ◆

My Canada, My Home

In 2021, we produced a series of three digital books featuring 45 encouraging and uplifting stories from our seniors, women, and youth newcomer clients. Each story was written with a dash of sorrow, a sprinkle of sweetness, and a tear of joy. The books were designed also as references to useful community resources, and over 2,700 clients ended up receiving the books.

Go to the Welcome Centre. You will learn many things. They help a lot.

In Conversation

In the midst of COVID-19, Mental Health Worker Alan Yim, EdD, and his teammates are stepping up to reach more members of the community in need of mental health services.

Mitigating Barriers

From your experience, how has COVID-19 exacerbated the mental health problems of newcomers?

The inequitable outcomes of how COVID-19 affected marginalized populations are evident. Newcomers are already experiencing feelings of isolation, loneliness, and alienation due to cultural and environmental barriers that always remind them that they are the “other,” and the pandemic exacerbated those emotions with policies like self-quarantine and social distancing.

How difficult is it for newcomers to access mental health services in the GTA?

There is a lack of culturally or linguistically specific mental health services that could be relevant to newcomers. The long wait list and barriers in navigating mental health services are also prominent barriers. Many newcomers found it frustrating being tossed from one service to another due to “ineligibility” and long wait times of up to one year for mental health services.

The pandemic has worsened these challenges where the lockdown of services meant wait time was even longer, and clients had to face multiple rejections before accessing appropriate mental health services.

How is CICS helping to bridge this gap?

CICS’ mental health service is specifically designed to mitigate the barriers newcomers face when accessing mainstream or community mental health services. While there are a plethora of organizations that provide clinical or therapeutic mental health services, CICS understands the unique barriers that newcomers face, such as the language and cultural barrier, system navigation, access and knowledge of resources, and the diverse cultural or contextual understanding of mental health and well-being.

Our service is there to mitigate the gaps that other mental health services often cannot address and provide short-term interventions for clients experiencing distress during their settlement journey. Our goal is to connect them with other community resources if the clients deem appropriate while promoting mental well-being and support.

What sets CICS’ mental health service apart?

We can provide timely and responsive support to clients. In general, we can return clients’ phone inquiries within one

day. There is no waitlist for our short-term case management and supportive counselling services.

In addition, our door is open to clients from all backgrounds and walks of life. Our preference is to support clients eligible for settlement services funded by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). However, we welcome non-IRCC clients to approach us for support if necessary. Our Wellness Chat service and many webinars are open to all.

Please describe your team’s collaboration with other programs at CICS and external partners.

In the past year, we joined forces with our core settlement services such as the employment, settlement, language training, youth and school settlement programs. We also tailored our workshops and streamlined our services to better respond to the unique needs of the diverse clientele we serve when collaborating with these teams.

We also dedicated effort to supporting our own staff’s well-being, as we cannot pour from an empty cup. Compassion fatigue and the pandemic have affected many of our own staff. Thus we organized training to increase our staff’s psychological flexibility and address these mental health struggles while exploring alternative destressing methods such as Zendoodle.

Externally, we collaborated with various community organizations such as the Hong Fook Mental Health Association, the Connecting Women with Scarborough Services (CWSS) and the Catholic Crosscultural Services (CCS) to provide diverse programming that features different voices and expertise from our community partners.

How can policymakers better support immigrants’ rights to mental health treatment?

Policymakers should increase funding and service capacity, remove eligibility and stringent criteria for mental health programs and services, and develop and train more mental health professionals from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

There should also be a shift from a biomedical model of “fixing mental health problems” to create inclusive environments that value individuals and community well-being. ◆

Our service is there to mitigate the gaps that other mental health services often cannot address and provide short-term interventions for clients experiencing distress during their settlement journey.

Language Training Services

Turning Classrooms into Networks of Friendship

Our Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) program does much more than just teaching English. Our classes become communities where newcomers meet new friends and build their social networks. As newcomers come into our locations to attend classes, they learn about all the other programs and services available for them. For many students, our instructors become their de facto settlement counsellors as they help answer questions about living in Canada and refer them to access our other services.

The pandemic forced us to move our classes online. A lot of our students expressed concerns because they lacked the devices and the “know-how” to attend online classes. Following CICS’ “no one left behind” culture, a tremendous amount of effort and resources were mobilized to ensure all students had access to devices and the necessary training to receive virtual language learning.

As a result, despite the challenges presented by COVID-19, our program enrolment and attendance rates reached an all-time high. The process of changing our delivery modalities gave us opportunities to become much more flexible with the program, to the extent that our flexible and accessible service delivery became our strength.

Our part-time and full-time classes of various levels are available during the day, evenings and on Saturdays. Also, with the way our online classes have been set up (a combination of synchronous and asynchronous instruction), we have been able to offer more flexibility to clients to access language learning.

For a program that depended heavily on the benefits of in-person interactions between students and instructors and the sense of community within the classroom, the pandemic forced us to be nimble and flexible in overcoming challenges and achieving our goals. With the time and resources invested in offering language learning online, we are confident in our ability to stay current in this constantly evolving world of work and learning. ◆

Grand Opening of Relocated Woodside Square LINC Centre

With the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, CICS celebrated the opening of its Woodside office in Scarborough in March 2022, as an important step toward fully resuming the agency’s in-person services.

The centre is now relocated from the second floor of the shopping mall to the first floor near the entrance, enhancing the visibility and accessibility of the location. The new site features three language classrooms, a childminding room and a settlement services counselling room.

Despite the challenges presented by COVID-19, our program enrolment and attendance rates reached an all-time high.

Client Story: Angela Wu

For a newcomer, finding someone they can trust is often the most important first step toward their integration journey. The harsh reality is that there are those who prey on newcomers and target them with scams that end up costing thousands of dollars. That was one of Angela’s first experiences upon arriving in Canada.

When Angela first came to Canada, she was desperate to find work quickly. So she entrusted her private information to someone who supposedly would get her a job. It turned out to be a scam, and Angela lost a large sum of money while the promised “job” never materialized.

From the moment Angela sat down with a CICS staff, she realized she had finally found a place where she could trust the people to help her without her needing to spend any money.

“When I told the settlement counsellor about my hardships, I cried. It was too difficult for me.”

She was reassured she no longer had to be afraid, that CICS was here to help her with her journey to build a new life in Canada. “I was here in Canada all by myself, and I had no one to turn to after I was scammed of so much money. CICS became like a family to me, where I knew I could always turn to for help.”

She started volunteering at a school and eventually found a job. However, she didn’t know how to file her income taxes, so she had to pay someone to do it for her.

In fact, whenever Angela ran into something that she didn’t know how to handle, she always ended up paying someone to do it. For a newcomer with a modest income, this was creating a lot of financial stress for her.

She met other newcomers who had spent hundreds of dollars in order to find someone to help them with routine tasks like renewing their permanent resident (PR) cards. Just when her PR card was up for renewal, and she was preparing to spend money again, someone introduced CICS to her.

Care for Children While Parents Learn

When she started attending CICS’ LINC classes, she quickly discovered that the staff and teachers were there to do more than teach English. Even during the pandemic, her teachers made sure she had the necessary skills to participate in the online lessons. When she was anxious about the pandemic, they even referred her to the service of our mental health worker.

These days, Angela has become like a mentor to other newcomers in her class. “I tell them I am an ‘older immigrant’ so they can ask me if they have any questions. Our LINC class has become a platform where we can mutually help each other.” ◆

Our Care for Newcomer Children (CNC) services make it possible for newcomers with pre-school-aged children to attend English classes while we look after their children. We knew that the isolation from the lockdown would have a negative impact on children, so we used the same online technologies to offer our CNC programs to the children. All online activities were carefully planned to meet the children’s cognitive, language and communication, physical, mental, social and emotional development needs.

Children were having fun during the Grand Opening of CICS’ Woodside office

CICS became like a family to me, where I knew I could always turn to for help.

LINC Toronto Program Manager

Tayebeh Shalmani applies her research on second language pedagogy in her work as a language trainer at CICS. She is also active in the language teaching community, serving as Co-Chair of the TESL Ontario (Teachers of English as a Second Language Association of Ontario) conference in 2021 and Chair in 2022.

How has the landscape for newcomer language learning evolved over the last two years? What are the new challenges for language learners?

In general, newcomer language learning and teaching have undoubtedly seen paradigmatic shifts over the past two years due to the pandemic. In addition to linguistic barriers, some newcomer language learners have been facing new challenges in accessing services caused by a lack of digital literacy skills.

The language needs of new immigrants and refugees have always been unique depending on their previous backgrounds and circumstances, with needs ranging from basic literacy skills to language for career development and further education.

As Canada continues to welcome these future and potential language learners, it is important for us to become familiar with the unique needs of specific groups of newcomers and plan and adjust program delivery accordingly.

What makes CICS’ language training program unique?

We are able to provide a one-stop-shop for settlement services to our clients. Toronto LINC has always worked closely with our Settlement and Integration Services (SIS) and Settlement and Education Partnerships in Toronto (SEPT) teams and, more recently, our mental health service to fill service gaps for LINC students by offering a variety of workshops and one-on-one support services.

Prime examples of such client-need-driven internal collaborations include online technology and mental health workshops over the past two years, as well as conversation circles during the summer when LINC classes are closed.

What kind of challenges is CICS’ LINC program currently facing? What are the reasons?

The unexpected shift to online program delivery has definitely been a challenge, and some students still face technology-related barriers. We continue to provide additional orientation and support to clients to assist them with accessing online classes and be creative in our staffing efforts to enhance technical support. In addition, we have increasd our promotional and outreach efforts to reach more people in the community.

We are aware that newcomers who wish to attend language courses often face multiple barriers, such as family and job commitments. Therefore, we strive to provide flexibility in our programming, especially during the past two years.

How has your experience with the TESL Ontario conferences helped with your work at CICS?

Being part of the TESL Ontario community and specifically helping with organizing the annual TESL Ontario Conference has been a great opportunity to give back to the field and connect with like-minded individuals who value continuous learning and professional development. Serving as the TESL Ontario Conference Chair has allowed me to continue to develop a strong professional identity and enhance my confidence in working with ESL educators.

What sort of research have you been focused on in your work?

My research has been mainly focused on second language pedagogy as well as teacher training and professional development. I have always been interested in exploring and deeply understanding learner motivation and participation (or the lack thereof) and how our classroom practices can enhance or hinder participation for adult language learners.

I believe in the power of continuous self-reflection for teachers and encourage a classroom environment where we move from teaching points to learning opportunities. In my work with ESL educators, including LINC instructors at CICS, my goal is to create a safe environment where we can have ongoing dialogues around how to teach a second language best, informed by how students learn it best.

What is your vision for the future, and how do you apply that to your work at CICS?

Language service providers will be able to adapt programming to serve specific client needs and maximize learning outcomes. Being able to confidently communicate in the target language (English in our context) is undoubtedly key to the successful settlement of newcomers in Canada. As language educators, we play a vital role in this settlement journey and in helping new Canadians build a strong sense of belonging and identity in their new home. ◆

My goal is to create a safe environment where we can have ongoing dialogues around how to teach a second language best, informed by how students learn it best.

Early Years Services

Our Love for Our Children Brings Us Together

Ask any parent with young children about things that concern them about their kids. Chances are, “too much screen time” is among the top answers. Research before the pandemic showed that, on average, a five-year-old spends nearly three hours daily on digital devices. The pandemic has only exacerbated the problem, with online classes increasing screentime and various lockdowns eliminating many options for activities.

Our Early Years services had to rise to the challenge of providing programs and services to children and their parents when both were experiencing screen fatigue. Our online programs reached far beyond the Greater Toronto Area and regularly served out-oftown parents and children from as far as Ottawa. When COVID-19 restrictions started to lift in the summer of 2021, we began delivering in-person summer camps and parenting workshops. Although many restrictions were still in place then, our dedicated staff did their best to ensure a safe and clean environment for our campers and parents.

At a time when there was much uncertainty about what attending school would look like in the fall, our in-person summer camp gave parents a rare opportunity for a “dress rehearsal” to prepare themselves and their children to re-

turn to school in-person. It became a precious learning experience for parents sending their kids to school for the first time. Starting in July, in anticipation of the return of in-person learning in schools, our staff began a hybrid mode of program delivery, with some parents and children joining us in person while others remained online.

After the summer, we reopened our EarlyON program in September to let families and children connect in-person. We consistently had a full house during this one-sessiona-week pre-registered program. While physical distancing restrictions were in place, children and parents enjoyed the group games, such as chasing after bubbles, playing parachute games, mini-Olympics, and many other fun activities in the gym.

Throughout another challenging year of living with COVID-19, our resilient team has continued to be adaptable and flexible in delivering programs to families navigating through the pandemic. ◆

Our online programs reached far beyond the Greater Toronto Area and regularly served out-of-town parents and children from as far as Ottawa.

Drop-In Program

Summer Camp

Client Story: Jackie Guo

Jackie and her two young daughters Berry and Terry have all participated in CICS’ Early Years activities, including the Parent Smart and Student Smart programs, in-person summer camps and parenting workshops. As a working mother, Jackie has to juggle multiple responsibilities and was once struggling in communicating with her daughters. It was at CICS that she could find support to overcome challenges.

What did you and your children enjoy most about CICS’ activities?

The Student Smart program was very structured and organized so the children could learn what it would be like when they attend school. It was not just about dropping them off for a couple of hours so they could play by themselves. The teacher spent time with each child, observing their growth. That’s why myself and the other parents are so appreciative of the program. Originally Berry was quite scared of the teacher because she felt the teacher was very strict. But now, every time we pass by CICS, Berry would talk about her teacher and how much she likes her!

How did the early years program help you as a mother?

What expectations did you have when you signed up for CICS’ early years program?

After Berry, my older daughter, turned three, a fellow mom told me about CICS’ school readiness program called Student Smart that was designed so that children could experience what kindergarten would be like, with snack time, playtime and circle time, among others. I was looking for exactly a program like that so Berry could get used to being separated from me for a few hours every day to prepare her for school.

From your experience, what sets CICS’ early years program apart?

I was very impressed by the quality of the curriculum and how all the CICS staff took the time to get to know each child and their tendencies and communicated with the parents, so we know what we need to focus on. They took the time to speak with each mom about our children, answering every one of our concerns, even little things like how we should pack the snacks for our children or some of our bigger worries like our children not being able to communicate in English. They made the effort to speak with us and put our minds at ease.

I appreciated the fact that while my daughter attended Student Smart, at the same time, I could join the Parent Smart program. It is so hard being a full-time working mother. At times I feel so lost when it comes to teaching my young children. Fortunately, the instructor for the Parent Smart program was able to answer every one of our questions and concerns. The program also provided us as parents an opportunity to communicate with one another and share our experiences in raising children.

Many think of early years programs as childcare services, but you have told us the benefits go far beyond that.

CICS’ program helped me improve my relationship with my kids and taught me how to communicate with them. When my children misbehave, the lessons I learned in the program help me look at their behaviour from another perspective to understand why they are behaving that way rather than simply demanding obedience from them. I truly hope to see these programs being promoted far and wide, so more working mothers and their children can benefit!

CICS’ program helped me improve my relationship with my kids and taught me how to communicate with them.

Children and Youth Services

Giving Voice to Our Youth

Years ago, doing youth work simply meant “teaching” youth what we know: homework completion, basketball skills, university application and so forth. That unidirectional approach to youth programming is long behind us. Instead, our Toronto and York Region youth teams create programs that impart youth with knowledge and skills, create spaces for them to explore their potential and grow as leaders, and give them opportunities to voice their ideas, and in the process, for us to learn from them.

In 2021-2022, we offered a full spectrum of programs focused on developing academic skills, creating social connections, building resilience, improving job readiness, and promoting mental and physical health for youth.

However, when it comes to our work with youth, we do not measure our success only by the numbers we hit or the variety of programs we offer. More importantly, we evaluate ourselves by asking whether we are providing a safe space for youth to explore who they are and express what they think and how they feel. This is especially important as approximately 17% of our youth clients in Toronto are considered “vulnerable,” which means they are often marginalized, and their voices often go unheard.

That is why on top of all the creative and innovative programs and how popular they proved to be among our youth clients, we are even more proud of the fact that our youths contributed to a study by Dr. Susan Chuang of the University of Guelph on race, gender, diversity and newcomer youths’ experiences of racism.

We also took part in the conversation to provide insights for Senator Rosemary Moodie for her address on the proposed Bill S-210, which deals with limiting young people’s access to online pornography. That bill is currently moving through the Senate.

As a settlement agency that empowers newcomers’ integration into Canadian society, we believe that a key component that contributes to a person feeling settled and integrated into a community is knowing that their voice matters, and the community values and hears what they have to say. Nowhere is this more important than when we work with vulnerable and marginalized youth. When we take the time to hear their voice, we discover that there is much we can learn from them.

As an old Chinese saying goes, when you walk amongst three people, one of them is bound to have something to teach you. Our work has taught us that when we find that person who has something to teach us, a lot of times, they are a lot younger than we expected. ◆

Approximately 17% of our youth clients in Toronto are considered “vulnerable,” which means they are often marginalized, and their voices often go unheard.

Toronto Youth Team Field Trip

Client Story: William Wu

In our line of work, few things are more satisfying than helping newcomers settle and find their new lives in Canada, then seeing them give back to the community to help those who come after them: sharing their experiences and showing the way to make an easier transition. William, one of our clients at the Immigrant Youth Centre (IYC), is such a person.

William first crossed paths with IYC when he was in grade 5, joining our Homework Club and French Club to help with his academics. And, in a move that would shape his future career plans, he joined IYC’s Scratch Camp. (Scratch is a popular coding community for children. It is also a coding language that allows young people to create digital stories, games, and animations.) “I believe the scratch camp is what opened the door to computer science for me. I was fascinated by the different animations I was able to create, and from there, I made up my mind to pursue an undergraduate degree in computer science.”

William developed an ambitious vision that would combine his interest in computer science with his desire to give back to the community to help others, but more on that later.

While COVID-19 affected our entire community, as a young Chinese student blossoming into a community leader, William saw the pandemic through his own lens. He saw the racially motivated attacks on Asians as some blame the pandemic on that community. He saw how fear for their own safety began to cause more and more

Fast forward seven years from the day when a young William first set foot in IYC, he is now in grade 12 and quickly developing as a leader. He became the president of IYC’s iCAN Youth Council. As president, William leads the team to provide newcomer youths with a community that helps them navigate the school system, make friends, and encourage one another as they face their own challenges on their settlement journeys.

William is motivated to provide for others what he benefited from when he first joined IYC. “To me, IYC is always a safe harbour. Here, I know I have access to plentiful resources and professional support.”

Chinese immigrants to withdraw from going out and end up being further isolated. So he decided to take leadership to make a difference in his school by working with the IYC to plan and host an Asian Heritage Month event in collaboration with the York Region District School Board to help combat hate.

Looking ahead, William has big plans as he prepares to enter the University of Toronto to study computer science. When William attended IYC’s Scratch Camp in grade 5, a seed for a dream was planted. He dreamed of developing his skills in Artificial Intelligence (AI) to benefit the newcomer communities. Now it is time for that seed to blossom and grow. William is interested in pursuing studies and research to better enable AI voice technologies to recognize and work with people who speak English with an accent.

“I experienced discrimination over my accent, so I felt it would be my duty to prevent others from being laughed upon when the AI fails to recognize their pronunciation. With my computer science skills, I intend to develop and train AI’s voice assistant to understand accented or dialectical English.” He plans on developing an algorithm to compare the input with the “textbook” pronunciation and let the AI learn the patterns for better accuracy and efficiency.

It is amazing to see a seed planted years ago to take root and grow to become a vision and a dream to build community and help people. We cannot wait to see where that dream will take William as he continues to grow in stature and influence! ◆

To me, IYC is always a safe harbour. Here, I know I have access to plentiful resources and professional support.

Women and Seniors Services

Creating Support and Unleashing Their Potential

One unexpected impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was the dramatic rise in domestic violence as abusers and their victims are “trapped” at home. In a study on how the pandemic has affected victims of domestic violence, it was revealed how public health restrictions became a perfect recipe for increased intimate partner violence. Women At The Centre, a Toronto-based group serving domestic violence victims, reported a staggering 9,000% increase in calls for help by the end of December 2021, many of them involving serious injuries.

Seniors proved to be another vulnerable group that was severely affected by the pandemic. Our highly acclaimed seniors meals delivery project ended in June of 2021 at the conclusion of its funding. But our community services staff, as well as the Toronto and York Region settlement teams,

In keeping with the needs in the community, we increased our services to women focusing on what to do when they encounter violence at home, what their rights are and how to protect themselves.

We also saw an increase in our women clients beyond the Chinese community. For example, the number of Farsi-speaking women accessing our services went up 300%. We provided close to 30 Farsi-speaking workshops and programs for women, serving approximately 561 Farsi-speaking female clients.

Overall, we delivered a whole spectrum of women-focused programs and activities, ranging from self-employment workshops, parent support groups, basic computer skills lessons to information sessions on becoming licensed home child care providers. The goal is to empower newcomer women to become physically and mentally healthy, self-confident, relationally competent and financially independent.

continued to provide much-needed virtual activities to help seniors stay in touch with us, make new friends and learn about community resources available to them.

These programs included English lessons, social clubs, festival celebrations, exercise classes and information sessions on topics including senior benefits, health benefits, will and estate planning. The settlement team in Toronto even organized virtual visits to the Toronto Public Libraries.

The past two years taught us not to assume seniors cannot learn new technologies. Our senior clients love learning how to access information and resources online, connect with us and each other virtually, and, as a result, have remained active even through the lockdown periods. As the country slowly recovers from the pandemic and we look forward to seeing our senior clients in person again, the digital skills they have acquired will continue to be valuable in allowing them to connect with the world. ◆

We saw an increase in our women clients beyond the Chinese community.

Client Story: Jane Anyaehie

Often we hear stories about highly qualified professionals having trouble finding employment in their fields after coming to Canada and end up working at survival jobs. Other times, we hear newcomers end up in another line of work after coming to Canada because in hitting the “restart” key in life, they have found a totally different career that they love. This is the story of Jane, a client-turned-staff member of the CICS Family.

Jane came to Canada from Nigeria, where she had worked as a corporate lawyer for over ten years. After arriving in Canada, Jane encountered many of the common struggles newcomers faced in their early days in the country: trouble adapting to the climate, “sticker shock” of how much childcare costs, feeling isolated and lonely, and having difficulty finding suitable housing.

Jane and her family discovered first-hand how challenging it could be for newcomer families to lease an apartment in Toronto. “We were refused rental for reasons, including unemployment and the age of my son, who was 18 months at that time. We ended up staying in three different Airbnb accommodations for over two weeks in Toronto until we finally found a landlord willing to lease us. It was a relief to be over the emotional and physical stress of searching for permanent accommodation.”

With her family’s housing needs solved, Jane quickly searched for services that would help them start their new lives in Canada. Her search led her to the CICS, where she became a client at our Markham South Welcome Centre (MSWC)

At MSWC, she received a number of services such as settlement counselling, employment support, accreditation and qualification information services as well as specialized services for newcomer women. While these programs helped her get started in her journey of integration, it was the work of one of CICS’ settlement counsellors that guided her toward her new life.

Like many foreign-trained professionals, Jane discovered it would be a long process for her to resume her career as a lawyer in Canada. While Jane was willing to explore other

career options, she was uncertain what she could do. During a conversation with the settlement counsellor, she was encouraged to consider her passion and lived experiences in looking for a suitable new career.

Jane was touched by the empathy shown to her by everyone she met at CICS and our vision for helping people in the community. It was then she decided to pursue a career in social work, using her own journey as a newcomer to provide guidance and encouragement to other newcomers. She enrolled in the Social Service Worker program at Seneca College, and had an opportunity to perform her study placement at the MSWC. Like a fitting end to a perfect script, she came full circle when she was hired as a staff in our employment support program!

“For me, CICS is a family. The people that I met made me feel really welcomed. They showed me the empathy that I needed at that time. I wasn’t treated like just a client. When I realized that I was passionate about social work, I went to school, I finished school, and there was an opportunity here. I was very, very happy to come back to CICS to work as a staff and keep helping all the people.” ◆

The people that I met at CICS made me feel really welcome. They showed me the empathy that I needed at that time. I wasn’t treated like just a client.

The CICS Newmarket Centre, our eighth and newest location, started operating in December 2021. Centre manager Christine Ng, who also manages the settlement program in York Region, envisions the centre will become a second home to the newcomer women, youth and seniors settling further north.

Why and how did CICS expand into Newmarket?

Immigrant women have been one of the priority groups for CICS for years. In particular, our Immigrant Women Resource Centre (IWRC) was home to a wide variety of programs and services, providing wrap-around, holistic support for newcomer women.

Over the years, we have noticed that more and more of our women clients live further north in Aurora and Newmarket. The York Region District School Board (YRDSB) has also indicated that many newcomer families move to northern York Region, but there is a lack of services to support them. We are mandated to offer services for newcomer women, youth and seniors at the Newmarket Welcome Centre, but the space issue has limited our program development.

In 2020, the owner of a commercial plaza in Newmarket approached us. One of his staff was a CICS client and was very impressed with the services that we provide to the community. To support our work, the owner offered to let us lease one of his units in the plaza near Yonge Street and Mulock Drive at a significantly reduced rent for two years. The new unit is double the size of the IWRC.

At CICS Newmarket Centre, we continue our services for newcomer women, youth and seniors at Newmarket Welcome Centre, and at the same time, utilize the new space to enhance our capacity in service delivery and maximize our potential in programming for these priority populations.

How has the immigrant landscape in the Newmarket-Aurora area evolved over the last decade?

Newmarket has seen a population growth of 10% since 2011. Looking into the distribution of recent immigrants within York Region, there is a notable 28.44% increase in the number of recent immigrants settling in the Newmarket-Aurora region between 2006 and 2016. As of 2016, there are over 4,000 immigrants in the area, leading to a gap in the services available in the northern part of York Region.

How has COVID-19 propelled and shaped the direction of your team's work?

Due to the pandemic, the centre has to operate in limited capacity. Nevertheless, we still delivered some in-person

programs and services within a limited time to meet the needs of our clients living in that area. These activities included Christmas celebrations and social events geared toward youth, seniors and Farsi-speaking families.

The pandemic has made us provide virtual options for service delivery. Now it is more convenient for our clients to access our services. In particular, many isolated and home-bound seniors and women with child care issues can connect with us from their homes.

How do you reach community members who are not yet part of the CICS network of clients?

During the closure of the centre in January and February 2022, we organized a virtual focus group with seniors living in Newmarket to learn about their needs, which would give us ideas for program and service planning.

We are actively extending our network, having built partnerships with various community stakeholders in the region, such as the YRDSB and its high schools, the Town of Newmarket, the Town of Aurora, Rose of Sharon and ACCES Employment. We have also established a referral system with the Newmarket Welcome Centre to connect clients with more settlement services and programs under the Welcome Centre system.

At the same time, we rely on various social media platforms such as Facebook, WeChat and Instagram to promote our programs and services.

What is your vision for the Newmarket Centre?

I envision the future of the Newmarket Centre as a “sanctuary” or second home to newcomer women, seniors and youth. The centre will become a place for them to learn, grow and develop a greater social network to enhance their lives and serve as beacons for community engagement.

Employment Services

Building Bridges that Lead to the Future

Bridges are built to connect. They bring together people from two different areas who are otherwise isolated from each other. Community building is the heartbeat that drives all that CICS does. We help build communities that are healthy, welcoming, embracing and empowering all to succeed. Facilitating the connection between people is the core activity that turns isolated individuals into a community.

That is the role of our employment support programs. We connect newcomers who need work with employers looking for talent.

Building Connections empowers participants who are on social assistance with skills and networking to be employed in the food and beauty industries.

Career Advancement targets those on social assistance and have previous experience in the food and hospitality business and are looking to advance their careers when they re-join the workforce.

S.M.A.R.T. is a new service launched during the pandemic, specifically offering life skills and mental wellness training together with employable skills.

As Canada emerges from the pandemic, economists have observed that higher-income earners with the ability and options to continue working from home during the lockdown follow an upward trending recovery and come out relatively unscathed. In contrast, others in the population continue to struggle, and their post-pandemic prospects dwindle. This is where CICS comes in to help.

Our employment programs and services are well-positioned to respond to and serve the most marginalized in the post-pandemic environment. We operate four distinct employment support programs:

S.O.A.R. offers training in office administration and job search skills to low-income earning women in York Region. Participants receive coaching in writing job applications and preparing for interviews. Then they are placed with our business partners to gain hands-on working experience. ◆

Sushi Making Workshop

Information Hub for Hong Kong Newcomers

To help Hong Kong newcomer families integrate into Canada, the Employment team collaborated with the Toronto and York Region settlement teams to launch a Facebook page (@CICSBroC) in February 2022. The page publishes articles written in conversational Cantonese on settlement issues, job-searching skills and mental wellness tips, among others. The person behind this project is Employment Counsellor Angie Li, a recent immigrant from Hong Kong determined to help those who come after her.

Our employment programs and services are well-positioned to respond to and serve the most marginalized in the post-pandemic environment.

Client Story: Mary Lok

For most newcomers to Canada, it is hard to resist evaluating their experiences here by comparing everything against the way things were back in their former countries: housing prices, childcare costs, the weather, and many others. However, newcomer Mary has a different approach: “Don’t look back. You have to look forward in order to grab all the opportunities here.”

Mary came to Canada with her family in October 2021 under the permanent residence pathways for Hong Kong residents. She was a lawyer in Hong Kong, then became a full-time mother for ten years. With two young children to look after and virtually no contact in the Canadian labour market, she was unsure of her options and if she wanted to re-enter the workforce. After doing research on what employment support services were available to help newcomers, she found CICS and signed up for the S.O.A.R. program, looking to gain some experience working in Canada.

“I feel the S.O.A.R. program is an excellent all-around program. I appreciate that it not only taught us the interview and resume-writing skills but also goal-setting strategies, Canadian culture lessons and career planning. At the same time, the program also well-equipped us to work in an office.”

Once enrolled in the program, Mary committed herself to it with an attendance rate well over 90%. Our employment counsellor encouraged her to apply to a CICS-partnered employer and walked her through the application process.

“I had a mock interview with our instructor so that I could improve my interview performance. On that day, I was not very nervous because I had gone through most of the interview questions before.” In the end, Mary was offered the position of commercial insurance advisor. It was her first step towards her new career goal of entering the Canadian insurance industry.

“I decided to start a new career and a new life in Canada. Since insurance is one of the major industries in Canada, I believe it would be a great opportunity for me to pursue my career goal. My company will have comprehensive training for me and I think I could learn a lot of skills and knowledge from that. In the future, I hope I will be able to help all the newcomers to solve their insurance problems in Canada.”

Mary’s experience is a perfect example of what we envision for our employment support programs to be. Rather than strictly a skills training service, we see our employment programs as a community-building endeavour. We understand that the job search can seem daunting and intimidating for many newcomers. That is why in addition to equipping them with skills to thrive in the job market, we create an environment of community where the participants can learn and go through the ups and downs of job search together, so they know they are not alone.

“Sometimes, I would feel depressed and question myself, ” Mary says. “I was lucky to have S.O.A.R.’s instructors and classmates to cheer me up and to help me keep trying. We still kept in touch even after the S.O.A.R. program was finished. Thank you to S.O.A.R. instructors and CICS for having such an excellent program.” ◆

What Mary's employer says about the S.O.A.R. program and CICS:

“We had been seeking candidates via online job sites for a few weeks, but the talent pool was weak. CICS did the first level screening for us and sent us a competent and qualified candidate… Recruitment is both costly and time-consuming, so we are grateful for the referral.

“By providing valuable service to new immigrants, CICS is a lifeline for this underserved community.”

Sometimes, I would feel depressed and question myself. I was lucky to have S.O.A.R.’s instructors and classmates to cheer me up and to help me keep trying.

Community Food Program

Committed to be There for the Most Vulnerable

Over the last few years, poverty and hunger have become an increasingly severe crisis in Toronto. The pandemic has dealt a catastrophic blow to the problem, leaving more people relying on food banks to survive than ever before.

During the pandemic, from 2020 to 2021, Toronto saw a 47% increase in food bank use, according to the annual Who’s Hungry report by the Daily Bread Food Bank and the North York Harvest. On average, about half of the food bank respondents did not eat for the entire day almost every month due to food insecurity. The report also found that food bank clients had only $9.17 left to survive on daily after paying rent and utilities. For racialized respondents, the number dropped to $6.67.

At CICS’ Community Food Pantry, we have certainly seen the same frightening and disturbing trend. Our food bank has been in operation for nearly two years and, up until a few months ago, it was steadily serving 90 to 110 households each week. However, since March 2022, we have started to see a significant and stable increase in the number of people accessing our service. Now we are seeing about 130 walk-in clients each week.

Through our food bank, many people are learning about CICS’ services and programs, allowing us to reach further out into the community. We are also one of the few food banks serving a large Chinese community, so our data is important to the city in recognizing the reach we have to a typically underserved population.

~165 Households Served Per Week

Our biggest internal challenge is finding funding to keep staff employed to work at the food bank, as well as operational costs and the ability to procure certain foods when we are not supplied enough by the Daily Bread Food Bank.

Despite funding concerns, we are continually trying to build relationships with other community members and have slowly created a community food model that not only deals with food insecurity but also isolation and social inequity.

In fact, research has repeatedly shown a connection between poverty and social isolation, and increasing community connections is an important part of any strategy to combat poverty and hunger.

CICS' community food model incorporates the food bank, the community garden and the community kitchen, as well as the vast services and programs that exist at CICS to help new immigrants find the support they need to settle in their new community. ◆

* Including 35 households at a Toronto Community Housing site

~7500 Hampers Distributed in Total 90%

Children and Youth Clients Self-Identified as Chinese (Estimated)

33% Senior Clients Self-Identified as Chinese (Estimated)

We are one of the few food banks serving a large Chinese community, so our data is important to the city in recognizing the reach we have to a typically underserved population.

Volunteer Story: Vajira Jayasinghe

Aside from the obvious function of keeping us alive, food is core to who we are as individuals and central to our cultural identity. That is why we have always believed our community food program is more than just a service we provide. We envision creating spaces where people can come together to grow food, share a meal and learn to make dishes from cultures other than our own while at the same time serving a critical need in the community. And it is this vision that drew Vajira Jayasinghe (VJ) to volunteer at our food bank.

VJ joined our food bank team in 2022 with previous volunteer experience in picking up groceries for seniors and delivering food hampers and meals to housing apartments. For him, serving the community with food is very much a part of his culture and where he feels most at home.

“It’s a part of Sri Lankan culture to offer food generously. We regularly provide meals for monks as almsgiving. One of my first experiences in Canada giving food to the needy was after my cousin suddenly passed away. We donated food to a local shelter in Toronto and helped hand the food out ourselves, as a tribute to him. I think that was a pivotal moment for me to get more hands-on helping the community.”

In addition to his heart of generosity, VJ also brings something else to contribute to our food bank service. His work experience as a project manager and a field supervisor helps him identify logistical challenges and understands the importance of having a clear action plan. “Some of that feeds into my admiration of how CICS is organized.”

Also, with the eyes and mind of an engineer, VJ is always looking for ways we can use technology to make our food

bank operations more effective and efficient, for example, reducing client lineup time by having an electronic ticketing system.

“We can leverage the data we collect, in terms of how food flows through the network of food banks,” VJ says. He believes if supply and demand can be more accurately predicted, we can share excess food from a neighbouring food bank when they cannot use it in time.

“I think as I spend more time here, I can focus on enhancements that are more viable.”

In many ways, VJ’s experience is the textbook example of how we want every volunteer to feel: to give their time and effort to something that is in line with their areas of passion while allowing their skills and expertise to help us get better in what we do. But ultimately,

it is always about building the community, bringing people together, and helping those in need, as VJ describes his experience at the CICS food bank: “I always leave feeling good. There are so many people in need, and it’s nice to make their experience here pleasant.” ◆

Community Kitchen

We regularly host classes and workshops in the kitchen to show people how to cook nutritious meals and provide training to prepare people to work in the food industry. Creating gainful and sustainable employment is an important step in addressing issues that lead to the hunger crisis in our communities.

I always leave feeling good. There are so many people in need, and it’s nice to make their experience here pleasant.

In Conversation

With our Community Garden, we manage to grow produce to supplement the non-perishable food items that we give out. Program Director of Community Services

Brian Joyce thinks the garden is also a gathering space for the community where people can build their network of friendships.

Bringing People Together

How do community gardening and settlement intersect?

Gardening can be an excellent conduit for social interaction and sharing experiences. We want to make the transition into a new country as comfortable as possible, and sharing stories and food is one way to accomplish this. Our garden gives an opportunity to connect new immigrants to others like themselves and build relationships around food.

In fact, our community food model is there to address issues like food insecurity, isolation and social inequity, which have a significant impact on the well-being and mental health of the community.

Food insecurity will not be going away for quite some time, but we can help reduce social isolation and inequity by bringing people of different cultures together to work in the garden, eat the food they have grown and share each of our stories and culture with others to help them understand each other. At the same time, the newcomers can also build a better understanding of who they are, where they come from and the gifts they can offer to the community.

How does CICS plan to empower communities to access sustainable foods?

Our goal to empower communities to access sustainable foods is to create an environment or opportunity where they grow food at our facilities or provide them with the necessary tools to grow their plants at home, whether that involves a large garden bed or a balcony container garden. We want to work with the communities to see where their needs exist.

One of our primary directives is building a seed library with culturally relevant plants that may have some relation or build a connection to the new immigrant’s homeland. We eventually would like to harvest and use traditional recipes to make foods to share amongst each other.

What initiatives have CICS been taking? What are some of the achievements so far?

Our food bank has been in operation since 2020 and the number of clients continue to grow. Although this is only a band aid solution it is helping families get through a difficult time. We were successful in acquiring funding to help increase our capacity to grow food with the addition of a new greenhouse and the expansion of our existing gardens that will allow other organizations or community members to grow their own food.

The greenhouse has been a great way to increase our partnership opportunities with other organizations. Although we are still in the infancy stage, we hope to have many people of different backgrounds come together to use our facilities. The garden has been a tremendous supplier of fresh food that we have used to supplement our food hampers when possible amounting to over 1700 lbs of food donated from our gardens.

Our hope is to build upon our SAFE Communities (Sustainable and Accessible Foods for Empowering Communities) project that include breaking down barriers, building partnerships, reducing isolation and building up the community. This will take time but as our reputation grows so does the interest in joining this project and partnership.

What are the key hurdles in developing more sustainable food systems in the community? How can community stakeholders jump in to help?

Our biggest hurdle is infrastructure and funding. Many organizations are in similar situations where funding is shortterm and limited and finding qualified people is difficult. In order to develop a sustainable food system in our community we need significant investment for longer periods of time to see the benefits of the projects that are trying to take off. Community stakeholders need to be involved and see what is going on in the community and the possibilities of investment whether in time or funding.

We have created a community food model that not only deals with food insecurity but social isolation, mental health, anti-racism and building community connectiveness. The program can only expand if the funding and people are in place to see it grow. Our biggest challenge each year is securing funding so the project does not end.

Community and Volunteer Engagement

Garnering and Unleashing Our Most Powerful Resources

All of us are familiar with why volunteering is a good thing: giving back and contributing to the community, expanding our personal and professional network, making a difference in other people’s lives, and so on. Studies have also shown that volunteering can help reduce depression and loneliness.

In addition, switching over the virtual service delivery has created new opportunities for our volunteers. A lot of volunteers have returned as they are able to support multiple programs at once or seamlessly move from one program to the next because of the virtual setting.

A mix of virtual and in-person volunteer activities is essential to the success of the program. We have been able to engage volunteers from outside of Toronto, furthering our reach to other communities.

Our volunteers came from many different countries of origins, from Afghanistan to China to Sudan to Vietnam, with ages ranging from 13 to over 65.

Volunteers have long been the heart and soul of the work of CICS. Fortunately, the pandemic has not diminish our volunteers’ desire to help and make an impact in the community in times of great need. Our volunteers continue to actively participate in many in-person programs, such as the food bank and the community garden, as well as the youth summer programs.

The broad array of our programs and services offered at CICS is a huge factor that attracts such a wide range of people to volunteer. In fact, the varied opportunities help in catering to our volunteers’ strengths.

Someone once said: “Volunteers do not get paid, not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless.” At CICS, our volunteers have significantly impacted our service numbers and, more importantly, the lives of the people they touch. ◆

The broad array of our programs and services offered at CICS is a huge factor that attracts such a wide range of people to volunteer.

Volunteer Story: Raymark Bancolita

Volunteering is a wonderful way for anyone to get to know their community, meet new friends and build their social network. For Raymark, volunteering at CICS proved to be instrumental in helping him deal with the isolation of living through the pandemic lockdown.

Fresh off graduation from college, Raymark was having a tough time finding a job amid the pandemic. Feeling isolated and unproductive, he decided to give volunteering a try and signed up with CICS to help with the community garden and food bank services. He had never volunteered before and remembered how tough it was in the beginning: “dropped eggs... had tents carried away by frigid winds, dealt with irate clients... became inevitably sun burnt with all the time spent in the garden, got stung by a bee...”

was thoroughly enjoyed as volunteering has allowed me to meet people I would never come across in daily life.”

Raymark volunteered at CICS for almost two years, right through the pandemic, and recently resigned from his post for a very good reason: he was offered full-time employment with the Canadian Armed Forces and will be leaving soon for training! He looks back at the past two years of volunteer experience as an important period of growth in his life:

But as Raymark got into his stride, he found himself becoming a part of our volunteer community and began to understand the significance of the work he and the rest of the team were doing and the joy it has brought him.

“I have made impactful friendships, met the community to which I served and have helped keep families, students, immigrants and the elderly fed during a pandemic. My time

“I am eternally grateful for the opportunities CICS has presented me in such a short time frame. These past almost two years flew by so quickly, and I can confidently say I am not the same person who walked into the Multi-Purpose Hall on a very hot September morning to assist with our startup food bank.

“I would highly recommend volunteering at CICS for anyone looking to meet new people, for making a change in your community, or those looking to develop themselves professionally to seek employment.” ◆

Animating the Community Food Pantry

Created by our volunteers and staff amid the pandemic, this beautiful mural gracing the corridor outside the Community Food Pantry at our head office reminds us the world remains colourful and vibrant even during times of instability and uncertainy. In fact, many found solace in participating in this project, which lasted from February until December 2021.

When you get a chance, come see this artwork that has uplifted the spirits of many!

I have made impactful friendships, met the community to which I served and have helped keep families, students, immigrants and the elderly fed during a pandemic. My time was thoroughly enjoyed as volunteering has allowed me to meet people I would never come across in daily life.

A JOURNEY

Staff Highlight

Alex Heung

It’s 10 a.m., and Alex Heung was already attending his third virtual meeting of the day as he worked from home. He was in the middle of his weekly one-on-one check-in meeting with Executive Director Alfred Lam when his dog Cola barked impatiently in the background, probably wondering when he would get his own meeting time with Alex.

Neither Alex nor Alfred missed a beat in their conversation. This has quickly become part of the working culture of CICS as we have journeyed through the pandemic: being laser-focused on the task at hand while being present to look after the members of our families.

Alex will be promoted to Senior Program Manager in April 2022 and become the youngest member of our Senior Management Team. Surprisingly, the latest addition to top management is also the longest-serving staff among his new peers, with already 13 years under his belt at CICS.

During his tenure, Alex has served with a number of different teams, including the school settlement (Settlement and Education Partnerships in Toronto, SEPT) and the Toronto settlement (Settlement

and Integration Services, SIS) programs. His strong work ethic and solid performance saw him progress from a worker to a program manager.

As a senior program manager, Alex will oversee CICS’ Youth and Family Services and take charge of the entire youth portfolio, the school settlement program and our social media work.

“The decision to promote Alex to the senior leadership role was a no-brainer as far as I was concerned,” recalls Alfred.

“His long-term dedication to the agency is respected by everyone. His track record of excellent performance for over 13 years speaks for itself. He has put in the time with a broad range of experiences within CICS. And I have long noticed his innovative approach to using technology to better serve our clients and extend the reach of CICS.

“These are exactly the elements that we need in CICS’ next generation of senior leaders as we grow and evolve to keep pace with the changing landscape of Canada’s immigrant communities.”

“CICS has provided me with room for growth personally and professionally and allowed me to witness the great work we have been doing for the community.”

GROWTH

For Alex, he has welcomed the opportunity without hesitation.

“I remembered Alfred inviting me into his office and sharing his vision of growing the leadership and re-organizing some of our teams to help us grow and the role he wanted me to play. He said I could take some time to consider it. I think I said ‘I’ll do it!’ before he even finished his sentence!” Alex says with laughter.

Alex’s vision for the future direction of CICS is centred upon consolidating services into a holistic delivery model, including enhanced youth services in Toronto and York Region and an effective school settlement program.

“I see CICS as a sector leader in the community. Our programs and services, including the greenhouse project, food bank, seniors programs, youth programs, and employment support programs have earned us an excellent reputation and goodwill. Now many immigrants see CICS as a must-go place for services.”

Speaking of why he has stayed with CICS for such a long time, Alex provides a simple answer. “CICS is a place with a group of people with empathy, compassion, and care about others.

“Also, CICS has provided me with room for growth personally and professionally and allowed me to witness the great work we have been doing for the community.”

Being with good people committed to looking after one another and having opportunities to grow while doing great work in the community. That is a good day’s work by any measure. That is also the formula with which we are committed to growing our staff family. While we wish Alex all the success in his new role, we look forward to seeing many others travel in his steps! ◆

Into the Future

WE ARE BETTER TOGETHER

Alfred Lam Executive Director of CICS

MY CAREER WITH CICS STARTED BACK IN 2010 when I was hired to oversee the construction and subsequently manage our Markham South Welcome Centre. Those were exciting and heady days. I was bouncing endlessly between visiting the construction site, going over interior design blueprints, hiring and training new staff, and trying to stay ahead of what felt like an avalanche of meeting requests.

As Herculean as those tasks might have seemed, the most formidable challenge was making sure the five agencies involved functioned well in the partnership. The partnership model called for all five full-service settlement agencies to bring to the table their ONE most substantial core service, rather than trying to provide all the services themselves.

I remember sitting in one of the early meetings with the other four centre managers. One of the executive directors stood up and said to us, “If this model has any chance of working at all, all of you must be con-

vinced of one thing: together, we are better than if any one of us tries to do this by ourselves.”

The lives of the most vulnerable in our society are built like a Jenga tower. When the pandemic struck, it was like someone pulled out a block from the bottom late in a Jenga game, and everything collapsed.

AS I PUT TOGETHER MY THOUGHTS FOR OUR NEXT STEPS

, I am convinced that the same admonition given to me 12 years ago holds the key to CICS’ future success: We are better together.

Have you ever played Jenga? That’s the game where you start by stacking wooden blocks into a tower, and then each player takes turns removing a block from near the bottom and replacing it on the top. As the game wears on, the tower becomes less and less stable, and the

slightest wrong move can send the entire thing crumbling down.

The lives of the most vulnerable in our society are built like a Jenga tower. Towards late in the game, all the pieces are precariously hanging in the balance: low income and lack of stable employment, inadequate housing, low language abilities (for some newcomers), struggle with mental health or other health issues, limited access to community resources, social isolation, and a whole host of other challenges. They are barely holding everything together, some surviving week to week.

When the pandemic struck, it was like someone pulled out a block from the bottom late in a Jenga game, and everything collapsed.

They come to community service agencies like CICS for help. Their challenges are so numerous they do not even know how to begin: They need to access govern-

ment financial assistance programs. They need food for their families. They are days from being evicted and need someone to intervene on their behalf. Some of them are victims of domestic violence. Others need mental health or emotional support. Workers in survival jobs shut out by their employers needed someone to advocate for their rights. Parents with young children needed help, or else they could not work at their jobs. The needs are so many that it was impossible for one agency to provide solutions to all of them.

Yet the cruel reality is this: just like in Jenga, you cannot “suspend” other blocks in mid-air while dealing with one. Unless you can simultaneously put all the blocks back into balance, the structure will still collapse. It is the same with the lives of the most vulnerable members of our communities.

That is why I disagree when people say COVID-19 showed us that the future of our sector lies in digitalization, as in using technologies to provide services on-

“While technology is needed and has its place, we believe the pandemic showed us the future of our work has to be built on collaboration.”

line. While technology is needed and has its place, we believe the pandemic showed us the future of our work has to be built on collaboration. The more community partners we join hands with, the tighter a community network we can build, making it more difficult for someone to fall through the cracks.

There is a second lesson that all of us learned during the pandemic: without health, nothing else matters. Hence we are forced to rethink the foundation of the services we provide. We have said that our mission is to help newcomers integrate into their communities and become contributing members of Canadian society. Yes, the services, the programs, and the information we provide are essential for a newcomer’s integration. But without health and wellness, none of those matters.

That is why as we move forward, physical health and mental wellness will become the foundation of our work. If you imagine all our programs and services like forests in a tree, health and wellness will be the soil from which they grow and the nutrients they will draw into their branches and leaves. To that end, we will build our head office, the Immigrant Resource Centre, into a community health and wellness hub.

We will bring in different partners and health services providers to have a presence in the building. Imagine our gym, our yoga studio, our youth loft, our greenhouse and garden, and our community kitchen all be-

ing used to host services provided by different partners devoted to community health, and our own community programs operating in the midst of that “ecosystem”: Members of our community without access to a family doctor can come in to see a nurse practitioner for their health concerns (we will start that partnership with the Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities in June 2022). A family can come in to access our settlement services while their children attend a basketball program in the gym. Seniors can come every morning to take part in Tai Chi classes. Our kitchen and garden will be used in conjunction with our food bank to promote healthy eating. Mental health services such as counseling and various support groups will be offered by our own staff as well as other mental health services providers. When you literally open the doors to collaboration, the potential is endless.

That is our direction moving forward. CICS has joined hands with our partners and faithfully remained true to our mission during the dark days of the pandemic. We have increased our services and redesigned our programs and services to meet the challenges of COVID-19.

As the world emerges from the pandemic, we are also poised to grow. But we have learned one crucial lesson during the pandemic: if we want to get better, we need to do it together. ◆

As we move forward, physical health and mental wellness will become the foundation of our work.

“When you literally open the doors to collaboration, the potential is endless.”

Funders

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development of Ontario

Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services of Ontario

United Way Greater Toronto

City of Toronto

Ministry of Health of Ontario

Ontario Trillium Foundation

The Regional Municipality of York

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Canadian Heritage

Employment and Social Development Canada

Daily Bread Food Bank

Markham, ON L3R 7P2

T: (905) 479-7926

Newmarket Centre 130 Mulock Drive, Unit 2 Newmarket, ON L3Y 7C5

T:

895-3789