July 2015

HAPPY 148th BIRTHDAY CANADA!

Inside this issue:

Volunteer News 2

Employment Blog 2

English Language

Assessment

2

New Employee 3

Youth Happenings 3

The Games Room 4

This year, Canada Day

celebrations in Brooks will

have a new home. If you

have driven by the

Lakeside Leisure Centre

recently you will notice a

lot of demolition and

construction going on

around there. As a result

the Canada Day

celebration will be at the

Duke of Southerland Park.

With this change you can

spend the entire day in one

place, starting with the

Museum breakfast at 9 am,

and ending with the

outdoor family movie night

ending at 12 am. It will be

a long day of celebrations,

but don’t worry; there’s

time for a break at 4 pm.

There will be many

activities for all ages

throughout the day. Go to

the City of Brooks website

to see the full schedule.

Make sure to attend some

of these events, celebrate

being Canadian and have

fun with other community

members.

Of all the Canadian

holidays, Canada Day has

a special place in the

hearts and minds of new

Canadians. It is a day that

celebrates their new

chosen home. To them,

this day is a symbol of a

new beginning. The

beginning of hopes,

dreams and

determinations, much like

the hopes of all Canadians

on that special July day in

1867 which symbolizes the

birthday of our country.

Happy Birthday, Canada

Happy Canada Day! by Mohammed Idriss

Canada Day marks the anniversary of

the Constitution Act of 1867, joining

Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the

Canada province (now Ontario and

Quebec) into a single country.

Canadians from coast to coast join

together to celebrate this great country

we call home. The County of Newell, the

City of Brooks (as mentioned above), and the Village of Rosemary, will all

have special celebrations.

The Village of Rosemary will begin the festivities at 8 am with a full slate of

activities including a pancake breakfast, parade, antique tractor pull and

more! The celebration will conclude with an amazing fireworks display

when the skies are dark.

More information for both communities can

be found on the Brooks & County

Immigration Services Facebook page.

Join us as we celebrate our Canada

and all it has to offer!

We would like to acknowledge volunteer of the

month for June: Abi Abdisalam

Abi has done a great job giving so many hours to

BCIS this month; helping with the Rodeo Parade,

decorating, translating documents, attending

court , the RCMP office and Wildrose Insurance.

Thank you Abi! You are a wonderful volunteer to

have.

EMPLOYMENT BLOG by Ryan Keidrowski

We’ve had a hard-working group at

BCIS the last while. Through the

Employment-Based Language Training

program, 10 individuals learned

valuable skills that will help them find

employment.

Since January, the students have been

improving their English skills at the

Brooks Community Adult Learning

Council. They’ve also been working

with the Brooks Campus of the

Medicine Hat College and BCIS on

their employment skills.

Some of the key areas they focused on

were how to write a resume and cover

letter, how to assemble a portfolio and

prepare for a job interview. The

students also listed their employment

goals and the steps they are going to

take to reach them.

The program culminates this month

with their workplace experience. This

is a chance for them to put to action

the skills they learned, entering the

local workforce.

Save the Date!

English Language Assessment

The team from SALAS will be at the Brooks Campus of Medicine Hat College for

two assessment sessions.

Tuesday, July 21 4-8 pm Wednesday, July 22 9 am-1 pm

To book an appointment, call the Brooks Campus at (403)362-1677 and speak with

Lorelei, Khamla or Marian. You can also call SALAS toll-free at 1-888-329-4811 or

email salasltd@telus.net.

I LOVE VOLUNTEERING! By Mauricio

BROOKS RODEO PARADE

FLOAT

It was a beautiful June morning as the

Brooks Rodeo Parade made it’s way

down the streets of Brooks. BCIS staff

and volunteers were excited to be a part

of the yearly event and even more

excited to take home a 2nd place

ribbon in the category-Truck; Non-profit

organization. Thank you to the

volunteers who helped decorate the

float, those who came out for the

morning to walk with us, and all of our

clients who waved and cheered us on

as we went by.

Hi my name is Mauricio. I am from Colombia.

I live in Brooks with my family; my wife and

two children. I am a volunteer at BCIS and I

participated in Brooks Got Talent with my

wife. I also volunteer as a court interpreter. I

love volunteering for BCIS. BCIS been very

helpful and I like the opportunity to volunteer

my time and help. I also volunteer coaching

soccer to kids. I am looking

forward to helping BCIS as much

as I can. I really appreciate the

people at BCIS who have given

me help and have trust in me.

NEW EMPLOYEE Karen Namalata

Since then, Brooks has

been my second home.

I completed a Bachelor

of Science in

Agriculture, with a major

in Animal Science at

Xavier University,

Ateneo De Cagayan. I

worked with the

Scotiabank Brooks

branch as a Customer

Service Representative

before joining BCIS.

Meeting and interacting

with people of different

nationalities every

single day, is simply

amazing.

If I cannot do great

things, I can do small

things in a great way!

My name is Karen and

I’m a Settlement

Counsellor at BCIS.

I came all the way from

the City of Golden

Friendship, Cagayan De

Oro, Philippines in 2012.

The funds raised by the BCIS Youth Group from the

May 2nd highway clean-up were used to impress the

youth with an amazing trip to Edmonton on May 29.

The trip’s purpose was to expose the youth to a new

community outside of Brooks by visiting the

Legislative Assembly Building of Alberta, the Royal

Alberta Museum and the West Edmonton Mall. This

trip was also meant to show that learning can be fun.

The youth had a tour at the Legislative Assembly

Building of Alberta, facilitated by an excellent tour

guide who answered numerous questions from the

youth about the type of work performed at the

building, and who also gave the youth a brief history

of the Legislative Assembly Building and its artwork.

The youth are looking forward to the end of exams,

and to having a fun time working with seniors at

Newbrook Lodge throughout summer.

YOUTH HAPPENINGS by Joseph Octavious

Join us AUGUST 5 as we

celebrate five years of

service to the City of

Brooks! Join us for tours,

a free lunch and to see

our portfolio of photos on

display in our office.

Have questions about who we are and what we

do? Well, bring those too. We’d be happy to

answer any questions you may have! We look

forward to seeing you so we can thank you for

making our last five years such a success.

UPCOMING EVENTS AND WORKSHOPS

Bay 2-500 Cassils Road East

Brooks, Alberta

Phone: 403-362-0404 ~ Fax: 403-362-0435

Office Hours

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 8:30am-4:30pm

Wednesday 8:30am-7:00pm

Friday 8:30am -2:00pm

Connect with us!

www.bcis-brooks.ca

Funded by/Financé par:

CANADA DAY

Office Closed

July 1

@askBCIS

Resume Workshop

Review what should be on

a resume and how it should

look.

July 8

10-11 am & 6-7 pm

JOB SEARCH SKILLS

Get some tips and hints to

help you find a job.

July 15

10-11 am & 6-7 pm

INTERVIEW SKILLS

Practice your interview skills. Be

prepared when a business calls.

July 22

10-11 am & 6-7 pm

Newcomer Orientation

Important information for

newcomers to the community.

July 26

1 pm

Lunch & Learn Series

Held on the last Wednesday of

each month.

Wednesday, July 29

Workplace Culture

Learn the Do’s and Don'ts of a

Canadian job setting.

July 29

10 - 11 am & 6-7 pm