Date post: | 11-Aug-2019 |
Category: |
Documents |
Upload: | duongkhuong |
View: | 216 times |
Download: | 0 times |
Multicultural & Immigrant Services Association
of North Vancouver Island
Annual Report 2016 ̵ 2017
Celebrating 25 years!
MISA North Vancouver Island
Annual Report 2016 - 2017
Table of Contents
Mission, Vision, Values .................................... 1
Vital Statistics ................................................. 2
President’s Report to Members ........................ 3
Executive Director’s Report to Members ........... 4
Community Partners........................................ 5
Members and Funders ..................................... 6
Founders and Past Presidents .......................... 7
Settlement Services ........................................ 8
Quotes from our Program Participants .............. 9
Welcoming Communities Coalition .................... 9
Programs & Community Engagement ..............10
Financial Report .............................................11
MISA History .................................................13
Quotes from our Clients .................................15
Campbell River
A114-740 Robron Road,
Campbell River, BC V9W 6J7
250-830-0171
Comox Valley
407 A 5th Street,
Courtenay, BC V9N 1J7
250-338-6359
North Island:
Call toll free 1-855-805-0171
Skype by appointment
www.ImmigrantWelcome.ca
Multicultural & Immigrant Services Association
of North Vancouver Island
Vision
A North Island region that embraces diversity and inclusivity while actively engaging with the vibrant cultures in the region, and where newcomers feel welcome, safe and respected.
Mission
The Multicultural and Immigrant Services Association of North Vancouver Island (MISA) assists local communities in attracting and retaining newcomers by providing education and
professional services to members of those communities while offering advocacy for vulnerable populations and settlement services, thereby fostering welcoming and inclusive communities.
Values Statement
MISA believes that:
All people have a right to be treated, and feel that they are treated, with respect, dignity,
and fairness
All people have a right to privacy, and to be treated and feel that they are treated with
confidentiality and respect to personal boundaries
All people have a right to be and feel safe in their communities, neighbourhoods, and
workplaces
All people have a right to self-determination and to build their capacities to be self-reliant
and independent
All individuals, community groups, organizations, and employers need to understand and
fully implement all related government statutes, regulations, and case law
All people have a right to be included, and to not be discriminated against for reasons of
gender, age, culture, race, language, religion, ability, social class, and sexual orientation
All organizations have a responsibility for continuing to learn and implement best practices
Commitments Statement
MISA is committed to implementing and being a model for these ethics statements in all of its
work, and, in addition, to being in its relations with customers, clients, funders, and stakeholders:
Transparent
Professional
Accountable
Page 1
MISA North Vancouver Island 2016-2017
Vital Statistics
Total population
of region served
128,000
40,301 km2
total area served
Page 2
Years serving the
North Island region 25
Countries of origin
represented by our
clients 96 Top Ten Countries of client origin
1. Philippines
2. Vietnam
3. China
4. Great Britain
5. U.S.A.
6. India
7. South Korea
8. Mexico
9. Germany
10. Syria
Page 3
MISA
Board of Directors
2016-2017
Layne Marshal, President
Lisa Blackburn, Vice President
Cathy Voth, Secretary/
Treasurer
Leanne Brunt, Director
Maria Kirley, Director
Lorraine Theron, Director
Cathy Reyno, Director
President’s Report to Members
As I look forward to 2017-18 for the Immigrant Welcome Centre, I also have to look back on the year just past. It was a busy time for the board, staff and volunteers at the IWC, a time when we saw a good set of accomplishments. You’ll read more about them elsewhere in the Annual Report, but I do want to highlight two of the major items.
The first was the relocation of the Comox Valley operations to a new centre in downtown Courtenay. Not only does the new site give us more working space, it gives our clients and visitors more parking space and easier access to Courtenay's amenities. It will make everyone’s time at the IWC much more enjoyable.
The second was the acquisition of the Language Instruction for Newcomer Canadians program. Adding language instruction as an integrated part of IWC’s settlement services will give our newcomer clients a leg up on one of the really important challenges of moving to a new country and community.
I also want to thank the Executive Director and members of the Board of Directors for their support and dedication to our cause. We’ve gone through some major transitions in the last year or two, and even the best transitions can present some challenges. Board members and our management team rose to all challenges.
And of course, I want to thank all of the dedicated staff and volunteers who serve as our public face. They ably serve and support our communities and make the IWC the excellent organization that it is.
Layne Marshal, President 2016-2017
Layne Marshal
President 2016-2017
Executive Director’s
Report to Members
First of all, I want to recognize that this year we celebrated our 25th anniversary! It has been quite a ride and as an organization we have experienced many changes, but one thing that has remained consistent is our focus on providing the best services we can to all of the newcomers we serve and in addition proactively supporting the development of our welcoming communities. Thank you to everyone who has supported the Multicultural and Immigrant Services Association of North Vancouver Island (MISA). This list includes our volunteers, our Board of Directors, our members, our community partners, our funders and our staff.
Our accomplishments over the past year have focused on creating strategic and progressive management systems that build the capacity for our organization to meet our overall mission. This new direction will undoubtedly enhance our collective ability for us to consistently achieve MISA’s mission into the future.
We have achieved this objective by changing our board model to true policy governance which requires a very strong strategic focus that measures effectiveness and accountability for our mission every month. In addition, we have also developed a comprehensive workplan for the entire year.
Operationally we have supported the Board and ultimately our clients by developing the necessary systems to ensure that we are meeting our mission despite the ongoing changes within the settlement sector which have been considerable.
We were awarded a 3 year contribution agreement for settlement services for the North Island region. In addition to this, we were also awarded the contract for delivering the Language Instruction for
MISA Staff
2016-2017
Jim Brennan,
Executive Director
Settlement Services
Thuy Sin, Manager
Rochelle Baker
Sarah Callander
Claudia Figueroa
Amy Gibson
Deborah Hall
Julie Kosolofski
Lori Koyanagi
Ann McLeod
Kim Nanuan
Ana Mena
Ai Guo Zhang
Welcoming Communities
Coalition Coordinator
Jorgina Little
Page 4
Jim Brennan
Executive Director 2016-2017
Page 5
Community Partners
Campbell River Aboriginal Visioning and Empowerment
Campbell River Community Arts Council
Campbell River Family Services
Campbell River Syrian Refugee Support Committee
Campbell River Women's Resource Centre
Comox Valley Family Services
Comox Valley Refugee Support Group
Comox Valley Transition Society
Creative Employment Access Society
Kwakiutl District Council
North Island College
North Island Employment Foundations Society
School District 71
School District 72
Service Canada - Courtenay
Success By Six, Comox Valley
Vancouver Island Regional Library, Campbell River
Vancouver Island Regional Library, Comox Valley
Volunteer Campbell River
Volunteer Comox Valley
Wachiay Friendship Centre
Newcomers (LINC) program. The management team was successful in putting together a convincing business plan for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) which saved this program for our communities. It is also worth noting that North Island College was instrumental in supporting the transition of the LINC program – thank you.
The last note in terms of our accomplishments over the past year is that we were nominated as “Not for Profit of the Year” at the annual Campbell River Chamber of Commerce Awards.
As we look forward into the next year and the foreseeable future, MISA is compelled to continue creating and developing the necessary strategic systems to achieve our mission within an ever-changing sector which requires us to continue to do more with less.
Jim Brennan, Executive Director
Members
Altrusa Club of Campbell River ● Philip Asplin ● Association Francophone de Campbell River ● Lisa Blackburn ● Monserrat Bourgoin ● Laurence Brown ● Monica Brown ● Denny Brunt ● Margot Brunt ● Leanne Brunt ● Wendy Burke ● Campbell River Chamber of Commerce ● Campbell River Literacy Association ● Comox Valley Family Services Association ● Anthony Divinagrach ● Si Duong & Suong Nguyen ● Helen & Cecil Henley ● Daisy Hennig ● Leonard Hiquebran ●John Howard Society of North Island ●Tracy Kidson ● Zenaida Lim ●Layne Marshal ● Dong Nguyen ● North Island Employment Foundation Society● Mitzi Ogasawara ● Opportunities Career Services ● Mila Penaflor ● Kim Pham ● Quyen Pham ● Jo-Ann & Doug Preston ● Khammy Quan ● Janet Richardson ● Rosalinda Schellenberg ● Peter Schwirtlich ● Wendy Shelley ● Brenda Tessman ● Victoria Tumbaga ● Vancouver Island North Women's Resource ● Brenda Wagman ● Barb Walker ● Gillian Winter ● Naomi Wolfe ● Ling Wong ● Barbara Wyatt ● Louise Young●
Funders
Immigration, Refugees and
Citizenship Canada
BC Ministry of Jobs, Tourism
& Skills Training-Workforce
Development & Immigration
Division
Province of BC Gaming
Policy & Enforcement Branch
Employment & Social
Development Canada
North Island Employment
Foundations Society
Service Canada-New
Horizons for Seniors
Program
Province of BC Ministry of
International Trade
United Way Lower Mainland
& BCAA
Thank You!
Page 6
Page 7
Founding Members:
Naomi Marchand
Heather Downing
Susan Doby
Past Presidents
Maggie Whillans
Mark Grenier
Naomi Marchand
Colleen McClure
Caerol Pusifer-Seibel
Hardy Gill
Brian Lukyn
Marlene Knowles
Natalia Grundle
Diane McNeill
Helen Henley
Brenda Hanrahan
Frances Lake
Barbara Walker
Patricia Gagnon
Layne Marshal
Thank You!
MISA North Vancouver Island 2016-2017
Settlement Services
Page 8
Client Services:
Help with Forms &
Documents
Citizenship,
Immigration &
Refugee Protection
Support
Interpretation &
Translation
Employment
Services
Housing
Information
Health Care
Information
Addressing
Education Needs
Counselling Services
Child Care & Family
Concerns
Income Tax
Preparation
Access to Legal
Advocate &
Canadian Law
Human Rights
LINC
Clients from
Countries
of origin
96
Clients served 987
Employment Clients served
37
Hours of language interpretation 235
Services provided 2742
Page 9
Quotes from our
program participants
“I am very happy to coming
here because I meet new
friends. Thank you.”
“I was eligible to apply (for
citizenship) in 2011 but due to
all my busy-ness in my life, I set
it aside. Then I got in touch with
the Immigrant Welcome Centre
here and they helped me and
encouraged me.”
Welcoming Communities Coalition
The Coalition brings together local businesses, service providers, institutions, and individuals.
Members work together to enhance current services and to build welcoming and inclusive
communities for all individuals, regardless of age, ability, gender, sexual orientation, economic
status, spiritual belief, ethnicity, culture or country of origin.
Coalition Members: stay current on local issues, opportunities and best practices involving
inclusion and diversity; identify & prioritize community needs and gaps; share personal and
professional expertise, knowledge and experience; create innovative solutions, resulting in
positive change.
In 2016-2017 the Campbell River Coalition worked toward establishing a one-stop community
event calendar, which is now available at gocampbellriver.com. The Comox Valley Coalition
chose to develop a series of media related workshops aimed at local service organizations.
MISA North Vancouver Island 2016-2017
Programs & Community Engagement
2131 Volunteer hours
Page 10
Client Programs:
International
Seniors Group
International
Women’s Group
International Adult
Co-ed Soccer
International Family
Recreation Group
Conversation Group
Book Club
HIV/AIDS Workshop
Citizenship
Preparation Classes
Financial Literacy
Workshops
Languages
Spoken by Staff:
English
Spanish
Vietnamese
Tagalog
French
Mandarin
German
MISA North Vancouver Island 2016-2017
Welcoming Communities Coalition
Volunteers 65
Client Program Sessions
139
Coalition Members 50
Page 11
Page 12
The changes to wages and benefits are a direct result of the decrease in funding from our contracts. In addition, MISA did not fill one of their full time positions.
Page 13
•MISA is Incorporated
•Hosted the first annual Walk for
the Elimination of Racism
MISA North Vancouver Island History
1992 •Started the
English Conversation and Social Group for Immigrants 50 years and older
•Youth 4 Diversity started
•Safe Harbour program intro-duced to the community
•First International Dialogue on
Racism is hosted
•Youth 4 Diversity
received the Nesika Award
•Opening of the Comox Valley
office
1997
2002
2003 2007
2005 2009
2011
Page 13
MISA North Vancouver Island History
•MISA accepted the Welcoming Communities
Award on behalf of Campbell
River
•MISA awarded Not-for-Profit of
the Year by Campbell River
Chamber of Commerce
2012
•Funding transition to CIC
•MISA awarded the Riasat Ali Khan Diversity
Award by AMSSA
•MISA appoints New Executive
Director, Jim Brennan
•New staff position created for settlement in North Island
•Nominated for BC Multicultural-
ism Award
•20th Anniversary of the “Walk Away
From Racism
•MISA celebrates their 25th anniversary by launching a
new logo
•Nominated for CR Chamber Not-for-Profit of the
Year Award
•Comox Valley office moved to a
new location.
•LINC program starts at MISA
2013
2014
2015 2016
2015 2017
2017
Page 14
Page 15
Quotes from our clients
“The staff was very helpful and friendly that made me feel comfortable to ask many
things. It lightens up my worries especially on my child. Gives me strength to face
these trials.”
“Help us to learn more about place and job connections.”
“They are always helpful and we really appreciate it.”
“Much sufficient and very helpful to us.”
“We always got information that we need from Settlement workers. They are all
accommodating and make us feel welcome anytime.”
“You guys are doing great of helping us. Many thanks to that.”
[email protected] www.ImmigrantWelcome.ca
A114—740 Robron Road
Campbell River, BC
V9W 6J7
T: (250) 830-0171
F: (250) 830-1010
407 A 5th Street
Courtenay, BC
V9N 1J7
T: (250) 338-6359
F: (250) 331-9032