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SETTLEMENT AND INTEGRATION

The goal of Settlement and Integration is to welcome, assist and support refugees and immigrants in their transition to an independent and self-sufficient life in Canada. This is accomplished through a holistic approach to delivery of services and a strong emphasis on community development and partnerships.

RAP (Refugee Assistance Program)

Refugees are welcomed at the airport and are settled into temporary accommodation.  During the first few weeks, Saskatoon Open Door Society staff work closely with new arrivals to meet their basic needs: finding an apartment, shopping for necessities, understanding their rights and financial obligations, orientation to the community and services, accessing medical and dental services, school registration, assessing and referring to language training and other programs.

ISAP (Immigrant Settlement & Adaptation Program)

Individual services to newcomers include personal and family counseling, crisis intervention, home visits, linguistic and cultural interpretation, advocacy, immigration and other document preparation, and translation.  These are aimed at the longer term challenges of adapting to their new life in Canada.  Our staffs are multilingual, so newcomers are able to access many services in their first language.  They also have access to volunteer interpreters and translators as required.

Government-Assisted Refugee Arrivals

Saskatoon Open Door Settlement and Integration staff welcome 200 to 250 refugees to Saskatoon each year. In the middle of  2007 the majority of people arriving were  from Colombia, Sudan, Burma and Iran.

Host Program

Funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada, the HOST program provides educational information for new comers as well as the Saskatoon community by providing opportunities for relationships between volunteers, immigrant and refugee families.  This develops through matching volunteers and new comers for friendship, community orientation, language practice and support which also educates the Saskatoon community about the immigrant experience and the work of SODS. The Host program includes

Conversation Circles are lead by volunteers to provide those newcomers to Canada a comfortable environment to learn and practice English and learn about Canadian culture. This program runs all year round and is held in various locations. There are circles for adults and for children.

Citizenship Study Group is a volunteer led, 6-week program that helps people prepare clients to become a Canadian Citizen (study for citizenship test, fill out forms, etc.).

School Buddy Program runs at the elementary school level.  Student volunteers are partnered with newcomer students for friendship, support, and an introduction to their school.

Community Host Matching  involves matching newcomers with members of the same ethnic community for the first few weeks upon their arrival.  The match ends when a traditional “HOST” match is made.

Traditional Host Matching involves matching newcomers with a volunteer from the Canadian community for friendship, community and cultural awareness and English language practice. This program requires a minimum six month commitment.

For more information on the Host Program, see Volunteering.

SSWIS (Settlement Support Workers in Schools)