Services for Youth in Newcomer Communities (SYNC) Final Guide Available
September 08, 2009
The Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI) has accomplished the goals set out in Services for Youth in Newcomer Communities (SYNC) project.
SYNC project goal and objectives
The goal of the project was to train immigrant and refugee youth in community based research methodology. The youth and youth settlement workers were then to carry out focus groups and key informants interviews
- To identify what immigrant and refugee youth say are settlement challenges that impact them the most;
- To outline what the youth see as ways to address some of the identified challenges;
- To state what attributes make an effective youth settlement program;
- To provide selected examples of programs that they identified as having some of the stipulated attributes.
Newcomer Youth Settlement Guide for Service Providers
The identified challenges and recommendations of what future youth settlement services should look like, as well as some selected programs that youth saw as having identified attributes for an effective youth settlement program are outlined in the Newcomer Youth Settlement Guide for Service Providers.
- Newcomer Youth Settlement Guide for Service Providers (PDF)
- Établissement des jeunes nouveaux arrivants : guide des fournisseurs de services de l’ontario (PDF)
Youth Bill of Rights
During the SYNC research, a newcomer youth Bill of Rights was proposed. This is contained in the Guide and is also presented in brochure form. Youth asserted that organizations that receive government funding for youth settlement programs should commit to following the principles set out in the Bill of Rights. They suggested that the Bill of Rights should be reviewed regularly.
Some themes from SYNC project research
Youth recommendations focused on the need for needs analysis, to ensure that all youth needs are addressed; access through cost reduction and location, advocating for program provision in one-stop centres/locations; more inter-agency collaboration, to ensure added value to programs, including collaboration with mainstream agencies; more bridging programs; more youth centres as safe spots to keep youth away from risk; better teaching methodology for English; more focus on youth employment; more health related, including mental health services. Above all, youth wish to be active players in the definitions of what youth settlement services are, in planning, and in delivering services.
Mentorships are said to be very important, including use of mentors from established communities as well as mentors who are from communities that form the bulk of newcomer youth who understand their culture and challenges. Ensuring that mentors are vetted appropriately was said to be imperative. Overall, youth stated that current HOST and ISAP programs were helpful, however, many youth do not utilize them because many are not age appropriate for underserved age groups (16-24), and because the existing services are not the ones that youth seek. The youths' desire for inter-agency collaboration was said to be the result of the fact that many of the kinds of services youth want are currently offered outside the traditional immigrant serving sector, for example at health centres.
Offering Services within an Anti-racism and Anti-oppression Framework
Youth stated that providing services in an anti-racism and anti-oppression framework enhances service provision, as this ensures access for all youth irrespective of race, gender, age, socio-economic background and ability.
Isolated Youth and Youth Without Status
Youth urged service providers to do more to assist immigrant and refugee youth in small cities and rural areas, as these are very isolated. It was stressed that youth without status also needed to get services to assist them because it would reduce the level of risk and vulnerability.
Dissemination of Guide and Brochures
Hard copies of the Newcomer Youth Settlement Guide for Service providers and related brochure and the brochure containing the Newcomer Youth Bill of Rights are being sent to OCASI member agencies and to other organizations that received Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) funding for youth settlement programs.
Staff from Ocasi agencies as well as members of the public will also have access to electronic copies of all the documents via the web link is being sent to them.
It is planned that OCASI will do extensive outreach to service providers using the resources that have been produced for this project.
- Striving to Develop and Maintain Immigrant and Refugee Youth Settlement Services - Brochure (PDF)
- Chercher à créer et à maintenir des services d’établissement pour jeunes immigrants et réfugiés - brochure (PDF)
Online Self Directed Learning
The Guide has also been adapted into an online self directed eLearning course on OCASI's eLearning site (free registration required).
Immigrant And Refugee Youth Issues – A Perspective From York Univeristy Students
As part of the SYNC Project a group of 30 students from York University volunteered to work with OCASI to undertake research on challenges faced by immigrant and refugee youth in Ontario. The thirty worked in groups to research different aspects and give recommendations. York University professors were to adjudicate and the winning team would have their paper presented to OCASI to be posted on the website alongside the Guide.