Created by 5 francophone community organizations in Ontario:
le Centre des services communautaires Vanier
le Conseil de la coopération de l’Ontario
le Conseil économique et social d’Ottawa-Carleton
M9 Médias
la Société économique de l’Ontario
What it is
A private Facebook group for francophone newcomers to Canada. Members can ask any question and get answers from settlement professionals within 48 hours on business days.
Why it started
In response to a call for proposals from the DMSI project, the founding organizations identified potential to address a gap by providing useful information to French-speaking newcomers. In individual Canadian communities outside Quebec, francophones may represent a small proportion of the newcomer population, but there is a critical mass of French-speaking newcomers who need information to help them settle.
Why Facebook
It was a commonly used tool by the partners and the newcomers they serve and there was a high level of awareness of it and how to use it.
The information can be delivered in French.
It is accessible from a smartphone, tablet or laptop.
The group can be moderated, and the administrators have the ability to accept and remove participants.
It allows for people to share information and experiences informally, but also allows the administrators to respond with vetted answers, post trusted reference materials and/ or ensure validity of the information posted by others.
There was no limit to the number of participants.
Key Lessons Learned
The founding organizations applied training, including tips learned in a DMSI Community of Practice, about using social media to engage participants. They applied lessons about how to keep the communications light and practical, which led to strong engagement among the target audience. Also, a high level of satisfaction was based on the moderator’s practice of going beyond the basic information to provide personal referrals to websites and organizations that could directly help a participant resolve an issue, and then following up later to see how it went.
This Facebook group was established by a member of a sponsorship group (individual volunteer).
What it is
A Facebook group by and for Ottawa residents who are private sponsors of refugees, as well as organizations that facilitate refugee sponsorship
A forum to support working together & sharing resources
The group is lightly moderated by volunteers and local settlement professionals post service information and answer questions informally.
Administrators underscore the importance of posting accurate information since they are volunteers without capacity to continuously monitor activity.
Why it started
Being a refugee sponsor has many stages, from applying to be a sponsor, to raising funds, setting up for and meeting the refugees when they arrive, and supporting the refugees once they are here. While each sponsorship group communicates internally among their members and with their co-sponsoring agency, it’s also useful to have an easy way for sponsors to share experiences and resources, and trade information and even goods and services. It also allows for experienced sponsors to mentor newer sponsors, and for refugee-serving organizations with important information to get it quickly to sponsors who support them.
Why Facebook
Facebook was an established tool that many sponsors were aware of or were already using.
The volunteer who set up the group was comfortable using Facebook.
Facebook allows for the creation of private groups – i.e., if you want to join you have to request access, which the administrator/s must agree to before you can see what’s posted. This provides enough gatekeeping to provide a safer space without requiring extensive infrastructure.
Moderation is possible but not required all the time.
Content can be deleted by the administrator/s if it is inappropriate.
There is no cost to use, join or create a private group, although there are some features that may have a fee.
Rules can be set up for the group, and can easily be updated.
Key Lessons Learned
The group doesn’t replace the systemic mechanisms for support to sponsors. It is a space for handling immediate or less “formal” day-to-day needs, so it saves sponsors time and effort getting practical information and things they need to support the refugees they sponsor. It also creates a sense of community among sponsorship groups, and allows the organizations that are there to support sponsors focus on the “big things” while sponsors help each other with smaller, day-to-day challenges.
Arrival Advisor is a free information and orientation app for Newcomers to British Columbia and Manitoba.
The BC version is offered in English, French, Arabic, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Korean, Punjabi, and Tagalog. The Manitoba version is offered in English and French.
Arrival Advisor provides orientation information on a number of topics including Employment, Health Care, Money & Banking, Housing, Education, Legal & Immigration. Newcomers can complete an optional questionnaire to get tailored information recommendations and referrals to local services. The community information is provided in partnership with 211 service providers.
The Digital Messaging for Settlement and Integration (DMSI) project is all about connecting newcomers with the information they need to successfully settle in Canada, when and where they need it. As a communications and mobilization organization, the team at Refugee 613 knew that traditional means of communicating information (websites, brochures) often don’t reach those most in need, which pushed us to explore new and better ways of sharing information. The DMSI project was a three year exploration of new ways to connect with newcomers using inexpensive, popular digital messaging platforms. The core principle of this project was to ‘go where the audience is’ to reach community members in places where they are already communicating and sharing information.
According to Refugee 613, they have “run a successful digital messaging group called Refugee 613 Welcomes You to Ottawa since 2017. Originally on WhatsApp and now on Telegram, this group now serves more than 300 people in Ottawa. It provides trusted information and referrals about settlement services and support information in Arabic, Monday to Friday, from 9 am to 5 pm. Refugee 613 built on the success of that group in 2018, and with financial investment from the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), launched a national project to explore other ways of using digital messaging to build more welcoming communities. The DMSI (Digital Messaging for Settlement and Integration) project included research about how digital messaging is already being used in Canada to support newcomers, an evaluation of our WhatsApp group, and four new pilots so we could understand and share with others the full power of digital messaging for different purposes in newcomer settlement and integration.”
The project has since moved over to Telegram, which more robust group admin functionality, as well as capacity for larger groups (WhatsApp limits groups to 256 members). Refugee613 received funding to evaluate their approach, work with other settlement organizations to pilot innovative approaches to using digital messaging in service delivery, and to share their learning. The Digital Messaging for Settlement and Integration (DMSI) project recently hosted a national conference to share and continue the learning.
This toolkit provides information about how to use digital messaging to help newcomers settle a new country. The work has taken in place in Canada, but many of these lessons learned are applicable anywhere that immigrants are arriving.
Useful information in the toolkit includes:
How digital messaging can support newcomers
Tips for using digital messaging successfully
Stages and steps to follow, including selecting your platform, guidelines for organizing and running a digital messaging service, and evaluating how well it is working
Real-world examples of digital messaging in settlement and integration
The toolkit also provides sample checklists, policies, guidelines and tools that can help you set up and run your service with confidence.
(Originally posted on the now archived Cities of Migration site)
The We Speak Translate project was a first of its kind collaboration between Google Translate and the ICA utilizing the Google Translate App for refugee resettlement and new immigrant inclusion in communities.
When language is a barrier to effective communication, translation and interpretation are essential. They bridge the space and time a newcomer needs as they move from low language skills to proficient language ability. They’re also expensive.
In Canada, the Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria (ICA) is partnering with Google to use the Google Translate app to build a simple, every day way to bridge the language gap. Through the use of translation technology, they also want to create a sense of welcome and belonging for newcomers.
According to ICA’s Community Integration Coordinator, Kate Longpre, using Google Translate was an obvious idea. She and her colleagues already use it to communicate with clients. It’s a familiar tool among newcomers. A translation app can clearly be useful in resettlement. Many do use Google Translate for just that reason. But, perhaps surprisingly, no one had reached out to Google to partner with them to re-frame Google Translate as a resettlement and integration tool. Until now.
ICA is working directly with Google Translate staff to provide training to community members, businesses and agencies, as well as newcomers themselves. The “We Speak Translate” project provides an accessible, no cost platform to enhance communication with newcomers as they improve their English skills.
Organizations that take the training receive a program decal to put up in their entrance way, indicating they are part of the program to promote diversity and communication across language barriers. The decal is a public symbol that tells newcomers they are welcome.
We Speak Translate promotional video
Bridging the communication gap
Google Translate won’t replace the standardized language training or interpretation services ICA offers. But, it’s a useful complement for newcomers to continue to learn and become confident with language outside the classroom. Language acquisition can take more time with some groups of newcomers. This tool will help bridge basic communication in the community.
Longpre recognizes that machine translation apps like Google Translate are not perfect tools. They don’t allow for completely accurate in-depth complex or highly technical translations. But, an app like Google Translate bridges the initial language barrier and can create a point of connection.
And more…
Longpre sees Google Translate as much more than a technology tool, “It becomes the moment in time when you connect with someone. The technology allows for that moment, rather than no connection. It’s where community building takes place.”
Newcomers will know that if they go to a participating business or organization, the people there are familiar with the app and want to welcome them.
Recent Syrian refugee to Victoria, Ibrahim Haj-Ibrahim, outlines how important this is: “It’s very important for people to know that somebody wants to speak to them. It will give me more confidence that people care to speak with strangers. When I see somebody has this logo, I will know that people want to speak with me.”
Improved communications is the first point of the We Speak Translate project. ICA will provide 45 minutes of training on Google Translate. They’ll create power users in the community, who have a commitment and interest to helping newcomers navigate their new city. Community engagement is equally important, says Longpre. The training will also build awareness about resettlement, integration and inclusiveness among community members and local businesses.
Longpre says that people in the community are looking for ways to support and help newcomer integrate: “This is a very tangible initiative for any community member. They can wear a button on their coat that shows a newcomer that they’re are approachable, welcoming. It’s a tangible, no cost initiative for the community.” Anyone and everyone can become an integration actor.
Human service organizations as leading innovators
Building digital capacity in human service nonprofits can be challenging. Clients tend to be more tech savvy and demand technology-mediate services. Forward looking agencies are looking more closely at how they use technology as a tool in resettlement and integration.
Many organizations connect with local volunteers or civic tech groups in their communities to accomplish amazing things with technology, on a small scale. Longpre decided to go big. She reached out with her idea to use Google Translate both as an integration tool and a symbol for inclusive and diverse communities. Google liked the idea and the partnership was born.
Longpre says the “What’s In It For Me” is obvious for a resettlement organization. She says it’s also obvious for Google. Google’s ability to align a product with a broader mission, focused on integration and welcoming communities, is a tangible form of corporate social responsibility. We Speak Translate illustrates how their technology can have deeper impact.
Google is global. They have the capacity to scale We Speak Translate in a way that matches the scale of the global migration crisis. Google Translate as an integration tool can be replicated in any city, anywhere in the world. It has potential for all integration actors to create more welcoming communities.