The Public Policy Forum, an independent policy think tank, has released a report: From Immigration to Participation: Promising Practices in Integration.
The report examined six priority areas as important factors in integration. They are:
- Employment programs and services
- Access to information
- Language acquisition
- Acceptance and understanding
- Role of the school system (K-12)
- Social support
The report identifies 4 major gaps and challenges:
Integration needs to move beyond settlement and be more proactive around “empowering newcomers”.
Programs must “promote interactions among newcomers”.
Innovation is important, but community-based initiatives need to demonstrate positive outcomes to alternative approaches.
Human resources in community-based agencies needs strengthening.
Recommendations from the report:
“Promote the relevance and value of integration in order to foster mutual responsibility
“Offer more opportunities for two-way interaction
“Allocate adequate funding to encourage innovation”.
