ImmigrantChildren.ca Archive

Category: Events

  • Multiple diversities: immigrant and refuge child identity, Toronto event

    The Community Health Systems Resource Group, Learning Institute at the Hospital for Sick Children presents a symposium on Dec 1/09 on Multiple Diversities: Child/Youth Identity and Life Outcomes.
    From the flyer: “How do the ways that we see young people affect the way they see themselves?  What are the impacts on their health and well being? How can we use existing knowledge to ensure optimal life outcomes for all of Canada’s immigrant and refugee children? This symposium will be of particular interest to:  educators, health care professionals, social service providers, policy makers, non governmental organizations, child/youth associations, researchers and students”.
    The symposium will be held in the MaRS Discovery District, Toronto.

  • York University (Toronto) annual summer course on refugee and forced migration studies

    This year’s Summer Course on Refugee and Forced Migration Issues by the Centre for Refugee Studies, York University will be held May 8-16/10 at the Keele Campus. Fee is $975 Cdn, if you register before Feb 26/10 (fee goes up to $1100 after that date).
    For more information, visit the conference course website , email summer@yorku.ca and refer back to previous postings at immigrantchildren.ca.

  • New citizenship guide for new Canadians

    The Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism today released an updated guide to Canadian Citizenship. Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship.
    The launch of the “study guide” (last published in 1997) was held at the Terry Fox Centre, where Minister Kenney talked about inspiration, fortune and his vision for modern Canada. The announcement – and guide – provide a generous nod to Canada’s military history and major events (the 1997 edition skipped quite a bit of this, including Vimy Ridge, Juno Beach, Dieppe). The guide also does not shy away from some shameful periods in Canada’s past, such as the residential schools for Aboriginal children, the Internment of Japanese Canadians and the Chinese Exclusion Act, but I was disappointed to not see mention of the home children.
    Canadian history must acknowledge the home children – some 100,000 children taken from their homeland and brought to our shores to serve labour needs that Canadians could not or would not take on (sound familiar?). A great many of these children were younger than 10 years old and lived lives of brutality. These children were not adopted in the sense of how we use the word today, but taken, often bought and treated as chattel.  I’ll be lobbying the Canadian Museum of Human Rights to include an exhibit on the home children. Who’s with me?

  • 20th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

    Nov 20th is National Child Day in Canada and International Children’s Day across the world. It marks the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Convention is the most widely ratified human rights instrument in the world. The Convention lays out the rights all children everywhere have in the rights of provision, the rights of protection, and the rights of participation. In 1990, Canada co-hosted the World Summit for Children, which launched the Convention.

    Two related conferences, coming up, are worth exploring:

    The University of Ottawa is hosting a symposium of the Interdisciplinary Research Labratory on the Rights of the Child, Nov 18-20, 2009. The symposium will examine children’s right to participation. The symposium will consider how to integrate the views of children into research. From the conference website: “Research results that more effectively reflect the views of children will assist child-service and child-protection organizations in improving the intervention policies and practices targeting their young clients”.
    The University of Victoria, along with the Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP), the British Columbia Association of Family Resource Programs and the British Columbia Association of Infant Development Consultants will host a conference Feb 4-6, 2010 entitled “The Rights of The Child” to be held at the Fairmount Express.
    Selected related links:

    Related immigrantchildren.ca post: Best Interests of the immigrant, refugee, culturally diverse child.

  • Now we are 2: immigrantchildren.ca celebrates its 2nd anniversary

    Nov 3/09 marks the 2nd anniversary of immigrantchildren.ca. Although the blog seems quiet (not a lot of comments), I see through the blog stats that people do come. Welcome. Enjoy. Feedback, criticisms, observations always welcome. Comment here, or contact me at zs dot worotynec at utoronto dot ca.

  • Language matters: Metropolis seminar on language acquisition and newcomer integration

    Metropolis Canada presents Language Matters: A Policy-Research Seminar on Language Acquisition and Newcomer Integration on Thurs Oct 22/09, 8am-4pm at Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa.
    From the flyer at Metropolis Canada:

    “It is widely believed that acquiring the language(s) of the host society is critical to all aspects of the integration of newcomers – economic, social, cultural and political. And while linguistic diversity has always been a hallmark of Canadian society, this diversity has deepened with recent waves of immigration. In cooperation with provincial governments and other partners, the Government of Canada offers a range of official language training and related programs across the country to youth and adult newcomers.
    “Despite these initiatives, language remains a barrier to labour market success for many newcomers, including skilled workers. A mismatch exists between employers’ expectations and newcomers’ perceptions of requisite linguistic ability for many occupations. At the same time, newcomers’ linguistic integration also depends on the receptivity of those listening to them, especially native speakers of English and French.
    “Maintenance of heritage languages and the existence of ethnic enclaves pose further complexities. Passing on the ancestral language to subsequent generations is an important way for linguistic minorities to maintain their cultural diversity. On the other hand, heavy dependence on the enclave may weaken linguistic and overall integration into mainstream society. In an era marked by increasing globalization and international trade, knowledge of languages other than English and French could also be an asset to Canadian institutions and individuals.
    “This seminar will provide both national and international perspectives on the complex relationship between language acquisition and newcomer integration, with the twin objectives of informing policy discussions and identifying future research directions”.

    immigrantchildren.ca hopes that the seminar speaks to the (2nd, 3rd, and subsequent) language acquisition for newcomer children and has a comprehensive approach to addressing the disconnect that can occur between immigrant parents – who want their children to learn English or French as a 2nd language, in order to fit in to Canadian mainstream society – and the importance of retaining the home language to not only support 2nd (and more) language acquisition, but which speaks directly to the relationship (and attachment) between parents and their children. Particularly young children take on a 2nd language well and as a result may severe themselves from their first language/culture and create a separation from their families and countries of origin. See mylangauge.ca for information on the importance of retaining home languages.
    immigrantchildren.ca is heartened to hear that Prof Jim Cummins of OISE is on the panel for this seminar and know he will bring foward the notion of – and importance of – multiple literacies.
    immigrantchildren.ca hopes that the Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism is invited to attend the seminar. MinJK (as he’s known on twitter) has made a few public statements about immigrant children learning English or French as they integrate into Canada. Select examples:

  • Filipino Child-rearing: Method's Cafe session at the Centre for Diaspora and Transnational Studies, UofT

    The Centre for Diaspora and Transnational Studies at the University of Toronto is hosting a series of sessions to discuss innovative research methods. See the website for a full list of speakers. All sessions are held Fridays from 12 to 1:00 pm in the CDTS conference room, Jackman Humanities building, room 235 at the UofT. Refreshments.
    Of interest to us at immigrantchildren.ca is the session scheduled for January 15, 2010 entitled “Archiving Intimacy: The Politics and Pragmatics of Investigating Colonial Interventions into Filipino Child-rearing Practices”, with guest speak Bonnie McElhinny.

  • Maytree's proposed (economic) immigration strategy

    The Maytree Foundation held an online media event (teleconference and webinar) on their latest paper “Adjusting the Balance: Fixing Canada’s Economic Immigration Policies”. In the online Q&A after the presentation, Naomi Alboim informed us that she is now working on another paper that will address the live-in caregiver and seasonal agricultural worker programs. We look forward to an examination of family reunification and transnational families in the next paper.

    NB: Maytree and Naomi Alboim used the term “family unification” v. family reunification. We like it!

    Visit the Maytree Foundation site to download the current paper, the online presentation notes and after July 27th, the online media event.

  • Putting the culture in multiculturalism

    The Institute for Canadian Citizenship is partnering with Toronto-area cultural institutions, like galleries and museums, in offering new citizens – and their children – passess to local cultural attractions, such as the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Gardiner Museum, the Royal Ontario Museum, Colborne Lodge in High Park, Mackenzie House and many many others.
    As of the end of June, the program has expanded into the Kitchener-Waterloo area.
    For more information, visit Cultural Access Pass.

  • GGs statement on Canadian Multiculturalism Day

    From the Canada News Centre website, a message from Governor General Michaëlle Jean on Canadian Multiculturalism Day (June 27th):

    Awareness. Inclusion. Equality. Sharing. With just these few, simple words, the full measure of the Canadian reality immediately comes to mind with all its possibilities. It is a reality that is ever changing, encouraging us to preserve and develop the best of the cultures that are already here and that we continue to welcome with open arms.
    I often say that Canada contains the world and that our diversity is synonymous with opportunity and the key to our success. Diversity is a fundamental fact of the modern world. Social practices are being transformed, and cultures are becoming richer and more complex than ever before. It is up to each and every one of us to help build a society in which everyone can reach their full potential.
    Although there have been some painful periods in our history – I am thinking in particular of residential schools–there are still many glorious chapters for us to write, together, with kindness, openness and generosity. Let us celebrate the richness of our diversity and share in our good fortune!

    Related resources: Citizenship and Immigration Canada official “Multiculturalism” webpage.
    Canadian Multiculturalism Act