There is A Need for Collaboration
in Order to Meet the Needs
of Calgary’s Minority Youth.
The Needs of Calgary’s Minority and Immigrant Youth. Four priority needs were identified by a number of ethno-cultural community groups:
- English as a second language (ESL)
- Cultural Integration into Canadian society
- Employment
- Accessibility to services
Problems with Current Youth Services
Language
- The ability to speak and write English is crucial for becoming integrated into Canadian society, finding employment and accessing services, yet the education system is deficient, and ESL services are insufficient, for addressing this problem.
Cultural Integration into Canadian Society
- Youth receive little support from the school system regarding issues of diversity.
- There is a lack of support for immigrant parents who are concerned with their children and issues such as discipline, male-female relationships and career aspirations.
- Also a lack of support for youth who are concerned about issues such as prejudice and who need help balancing and maintaining both ancestral and Canadian values.
Employment
- Poverty and lack of affordable housing are two problems that immigrant families face.
- Parents may be forced to accept less prestigious careers in Canada in order to earn an income which may cause their children to lose respect for them.
Accessibility
- There is a greater need to promote awareness among ethno-cultural communities regarding available services since currently there exists a general lack of knowledge.
- This is partly due to language barriers but also due to a lack of referrals between agencies.
The Need for Collaboration
- In the absence of more funding, collaboration between services and ethno-cultural organizations is seen as a means of improving the current system of service delivery.
- This involves collaboration between youth service agencies and ethno-cultural groups.
- To collaborate, open and constant communication is essential for building trust.
- Partnership roles are the key to effective collaboration and must be clearly defined.
Issues with Collaboration and How to Address Them
- Collaboration between ethno-cultural organizations and mainstream youth-serving agencies requires an initial yet significant investment of time and money.
- Youth services and ethno-specific agencies must decide for themselves what the pressing needs are and build concrete relationships to ensure that those needs are met.
- To achieve results, collaborations should target specific needs and have expected service outcomes. Thus effective collaboration consists of a two-part process:
Step One: Identify the problem and agree on a solution.
Step Two: Develop a plan of action with quantifiable outcomes.
Table 1: Summary of Major Discussion Points for Meeting Needs of Minority Youth
Priority Needs of
Youth |
Proposed Activities |
Means Of Implementation |
Potential Partners |
Language Acquisition and
Educational Issues |
-Educate community about issues impacting minority youths
-Support parental involvement in schools
-Support systemic changes to ensure adequate support for minority youths in education systems
-Support community actions |
- Multi-Cultural Brokers Team
- Community groups |
-School systems/ schools
-Coalition for Equal Access to Education
-Community media |
Cultural Integration |
-Early Intervention Program (YME – CCCSA & CVCA)
-Develop or strengthen youth civic participation through leadership development and opportunities, forming youth councils, community participation, etc.
-Mentorship programs
-Inform, promote and support youth volunteer participation
Eg. Vitalize Conference-youth component
-Skill/capacity building (All Nations Theater)
-Work to increase support for heritage and cultural programs |
- Project staff
- Multi-Cultural Brokers Team
- Community groups |
-Alberta Mentorship Foundation
-YMCA-YMAP program
-Schools, school board
-Calgary Rockyview Children Services
-All Nations Theatre
-Calgary Children’s Initiative
-Southern Alberta Heritage Language Association
-Leadership Calgary |
Employment |
-Information workshop for youth and parents
-Education & Career planning/ Counseling
-Mentorship Programs
-Training program
-Career Fairs
-Systemic Change |
- Multi-Cultural Brokers Team
- Community groups |
-AB Human Resources & Development
-Settlement agencies
-YMCA-YMAP
-Bow Valley College
-Employers
-Employment Access Coalition |
Services and Accessibility
Family & Social Support |
-Linking youths and families to appropriate counseling services
-Parenting programs
-Brokering/bridging families & youths in need to needed services
-Health promotion and prevention
-Informational workshops on minority youth issues
-Production of educational/ informational materials
-Support groups |
- Multi-Cultural Brokers working with communities. |
-Counseling agencies
-Parenting programs within settlement agencies
-Parents as Teachers
-Calgary Health Region
-Schools / school board |
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