Research Library

Colombians who acquire a university degree in Colombia may still face challenges finding employment. They may choose to immigrate to Canada because the opportunities that this country offers. However, these immigrants may have to apply various strategies to overcome obstacles in their path to success. So, when they immigrate permanently to their host country (Canada as their country of settlement), they may have to overcome barriers, such as discrimination (Quillian et al., 2019) while finding a place in their professional field and integrating into their host communities (community of settlement). As a result, immigrants may find that having a career and speaking the target language is not enough to communicate effectively and build meaningful connections in their host communities. Thus, the purpose of this qualitative study with narrative inquiry methodology was to explore the journeys of eight professional Colombian immigrants who felt successful in Calgary, AB, Canada and had two or more years of adaptation and integration to answer the following question: To what extent did professional Colombian immigrants experience holistic Transformative Learning (TL) and enhance Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) after living in Canada for two or more years, in their path to professional success? The study findings have the potential to inform the professional field of adult learning. Colombians who acquire a university degree in Colombia may still face challenges finding employment. They may choose to immigrate to Canada because the opportunities that this country offers. However, these immigrants may have to apply various strategies to overcome obstacles in their path to success. So, when they immigrate permanently to their host country (Canada as their country of settlement), they may have to overcome barriers, such as discrimination (Quillian et al., 2019) while finding a place in their professional field and integrating into their host communities (community of settlement). As a result, immigrants may find that having a career and speaking the target language is not enough to communicate effectively and build meaningful connections in their host communities. Thus, the purpose of this qualitative study with narrative inquiry methodology was to explore the journeys of eight professional Colombian immigrants who felt successful in Calgary, AB, Canada and had two or more years of adaptation and integration to answer the following question: To what extent did professional Colombian immigrants experience holistic Transformative Learning (TL) and enhance Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) after living in Canada for two or more years, in their path to professional success? The study findings have the potential to inform the professional field of adult learning.
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The City of Edmonton is a diverse and constantly evolving city. As more newcomers move to the city, the need for specific language resources changes and organizations must adapt to these changes. Edmonton has many organizations that specifically assist newcomers with integrating into society. These organizations include Edmonton Immigrant Services Association (EISA), Islamic Family and Social Services Association (IFSSA), Action for Healthy Communities, Catholic Social Services and the Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers (EMCN), among others. Other organizations provide services to specific cultural groups, such as language and culture schools, which also assist newcomers. This thesis will discuss the research project “Mapping Spaces of Translation and Interpretation in Edmonton,” which mapped and documented organizations that make use of translation and interpretation to provide services for newcomers, immigrants, and refugees, within Edmonton and surrounding areas. The project sought to research the following two questions: 1) How do organizations within the city of Edmonton that provide services to newcomers utilize translation (text-to-text) or interpretation (spoken/verbal) to facilitate their services? 2) What challenges do these organizations face in using translation and interpretation while providing their services? The City of Edmonton is a diverse and constantly evolving city. As more newcomers move to the city, the need for specific language resources changes and organizations must adapt to these changes. Edmonton has many organizations that specifically assist newcomers with integrating into society. These organizations include Edmonton Immigrant Services Association (EISA), Islamic Family and Social Services Association (IFSSA), Action for Healthy Communities, Catholic Social Services and the Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers (EMCN), among others. Other organizations provide services to specific cultural groups, such as language and culture schools, which also assist newcomers. This thesis will discuss the research project “Mapping Spaces of Translation and Interpretation in Edmonton,” which mapped and documented organizations that make use of translation and interpretation to provide services for newcomers, immigrants, and refugees, within Edmonton and surrounding areas. The project sought to research the following two questions: 1) How do organizations within the city of Edmonton that provide services to newcomers utilize translation (text-to-text) or interpretation (spoken/verbal) to facilitate their services? 2) What challenges do these organizations face in using translation and interpretation while providing their services?
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The following report continues on Community and Public Services Committee’s request for information on trends, issues and concerns from Edmonton’s newcomer, refugee and mmigrant communities; The Annual State of Immigration and Settlement – Year 2 report builds upon the first year report that was presented at the August 25, 2021, Community and Public Services Committee meeting, Citizen Services report CR_7720. ● The report builds upon foundational elements in the Year 1 report such as the Multidimensional Immigrant Model and Cultural Wealth Model and adds new employment and education themes. ● The report creates a holistic picture of the resilience of ethno-cultural communities, agencies and other stakeholders who support newcomers, refugees and migrants while narrating the challenges many face as they make Edmonton their new home. ● Ideas under consideration to include in the Year 3 report included the private sponsorship system, migrants with precarious status and building upon policy implications and actions from Year 1 and Year 2 reports. The following report continues on Community and Public Services Committee’s request for information on trends, issues and concerns from Edmonton’s newcomer, refugee and mmigrant communities; The Annual State of Immigration and Settlement – Year 2 report builds upon the first year report that was presented at the August 25, 2021, Community and Public Services Committee meeting, Citizen Services report CR_7720. ● The report builds upon foundational elements in the Year 1 report such as the Multidimensional Immigrant Model and Cultural Wealth Model and adds new employment and education themes. ● The report creates a holistic picture of the resilience of ethno-cultural communities, agencies and other stakeholders who support newcomers, refugees and migrants while narrating the challenges many face as they make Edmonton their new home. ● Ideas under consideration to include in the Year 3 report included the private sponsorship system, migrants with precarious status and building upon policy implications and actions from Year 1 and Year 2 reports.
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The Community Anti-Racism Action Strategy is a comprehensive report developed by the City of Calgary to inform its Anti-Racism Strategic Plan for 2023-2027. The report outlines recommendations for shifting the city as an overall system, including actions that focus on underlying policies, structures, and procedures. It is an invitation to create positive relationships, live in reciprocity, and take action towards a future that includes all of us. The report is committed to creating a Calgary where Indigenous, Black and diverse Racialized communities feel safe, welcome, included and are treated with dignity. It incorporates Indigenous teachings and perspectives into its anti-racism framework and provides guidance for individuals and communities to actively participate in anti-racism efforts in Calgary. The Community Anti-Racism Action Strategy is a comprehensive report developed by the City of Calgary to inform its Anti-Racism Strategic Plan for 2023-2027. The report outlines recommendations for shifting the city as an overall system, including actions that focus on underlying policies, structures, and procedures. It is an invitation to create positive relationships, live in reciprocity, and take action towards a future that includes all of us. The report is committed to creating a Calgary where Indigenous, Black and diverse Racialized communities feel safe, welcome, included and are treated with dignity. It incorporates Indigenous teachings and perspectives into its anti-racism framework and provides guidance for individuals and communities to actively participate in anti-racism efforts in Calgary.
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The Youth and Anti-Racism (YARI) Collective, a research project by Dr. Pallavi Banerjee and Dr. Pratim Sengupta at the University of Calgary, connects racialized refugee and newcomer youth to art, anti-racism and community experiences. On March 28, 2023 YARI hosted an interactive art and technology installation titled ‘Landings: Anti-Racist Futures in Stories’ highlighting the youth’s stories of love, friendships, grief and pain through various artistic mediums (e.g. stop motion animation). The Youth and Anti-Racism (YARI) Collective, a research project by Dr. Pallavi Banerjee and Dr. Pratim Sengupta at the University of Calgary, connects racialized refugee and newcomer youth to art, anti-racism and community experiences. On March 28, 2023 YARI hosted an interactive art and technology installation titled ‘Landings: Anti-Racist Futures in Stories’ highlighting the youth’s stories of love, friendships, grief and pain through various artistic mediums (e.g. stop motion animation).
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We investigate discrimination experiences of (1) immigrants and racialized individuals, (2) Indigenous peoples, and (3) comparison White non-immigrants in nine regions of Southwestern Ontario containing small- and mid-sized communities. For each region, representative samples of the three groups were recruited to complete online surveys. In most regions, over 80 percent of Indigenous peoples reported experiencing discrimination in the past 3 years, and in more than half of the regions, over 60 percent of immigrants and racialized individuals did so. Indigenous peoples, immigrants and racialized individuals were most likely to experience discrimination in employment settings and in a variety of public settings, and were most likely to attribute this discrimination to racial and ethnocultural factors, and for Indigenous peoples also their Indigenous identity. Immigrants and racialized individuals who had experienced discrimination generally reported a lower sense of belonging and welcome in their communities. This association was weaker for Indigenous peoples. The findings provide new insight into discrimination experienced by Indigenous peoples, immigrants and racialized individuals in small and mid-sized Canadian communities, and are critical to creating and implementing effective anti-racism and anti-discrimination strategies. We investigate discrimination experiences of (1) immigrants and racialized individuals, (2) Indigenous peoples, and (3) comparison White non-immigrants in nine regions of Southwestern Ontario containing small- and mid-sized communities. For each region, representative samples of the three groups were recruited to complete online surveys. In most regions, over 80 percent of Indigenous peoples reported experiencing discrimination in the past 3 years, and in more than half of the regions, over 60 percent of immigrants and racialized individuals did so. Indigenous peoples, immigrants and racialized individuals were most likely to experience discrimination in employment settings and in a variety of public settings, and were most likely to attribute this discrimination to racial and ethnocultural factors, and for Indigenous peoples also their Indigenous identity. Immigrants and racialized individuals who had experienced discrimination generally reported a lower sense of belonging and welcome in their communities. This association was weaker for Indigenous peoples. The findings provide new insight into discrimination experienced by Indigenous peoples, immigrants and racialized individuals in small and mid-sized Canadian communities, and are critical to creating and implementing effective anti-racism and anti-discrimination strategies.
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International Medical Graduates (IMGs), who completed their medical degree and training outside Canada area notable portion of skilled migrants to Canada. However, due to a long and uncertain licensure process and limited opportunities many IMGs look for alternative career pathways where they can utilize their learned skills. Alternative careers in the health and wellness sector may offer such opportunities; however, IMGs’ success in these pathways were also less evident despite their high potential. Barriers that IMGs face when attempting alternative jobs in Canada was studied through focus groups in Calgary, AB and Toronto, ON. Focus groups found that IMGs encounter many barriers in different stages of their resettlement journey in Canada, including both the pre-migration and post-migration phases. Collaborations between organizations, policy makers and researchers are needed to target these barriers. International Medical Graduates (IMGs), who completed their medical degree and training outside Canada area notable portion of skilled migrants to Canada. However, due to a long and uncertain licensure process and limited opportunities many IMGs look for alternative career pathways where they can utilize their learned skills. Alternative careers in the health and wellness sector may offer such opportunities; however, IMGs’ success in these pathways were also less evident despite their high potential. Barriers that IMGs face when attempting alternative jobs in Canada was studied through focus groups in Calgary, AB and Toronto, ON. Focus groups found that IMGs encounter many barriers in different stages of their resettlement journey in Canada, including both the pre-migration and post-migration phases. Collaborations between organizations, policy makers and researchers are needed to target these barriers.
This publication has no Abstract to dispaly

The FOCAS (Foundation for Oromian Culture Education and Art Services) 2022 Annual Report shares multiple highlights of the organization for the year, such as serving close to 1815 people, meeting funding targets and moving to a new location. The FOCAS (Foundation for Oromian Culture Education and Art Services) 2022 Annual Report shares multiple highlights of the organization for the year, such as serving close to 1815 people, meeting funding targets and moving to a new location.
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Over the last three decades, the number of students pursuing higher education outside of their country of citizenship (i.e. international students) has increased five-fold (The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2022). In that same period Canada has become a popular attraction of international students, such that it is houses to the third largest concentration of this group globally. International student tuition and discretionary spending serve as an important source of revenue for higher education institutions. Furthermore, federal, and provincial governments identify international students as a valued source of skilled immigrants. In a bid to ensure a steady influx of students, Canada has recently turned to countries in sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean – all regions where the population mostly identify as “Black” – as new source regions to target for intensified recruitment. Minimal research explores the integration experiences and daily lives of these students. Instead, studies employ monolithic categorizations, neglecting to analyze variations in racial/ethnic identification. To that end, the main research questions in this study are: (1) How do Black international students in Canada negotiate a sense of belonging amidst various forms of social inequality? and (2) In what ways are Black international students’ political proclivities shaping, or shaped by Canada’s political climate? I drew on an assorted mix of theoretical and methodological perspectives to answer these questions. The discussions in this study are based on semi-structured interviews with 40 research participants, all international students from sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean studying at a higher education institution across Alberta, Canada. In theorizing the study’s findings, I drew on an eclectic, interdisciplinary collection on scholarship such as international student mobility, Black politics, queer migration studies, and migration studies. What emerges from this approach is a detailed understanding of Black international students that accounts for the sociocultural reasons shaping their decision to study in Canada, relationship to Black-themed racial justice organizing/foregrounding, and navigation of queer identity making while managing the precarity of temporary legal status. Consequently, the project’s findings highlight the need to think of the respective populations “Black students” and “international students” as a heterogenous groups consisting of diverse viewpoints, experiences, and challenges. Over the last three decades, the number of students pursuing higher education outside of their country of citizenship (i.e. international students) has increased five-fold (The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2022). In that same period Canada has become a popular attraction of international students, such that it is houses to the third largest concentration of this group globally. International student tuition and discretionary spending serve as an important source of revenue for higher education institutions. Furthermore, federal, and provincial governments identify international students as a valued source of skilled immigrants. In a bid to ensure a steady influx of students, Canada has recently turned to countries in sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean – all regions where the population mostly identify as “Black” – as new source regions to target for intensified recruitment. Minimal research explores the integration experiences and daily lives of these students. Instead, studies employ monolithic categorizations, neglecting to analyze variations in racial/ethnic identification. To that end, the main research questions in this study are: (1) How do Black international students in Canada negotiate a sense of belonging amidst various forms of social inequality? and (2) In what ways are Black international students’ political proclivities shaping, or shaped by Canada’s political climate? I drew on an assorted mix of theoretical and methodological perspectives to answer these questions. The discussions in this study are based on semi-structured interviews with 40 research participants, all international students from sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean studying at a higher education institution across Alberta, Canada. In theorizing the study’s findings, I drew on an eclectic, interdisciplinary collection on scholarship such as international student mobility, Black politics, queer migration studies, and migration studies. What emerges from this approach is a detailed understanding of Black international students that accounts for the sociocultural reasons shaping their decision to study in Canada, relationship to Black-themed racial justice organizing/foregrounding, and navigation of queer identity making while managing the precarity of temporary legal status. Consequently, the project’s findings highlight the need to think of the respective populations “Black students” and “international students” as a heterogenous groups consisting of diverse viewpoints, experiences, and challenges.
This publication has no Abstract to dispaly

The City of Calgary Anti-Racism Maturity Model provides a 5 Level pathway to achieving an anti-racist Calgary. The 5 Levels are: 1) compliance, 2) complacency, 3) awareness, 4) integration, and 5) anti-racist. Since the 2022 assessment, Calgary is currently at Level 2: complacency. The City of Calgary Anti-Racism Strategic Plan 2023-2027 aims to reach Level 5: anti-racist. The City of Calgary Anti-Racism Maturity Model provides a 5 Level pathway to achieving an anti-racist Calgary. The 5 Levels are: 1) compliance, 2) complacency, 3) awareness, 4) integration, and 5) anti-racist. Since the 2022 assessment, Calgary is currently at Level 2: complacency. The City of Calgary Anti-Racism Strategic Plan 2023-2027 aims to reach Level 5: anti-racist.
This publication has no Abstract to dispaly