The members of the Rotary Club of Medicine Hat enjoy visiting key resources in the Medicine Hat community every six to eight weeks. This gets us out into the community to keep in touch with developments and to explore new ways of making a positive difference in our community.
On Monday 17 March, we visited Saamis Immigration Services Association (SISA).
Our Club has a long-standing relationship with SISA, which includes the ongoing provision of bicycles, restored by our Team FreeWheel, to newcomers, thereby giving them mobility (weather permitting!) and access to resources like work, shops, and leisure time pursuits.
Our visit was time very well spent! We were brought up to speed on the latest developments by the Executive Director, Kristijan Kopilovic, the Community Connections head, Aide Helsendeger, and the Financial Director, Marwa Abdelhamid, as well as Rotarian Dr Dick Northcott, who chairs the SISA Board. Responses to questions from Rotarians added to the overall picture gained of the organization.
So what is SISA all about?
“The mission of SISA is to assist in the integration, adjustment and resettlement of immigrants and refugees in the community of Medicine Hat, providing a support system that fosters individual’s needs in an environment of equality and dignity.”
SISA moved to their new premises on 1 August 2024. The benefits of the new location are that all the classrooms and offices are in one building – and there is more space. Our tour around the building took us from the large central meeting room where we started our visit, into a few classrooms, where different levels of English were being learnt, and past numerous offices and rooms in which staff and students can relax.
Despite a tight budget, SISA offers a range of services, all directed towards mission achievement. These include:
- Settlement Support: One-on-one guidance on housing, healthcare, education, transportation, and navigating essential services and systems.
- Community Connections, which is a volunteer-based program in which newcomers to Canada are matched with volunteers who, for example, help them to learn about Canadian values and traditions, and connect them with community resources. SISA also organizes events that foster cross-cultural understanding and community involvement, helping newcomers to feel at home in Medicine Hat. The Rotary Club of Medicine Hat has participated in a number of these events, including joining in a picnic at Echodale Park and a family movie evening in Redcliff.
- A range of actions carried out in schools by Settlement Workers, assisting New Canadians with, for example, accessing school and community resources and services
- Employment Assistance: Job readiness programs, resume building, interview preparation, and mentorship opportunities to connect newcomers with local employers
- Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC): This is federally funded language training for adult permanent residents, at levels 1 to 4. At level 4, newcomers can apply for citizenship. Higher level courses (5-8) can be taken at the Medicine Hat College
We had the pleasure of entering a Level 1 class and hearing from each student, his/her name, country of origin, and year of arrival in Canada!
It was interesting to note that newcomers are randomly assigned to a city, although if they have family members in Canada, they can request to be settled in the same city. 140 new clients per year is SISA’s target number for Medicine Hat. Of these, about 5% are refugees, the remainder immigrants.
SISA is doing great work, within tight budget parameters. The assistance of volunteers is essential, working with staff to expand the range of services offered. We heard about many opportunities to volunteer, ranging from joining the Board, to assisting the language instructors in the classroom, being a conversation practice partner, accompanying newcomers to the grocery store, thrift store or bus to familiarize them with products and services, and being a community ambassador by, for example, introducing newcomers to community engagement opportunities. Donations of goods or funds are also welcomed.
After a visit of about one and a half hours, Rotarians left SISA, with up-to-date information about this important community resource, and with creative ideas, yet to be explored, of how the Rotary Club of Medicine Hat can continue to engage and partner with SISA over the months ahead.
Thank you, Kristijan, Aide, Marwa, and the rest of the SISA team for the work that you do! A big thanks too, to Rotarian Dr Dick Northcott, for steering the ship! May Medicine Hat continue to embrace and support this great resource for newcomers to our city.
