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Calgary Immigrant Women's Association's Bi-monthly Newsletter
Announcements
COVID-19 Agency Closure
On March 17th, in line with the recommendations from the Government of Alberta and the Government of Canada, CIWA closed its doors to in person service delivery. For the health and safety of our clients, as well as our staff and volunteers, we have closed our agency, encouraging all staff to continue working from home. For clients, we have transitioned most of our services to be offered over the phone, email, or teleconferencing. For more information on our remote programs and services, click here.
Highlights
Youth Forum
On February 13th, CIWA celebrated its eighth annual Youth Forum event in collaboration with The Calgary Bridge Foundation for Youth at the Calgary Marlborough Community Association. This year’s event theme was “Confident Daughters, Dynamic Leaders.” Youth Forum was attended by over seven hundred community members including children, youth and parents. Many community partners hosted informative and interactive booths at the event.
Daughters Day Awards
At this year's Youth Forum, four young and exceptional women were bestowed Daughters Day Awards. This award celebrates the lives, contributions and achievements of daughters based on an appreciation of gender equality in our society. Recipients were selected by a jury comprised of five CIWA Board Directors and two Board Committee Volunteers – Alice Lam (Jury Chair) Shairoze Damji (Board Chair), Elena Kim (Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair), Ranju Shergill (HR Committee Chair), Jade Duong (Board Volunteer)- and Vanessa Ferlaino (Board Volunteer). The awards were generously sponsored by Gerda R. Bloemraad, former CIWA Board Chair, and Shirley Turnbull, former CIWA Board Director.
Adopt-a-Reader Campaign
CIWA’s Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) Home Visitors launched its Adopt-a-Reader Campaign on February 17th by distributing reading materials from First Books Canada to 91 HIPPY families and 85 adopted families. The Adopt-a-Reader Campaign provides an opportunity for HIPPY families to “adopt” other parents in their community for a three-week campaign that focuses on parent-child bonding and family literacy.
CivicAction Event
On March 5th, CIWA collaborated with CivicAction—an organization focused on boosting civic engagement and building better cities—to promote youth employment in Calgary. CIWA hosted a two-part event, which included a networking event and learning workshops. The networking event enabled employers and employment service providers to learn about the benefits of hiring youth, the challenges youth face in the labour market, and HR resources to assist in the recruitment, screening, and retention of young talent. The learning workshops provided youth workers as well as youth an overview of best practices when creating a LinkedIn profile, a demonstration of the LinkedIn Learning feature, and shared free year-long subscriptions to LinkedIn Learning.
CIWA International Women's Day
On March 6th, the Civic Engagement for Immigrant Women organized a celebration of International Women’s Day at CIWA for LINC students. The celebration included a brief presentation on the history of women’s rights as well as a performance by children from SMILES Childcare. Civic Engagement program staff also hosted a sing-along of “This Land is Our Land” with the participants.
Girls Lead: International Women's Day Event at the Central Library
On March 8th, CIWA celebrated the International Women’s Day at the Central Library in collaboration with the Calgary Public Library, the University of Calgary, and the Women’s Centre of Calgary. In line with this year’s #EachForEqual theme, Government of Alberta’s publication “Girls Lead”, developed in collaboration with the Women’s Centre of Calgary, was launched. The event was catered to young women to encourage them to become leaders who advocate for women’s rights and gender equality. Minister Leela Aheer, from the Government of Alberta, addressed attendees with a speech promoting leadership and strength for women and girls.
During the event, a poem called ‘Girls Can’, written and recited by youth in CIWA’s Speakers Bureau Hub, was showcased. The hub, funded by Plan International Canada focuses on fostering a sense of value in young women to become leaders and change makers. The event concluded with a valuable speakers’ panel, which was moderated by former CIWA client Nyabuoy Gatbel.
Planet Organic Sale
On Saturday, March 14thand Monday, March 16th, CIWA hosted a fundraising event in support of our SMILES childcare program. With the support and commitment from CERTUS DEVELOPMENTS INC., a real estate development firm located in Calgary, who invited us to organize and manage a sale of inventory left behind at the Planet Organic Store in Royal Oak, we were able to invite Calgarians purchase food items at close-out prices.
Our phenomenal staff, volunteers and clients attending bridging programs to transition to positions in Retail and Food Service were able to demonstrate their skills and coordinate this fundraiser in support CIWA. Staff from across the Workplace Services Department visited the store on 4 occasions prior to the sale to price the inventory.
Through these collective efforts, CIWA raised a total of $60,200!! Thank you to all those who attended the event and helped us secure resources for our clients.
This opportunity was made possible through the innovative thinking of our Board of Director, Alice Lam. As a result of her continued involvement in the community, and effort in bringing this charitable opportunity to CIWA, Alice is the proud recipient of the Faces of the Community Award. Click here for more information.
Telus Donation
On February 4th, Telus Calgary Community Board Member and CEO of Calgary Children’s Cottage Society, Patty Kilgallon, delivered CIWA a check for $20,000 for the SMILES Childcare program on behalf of the Telus Friendly Future Foundation.
Burnet, Duckworth & Palmer LLP Donation 
On March 6th, CIWA was invited to an event at the Calgary Petroleum Club hosted by Burnet, Duckworth & Palmer LLP who presented CIWA with a generous donation in the amount of $5,000 to help us continue empowering immigrant and refugee women.
RBC Foundation
RBC Foundation is providing $20,000 in support of CIWA’s initiative to help young immigrant women between the ages of 15 and 29 prepare for future employment and economic independence through skill development and networking opportunities.
Workplace Excellence Award
CIWA is a proud recipient of United Way of Calgary and Area Workplace Excellence Award. This award celebrates the top 10, noteworthy campaigns that demonstrated industry excellence by exhibiting strong management support, a significant increase in both Leadership giving and total donations, a surge in employee involvement, and a fresh, innovative approach to their United Way campaign.
Easy Reading Business Development Tool
CIWA is proud to launch the “Easy Reading Business Development Tool for Women”. This online portal is designed to simplify business development information for mid-skilled immigrant women and helps users develop business plans. The tool provides all of the basic information necessary to become an entrepreneur in Alberta, specifically in Calgary. The tool is an easy-to-read, one-stop-shop tool providing users with information, quizzes, and calculators to help them assess, learn, and start up a business. You can access the free resource here.
Opportunities
Employment Training for Entry Level Positions
CIWA offers many training opportunities to help immigrant women secure employment. Training programs focus on helping newcomers find jobs in childcare, retail, food service (kitchen help, fast food and cook positions), housekeeping, security, front line customer service and administrative support roles, gain skills for jobs, build workplace vocabulary, and develop Canadian job search skills. Training is available to immigrant women who are permanent residents, have Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLBs) 3-6 and require support in obtaining meaningful employment.
For more information, contact Jenny Krabbe at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.';document.getElementById('cloakc75e6c866758d7fbf20b7fe1d7e94fc6').innerHTML += ''+addy_textc75e6c866758d7fbf20b7fe1d7e94fc6+'';
or 403-263-4414 ext. 118.
Employment Training for Professional Immigrant Women
Do you know a professional immigrant woman who is unemployed or underemployed, has Canadian Language Benchmarks of 7 or higher and is looking for employment in line with their knowledge and skills? CIWA offers a 24-week employment training designed to help professional immigrant women practice their skills and gain experience needed to join the Canadian workforce in various professional fields.
For more information, contact Roma Akram at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.';document.getElementById('cloakdd361c1ccebf97bda7748da31204af61').innerHTML += ''+addy_textdd361c1ccebf97bda7748da31204af61+'';
or 403-263-4414 ext. 127.
Pre-Employment Skills Program
Pre-employment support services are available to all immigrant women who want to enter the labour market or find employment commensurate with their skills and experience. Support includes one-on-one employment counselling, mock interview sessions, resume critiques and so much more.
For more information, contact Saifan Kosheryan at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.';document.getElementById('cloak66466cedb75dcee82ba8cd5d540e5602').innerHTML += ''+addy_text66466cedb75dcee82ba8cd5d540e5602+'';
or 403-263-4414 ext. 287.
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