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BCIS EXPRESS
Encounters With Canada was a truly
rewarding experience! For those who don’t know, it is a
leadership organization that works to inspire and
motivate youth to follow their passion, while gaining
incredible life skills. There are many theme weeks
available to cater to your interests and career paths.
Youth from all over Canada, who come from all walks of
life, meet up in the beautiful capital to engage in a week
filled with fun activities. The youth are personally picked
up at the Ottawa Airport, then welcomed at the Terry
Fox Youth Centre for the rest of their stay. The Terry
Fox Youth Centre accommodates approximately 150
people comfortably and come equipped with game
rooms, basketball courts and other amenities.
I attended the Arts & Culture week where I met
lots of vocally talented and musical students, all of
whom inspired me to do what I love and work on my
talents. Everyone made me feel welcome and at home.
I had no problem finding friends because everyone was
also trying to find people to hangout with for the
remainder of the week. After an adventurous day, we
would all get together in the cafeteria and sing songs as
dinner time approached. These were some of my
favourite moments because we all bonded on a much
more meaningful level. You could see the spark in
everyone’s eyes as they forgot about their troubles and
came together to harmonize and create
beautiful melodies.
Throughout the week there were many great
workshops that we attended. The one that stood out to
me most was an African drumming workshop. The
instructor, Fana Sora, was so amazing at his craft and
he had so many great stories to share with us. He is
originally from the Ivory Coast and is a professional
Jambe drum player. I really admired his outlook on life
because he stressed that whenever things didn’t go our
way, we should remain content and try to look for
positives instead of dwelling on the negatives. He was a
truly wise individual and signing up for his workshop was
one of the best decisions I made at Encounters with
Canada!
I would, without a doubt, recommend EWC to
anybody who is thinking about going. The memories
and friendships you attain there will last a lifetime. I
still
keep in touch with
the friends I made
and we have plans
of reuniting very
soon! I know
spending a week
across country
without family and
friends seems a bit
intimidating, but I
assure you, you’ll
have so much fun
and grow as a
person, you will not
regret it for a
second!
October 2016
YOUTH HAPPENINGS by Munira Tofa
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Hello, my
name is
Brian
Dunlop. I
have lived in
Brooks since
1979 and I
have seen
the town
grow from
around 1,200 people to a city of over 12,000.
I began volunteering about three (3) years ago and I
volunteer with ABLE, BCIS, BCALC and Spirit of
Grace Lutheran Church.
I started volunteering because I wanted to know
how I could help the immigrants coming to Brooks
as far as welcoming them and trying to make them
feel part of the community. I also have an interest in
their life story before they came to Canada.
The immigrants that I became involved with were mostly students
from Brooks Composite High School, through the BCIS Youth Program,
which consists of students from Grade 9 to Grade 12. I was
impressed with the students that I met, as they were very friendly,
accepting and appreciative of the help that I was able to offer.
When I meet a new family or student I always feel
good that I had the opportunity to meet them and
wish them success in their new life in Canada; I
hope they feel as if they are welcome in Canada
and especially in Brooks.
In the future I hope I continue to have the privilege
of meeting many new Canadians, that I can call a
friend.
VOLUNTEER NEWS by Brian Dunlop
Save the Date!
English Language Assessment
The team from SALAS will be at the Brooks
Campus of Medicine Hat College for two
assessment sessions.
Tuesday, October 11, 4-8 pm
Wednesday, October 12, 9 am-1 pm
To book an appointment, call the Brooks
Campus at (403)362-1677 and speak with
Lorelei, Khamla or Marian. You can also
call SALAS toll-free at 1-888-329-4811 or
email [email protected].
Recently, the Human Resources Manager at McDonald’s, Conrad
Clement spoke about the “Do’s and Don’ts” of how to apply for a
job. He also provided some insight on what recruiters like himself
look for in a perspective employee. This meant those in attendance
gained some valuable tips they wouldn’t find anywhere else. Clement
also gave a presentation for people interested working at
McDonald’s earlier in the afternoon, and even held some on-site
interviews.
EMPLOYMENT BLOG by Ryan Kiedrowski
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ALBERTA CULTURE DAYS
TFW CORNER by Kofi Adu-Parko
RECOMMENDATIONS TO REVAMP THE
TEMPORARY FOREIGN WORKER PROGRAM
Since the summer, a House of Commons Committee
toured Canada and received input on the government
plan to overhaul the Temporary Foreign Worker
Program (TFWP). After listening to Canadians and all
stakeholders, below are just a few of their
recommendations to Parliament.
That Employment and Social Development Canada
(ESDC) and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Canada (IRCC) take immediate steps to extend
work permits for caregivers in the low wage stream
from one to two years.
That ESDC take steps to eliminate the requirement
for employment-specific work permits.
That IRCC provide multiple entry work visas for
TFWs employed in seasonal work.
That IRCC review the current pathways to
permanent residency for all TFWs, with a view to
facilitating access to permanent residency for
migrant workers who have integrated into Canadian
society and are filling a permanent labour market
need.
That IRCC allocate adequate resources to allow for
the timely processing of permanent residency
applications for migrant workers hired under the
TFWP.
That ESDC in collaboration with stakeholders,
establish measures to ensure that incoming migrant
workers and their employers are informed of their
rights and responsibilities under the TFWP
including dispute resolution and abuse reporting
procedures.
If you want more information regarding the
recommendations to the House of Commons, please
contact the TFWP support staff at BCIS.
Pictured: Alberta Culture Days 2015
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UPCOMING EVENTS AND WORKSHOPS
Bay 2-500 Cassils Road East
Brooks, Alberta
Phone: 403-362-0404 ~ Fax: 403-362-0435
Office Hours
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 8:30am-4:30pm
Wednesday 8:30am-7:00pm
Friday 8:30am -2:00pm
Connect with us!
Brooks & County Immigration
Services
www.bcis-brooks.ca
Funded by/Financé par:
@askBCIS
Lunch & Learn Series
Held on the last Wednesday of
each month.
Wednesday, October 26
12-1 pm
Family Sponsorship
Be sure you have all the updated
information you need to sponsor your
family.
Sunday, October 23
1 pm
Newcomer Orientation
Important information for newcomers
to the community.
PLUS
Winter Driving
Be safe on the road this winter.
Sunday, October 30
1 pm
October 10
OFFICE CLOSED FOR
Thanksgiving!
RCMP Recruitment
Interested in a career in the
RCMP? Find out what is required
to be an RCMP officer.
Wednesday, October 5
4:30 pm
Alberta Culture Days
Join us a we celebrate culture in
Brooks.
September 30 - October 2
