Calgary Immigrant Educational Society

(C.I.E.S.)

2011 - 2012

24th Annual General Meeting - June 21, 2012

We come from all around the world to make Canada our home!

Program Staff with volunteer tutor and Drop-in ESL students

Mission Statement Our mission is to provide education, multimedia information, job bank, and referral services to

newcomers and economically disadvantaged Calgarians to help them find their rightful places in

Canadian society.

Goals 1. To provide English as a Second Language classes to newcomers

2. To assist newcomers and low income Canadians to become more sufficient through

employment

3. To provide fair access to newcomers to existing services and organizations by helping them

overcome the various barriers

4. To promote mutual understanding and respect between the mainstream and the ethnic

community on cultural issues

Objectives To help newcomers and economically disadvantaged Calgarians become productive and

successful.

Calgary Immigrant Educational Society

1723 – 40th

Street S.E. 3820 - 32 Street N.E.

Calgary, Alberta T2A 7Y3 Calgary, Alberta T1Y 7L9

Tel: 403-235-3666 Tel: 403-291-0002

Fax: 403-272-7455 Fax: 403-291-0004

Email: info@immigrant-education.ca Email: info@welcomeimmigrants-calgary.ca

Website: www.immigrant-education.ca Website: www.welcomeimmigrants-calgary.ca

Charity #: 130143373 RR0001

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Board of Directors 2011 — 2012

William J. Johnson Q.C.

President

Carlos Qafaiti Elizabeth Bertram Philip Baker Peter Plesche

Vice President Secretary Treasurer Director

Brian Simpson M’Liss Edwards Amarjit Rakhra

Director Director Director

Program Managers

Salim M. Sindhu Amie Lo Dr. Sally Zhao

Executive Director Office Manager Manager, LINC Program

Agnes Wong Noureddine Bouissoukrane Kerry Huang

Manager Manager Manager

Training Programs Computer/Employment Programs ESL/Volunteer Programs

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Ladies and Gentlemen:

On behalf of the Board of Directors and staff of Calgary Immigrant Educational Society (C.I.E.S.), I welcome you to our 24th Annual General Meeting. I would like to take this opportunity to extend our appreciation to the volunteers and board members who gave their time and talents to help C.I.E.S. in many different ways. I give my sincere thanks to the staff who have generously given their time and efforts to the successful administration and implementation of our programs and services. Their commitment to our good causes and the objectives of the Society are appreciated. In addition, I thank all our partners and stakeholders who have supported C.I.E.S. throughout the years. I am so very proud of all the things that we have been able to accomplish together.

On behalf of C.I.E.S., I express my heartfelt thanks to our funders and donors for their continuous support and understanding. Funders and donors for our last financial year included: Alberta Employment & Immigration, Alberta Gaming, Alberta Government — Human Services, Burns Memorial Fund, Calgary Learns, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Community Facility Enhancement Program, Community Spirit Donation Grant, Service Canada, TELUS Calgary Community Board, United Way of Calgary and Area, private and corporate donations

We have a steady growth in both of our programs and number of employees during the past year. The Board is very pleased to see that C.I.E.S. has a good management team comprising of dedicated Department Managers who work closely with all staff and make our organization thrive in many ways. As in previous years, I want to express the Board of Directors’ appreciation for the hard work and excellent leadership of Salim Sindhu (our CEO).

At present, C.I.E.S. has 60 staff and more than 100 volunteers working in a 15,000 sq. ft. office building. We are experiencing shortage of space and having challenge of expanding our existing programs and services. In 2005, our Executive Director, Salim Sindhu, and Board of Directors had a vision to either lease or build our second office building. An outside consultant was hired to develop our Society’s strategic plan 2008 ~ 2012 including a strategic goal to have a second site. Since then, we made our efforts to raise funds for our second building project. We were very fortunate to get funds from Community Facility Enhancement Program for building construction and our private donors for the capital investment and technology for the new building ~ “Welcome Centre for New Immigrants”. We needed to borrow $2.2 million from Canadian Western Bank to complete the building project. The total cost for the 22,000 sq. ft. new building located at 3820 - 32 Street N.E., Calgary, from land purchase and ground up was $5.7 million. Many thanks to our L.I.N.C. students to organize a lot of fund raising events such as “Bake Sale”, “Book Sale”, “Lunch With Your C.I.E.S. Family”, etc. for the new building. Also, special thank you to our Architect, Mr. Allan Law of SAHURI + partners Architecture and General Contractors, Reed Atwood Builders Inc. for their hard work. I would like to inform the membership that our second new building is now complete and we have already started our L.I.N.C. Program, L.I.N.C. Home Study Program, and childminding service over there. The official opening of the “Welcome Centre for New Immigrants” will be on July 12, 2012. You will be cordially invited for this event.

Lastly, on behalf of the Board of Directors, I thank all of you for attending our 24th annual general meeting. Thank you.

Sincerely,

William J. Johnson, Q.C. President, Board of Directors C.I.E.S. June 21, 2012

President’s Report

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Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) Program

(funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada)

Calgary Immigrant Educational Society has been successfully providing the LINC program for newcomers to Canada for the past 22 years. This program helps newcomers learn English language skills to smoothly integrate themselves into Canadian culture and society. From April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2012, we offered thirty two LINC classes in total, ten full-time classes (Monday to Friday) and twenty-two part-time morning, afternoon, evening (Monday to Thursday), and weekend classes (Saturday and Sunday). We have assisted a total of 611 newcomers in the LINC program. The following table and chart provide the detailed information (F/T 1=Full-time Level 1; P/T 1=Part-time Level 1, and so on) regarding the LINC classes we offered.

LINC Program

Figure 1: LINC classes provided by C.I.E.S. from April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2012

Classes

Month F/T 1 F/T 2 F/T 3 P/T 1 P/T 2 P/T 3 P/T 4 Total F/T 4 F/T 5 P/T 5 P/T

Liter-acy

Apr. 11 2 2 2 6 4 4 2 30 2 2 3 1

May 11 2 2 2 6 4 4 2 30 2 2 3 1

Jun. 11 2 2 2 6 4 4 2 30 2 2 3 1

Jul. 11 2 2 2 6 4 4 3 31 2 2 3 1

Aug. 11 2 2 2 6 4 4 3 31 2 2 3 1

Sept. 11 2 2 2 6 4 4 3 31 2 2 3 1

Oct. 11 2 2 2 6 4 4 3 31 2 2 3 1

Nov. 11 2 2 2 6 4 4 4 32 2 2 3 1

Dec.. 11 2 2 2 6 4 4 4 32 2 2 3 1

Jan. 12 2 2 2 6 4 4 4 32 2 2 3 1

Feb. 12 2 2 2 6 4 4 4 32 2 2 3 1

Mar. 12 2 2 2 6 4 4 4 32 2 2 3 1

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Our classes are composed of immigrants from various ethnic and cultural backgrounds such as Asian, Middle Eastern, Eastern European, South American, African and many others, from about 72 different countries. The following table and pie chart explain the percentage breakdown of our students’ countries of

origin:

Figure 2: LINC clients assisted by C.I.E.S. from April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2012

The LINC program assists newcomers integrate into Canadian culture through various activities, such as field trips and presentations given by guest speakers as well as in-class English language/other skills training. This program is delivered through the recommended curriculum of the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) and our in-house curricula that address various issues, such as shopping/food, health, cultures, technology, entertainment, employment, environment, communities, holidays, Alberta, Canada, citizenship, education and many more. Students are exposed to field trips that reinforce the lessons they learn in the classroom. During this period, our Society organized field trips to attend various places: Downtown Calgary, Glenbow Museum, Calgary Public Library, Calgary Zoo, Heritage Park, and Fort Calgary to mention a few. We would like to especially acknowledge Glenbow Museum and The Calgary Zoo for providing sufficient tickets as well as Heritage Park and Fort Calgary for granting us a discount admission for our students’ field trips. On these educational

trips, students also learn about various holidays and events that take place in Canada. Taking part in these celebrations and activities allows students to better understand and appreciate Canadian traditions and culture.

LINC Program

Country Ethiopia Iraq India Vietnam

Columbia Sudan

% 12.6% 9.8% 7.8% 7.7% 5.1% 4.6%

Country Mexico China Somalia Philip-pines

Eritrea Other

% 4.4% 4.1% 3.8% 3.3% 2.9% 33.9%

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With the financial support of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), C.I.E.S. provides full-time and part-time Childminding services which allows students to attend the LINC program while their children participate in our innovative child-care service. Children from various cultural backgrounds have the opportunity to have fun and play together while their parents attend English language, life skills, and employment skills training. With the ratio of 1 - 6 (1 childminder for 6 children who are between 19 months to 6 years old), we have assisted 133 children from April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2012. It is available to both full-time and part-time LINC students at C.I.E.S.. Teachers, childminders, volunteers and the administrative staff who help students of the LINC program are the backbone of our Society. C.I.E.S. would like to thank and acknowledge all the LINC teachers, volunteers, childminders, substitute teachers and substitute childminders, and the management staff for their incredible contribution and dedication.

Our guest speakers that we would like to thank are Mike Hagen and Sam Khella from Calgary Police Services; Silvia Song from Alberta Health Services; Cliona Currant, Andrea Eitle, Kayley Fesko, Michelle Dias, and Kim Fisher from City of Calgary; Mazin Sleiman and Rosy Lall from Mortgage Brokers Ltd; Michael Bejerman from University of Calgary; Debra Hidson, Delby Aurtor, and Darlene Weger from Canadian Diabetes Association; Cassy Allen from US Consulate; Jay Siegrist from Canadian Scholarship Trust Plan; Dorothy Wong from Canada Revenue Agency; Amarjit Rakhra, Rakesh Vashista, Krista Gullage, and Janey Ali from ATB Financial; Tanya Macdonald from Genworth Financial; and Adrian Thistleton from World Financial Group. All of these groups and people helped enrich our LINC activities to better help our students integrate into Canadian culture. We wish to extend our appreciation to our various partners and fellow organizations as well. We would like to thank Mr. James Russell and Mr. Greg Doudican, our officers from Citizenship and Immigration Canada for their continuous support of this program, and we would also like to thank Ms. Krystyna Biel, the Manager of Immigrant Language and Vocational Assessment-Referral Centre (ILVARC), Shiraz Amiry, the counseling team leader at ILVARC, and the assessment team and counselors for their great work. Their unfailing support enables our LINC program to better accommodate the high demand of the newcomers for English language training, especially for the newcomers in the Forest Lawn area . In the fiscal year of 2011 to 2012, we conducted 32 LINC classes. To accommodate these number, in addition to fully utilizing the space we have in our current building, we rented an additional 3,000 square feet space to bolster our capacity within walking distance to our main building. We are pleased to be moving forward and working together with our funder and partner organizations and look forward to many more years of successful joint efforts for this great cause.

LINC Program

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LINC Students’ Experience at C.I.E.S.

Full time LINC Level 5 Student’s Testimonials: (Teacher’s name: Jana Ciobanu)

Juan Antonio’s Success Story

“Good evening everyone, my name is Juan Antonio Salazar and I am in LINC 5A. I’m from Mexico and I

have been living in Canada for about two and a half years. When I decided to move to Canada, I had no idea

what challenges I was going to face and how difficult it would be to live in a country with a different language.

I remember when I got to Canada, I couldn’t say any word and I didn’t understand anything, my life was

hard and miserable, I felt like I was living in a bubble where there was not enough air to breathe. I had no

idea what to do. Then things got better because I got a job. I was working with someone who was from my

city in Mexico. I considered myself lucky I got a job where I didn’t have to speak English because didn’t

know it, but on the other hand, I was frustrated because I was living in Canada and was not able to speak

any English at all.

However, God is always there, he always sends a light. At that moment I thought that I needed to do

something for trying to learn English and in my free time, which wasn’t much, I started to use the Internet

and I found a lot of English websites to practice my English. My listening comprehension was becoming

better, but unfortunately my pronunciation was not better enough and still isn’t. This is something I have to

work on.

At that moment I realized that all I needed was to go to school. As soon as possible I went to ILVARC to be

tested. To me it was a big surprise, because ILVARC placed me in LINC3.That’s how I got to teacher Peter‘s

LINC 3 class at CIES. Teacher Peter encouraged me to speak and helped me develop the confidence that I

was lacking. He used to make us do small presentations in front of everybody in class. I really appreciate all

the hard work Peter has done. I passed the test and I was promoted to LINC 4.When I started LINC 4 with

teacher Jana and Kevin, I felt lost, I was not sure if I was using the right grammar and the right vocabulary.

LINC 4 was very hard for me since I had to catch up on a lot of things I had missed. But, like teacher Peter,

my new teachers: Jana and Kevin helped me a lot. I remember their classes were really beneficial to me

since not only had I learned much grammar but also practiced speaking a lot. LINC5, however, has been the

most challenging of all levels because teacher Albert has had high expectations for us, the level of English

was much higher and the class was more academic. I felt bad at the beginning and for some time I was

hesitating whether I was in the right class, but I kept working hard and I never gave up.

Today I can speak English and now I have new dreams and plans for my life and trust me, hard work, pays

off. But, there is one thing that each student has to acknowledge, hadn’t it been for my teachers and my

school, I wouldn’t be standing here today talking to all of you. I would like to take this opportunity and say

thank you to my teachers, to the administration staff and to the government for giving us such a chance to

learn English.

Good luck to all my classmates and may God bless my teachers and my school. Thank you from the bottom

of my heart!”

LINC Program

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LINC Students’ Experience at C.I.E.S. (continued)

Part time LINC Level 3 Student’s Testimonial (Teacher’s name: Antonietta Pagliaro)

“My name is Hana. I am from Ethiopia. I came to Canada in September 2011. After one month, I started LINC

classes in level 2. I was interested because our teacher tried hard to explain the lessons to the class and so that

we could have a better life in Canada.

Before this, I couldn't speak or communicate in English, but when I came to C.I.E.S. that changed.

It changed my life. Now I can communicate, work and if I need help I can explain myself. I remember a time,

when I couldn't speak yet, something terrible happened. I was walking home at night and a man began to

follow me. He was saying many bad things to me. All I could do was cry, I couldn't even turn and say anything

to him because all that I could say were words in my language. I was helpless. Thankfully someone saw what

was happening and came to help me. Now I feel much more confident thanks to my classes and know that if

ever I have another emergency, I will be able to call someone for help.

On January 3rd, I came to level 3. Our teacher does her best and I always understand what she is explaining.

She gives us homework, we have conversation practise, listening, reading and writing. I am very happy to be a

student at this school and want to continue because I know it is helping me personally and interpersonally.”

Part time LINC Level 2 Student’s Testimonial: (Teacher’s name: Svitlana Parasiuk)

“Hi, everybody:

Let me introduce myself. My name is Maryam Tomeh. I am a student of a part-time class 2C. I am 50 years

old. I immigrated to Canada with my husband and my 2 kids. My children are 23 and 26 years old now. We

came to Canada to give them a better life and better choices than we had in our own country, Syria.

You know, what is happening right now in Syria. There is political, social, and humanitarian crisis in my

country. The country and people are torn apart. Every day I worry about my family members over there. Are

they safe, are they alive? People are scared and traumatized. In Syria I was a teacher. And I am grateful to the

Canadian government for giving me an opportunity to study English in C.I.E.S.

I am very happy with my teachers, my managers, and my classmates. I feel at home here. The staff is

professional, helpful, and friendly. It’s a pleasure to be here for 3 hours every day. I go to school with a smile

on my face. My goal is to finish 5 levels in C.I.E.S. and proceed with my education. My dream is to work as a

teacher again.

I started my life with zero in Canada, I accept the challenges and I appreciate your help and understanding. I

want to thank Canada and the staff of C.I.E.S. for providing many services for the immigrants like me. Thank

you so much and God bless you all.”

Maryam

LINC Program

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LINC Literacy and Basic English Program

(funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada)

While running the LINC Program and offering LINC 1 to LINC 5 classes we found that quite a few LINC eligible clients were waiting for our Literacy and Basic English language class before they could function in LINC 1 class. In order to better accommodate the high demands for a Literacy and Basic English language class, we applied to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) for launching a part time LINC Literacy Program to accommodate the needs of adult immigrants and refugees who are LINC eligible but non-literate in the English language, or have a CLB Literacy Assessment done at ILVARC and received pre-benchmark scores. With the approval of CIC we started our part-time evening LINC Literacy class in May 2009. The LINC Literacy Program and ESL Literacy and Basic English Program share the same established in-house curriculum and objectives. The curriculum is designed in a way that both theme-oriented activities and hands-on learning technique are employed. The instructor follows the curriculum while making necessary adjustments to fit the needs of the students in each session. They create encouraging, safe and positive learning environments so that the students feel comfortable answering questions without being afraid of making mistakes. Thus, the participants of the LINC Literacy Program are prepared to move up in terms of both English language improvement and confidence level.

In the last fiscal year from April 2011 to March 2012, a total number of 62 students were educated, 18 male and 44 female students. 39% of the participants passed and moved up to the LINC or other ESL programs such as Drop-In ESL, which is also offered at our Society.

This is the third year we are offering the LINC Literacy Program. In order to accommodate more clients and shorten the waiting period, with the approval of our funder, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, we began to intake 12 instead of 10 students per session as of the fiscal year of 2010 to 2011. However, we still have quite a long waitlist for each session. We would like to thank Citizenship and Immigration Canada for funding this program, which enables so many LINC eligible clients in need of literacy support to benefit from the fundamental English language skills and confidence they have gained from the LINC Literacy Program. We would also like to extend our gratitude to ILVARC for their continuous support. We look forward to working together for many more successful years with our funder and our partner organizations to provide the literacy support for our needed clients.

LINC Literacy Program

10

The 62 students in the LINC Literacy class in the fiscal year of 2011 to 2012 are from 18 different countries. Please see below the table and pie chart for details.

Country of Origin and Number of Students

LINC Literacy Program

Figure 1: LINC Literacy clients assisted by C.I.E.S. from April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2012

Afghanistan Iraq Ethiopia Somalia Myanmar Columbia Lebanon Vietnam Ecuador

11 9 6 6 5 4 4 3 2

India Kenya Nigeria El Salvador Guate-mala

Haiti Laos Napali Sudan

2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1

Figure 1: LINC Literacy clients assisted by C.I.E.S. from April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2012

11

Drop-In ESL Program

(funded by Alberta Employment and Immigration)

The Calgary Immigrant Educational Society has delivered Drop-In ESL program since 1988, which aims at helping newcomers to Canada acquire necessary linguistic skills that would facilitate a smooth transition into Canadian culture. CIES currently offers three afternoon and four evening Drop-In ESL daily classes from Monday to Thursday. The Drop-In ESL Program provides a service to a portion of residents living in the Forest Lawn and surrounding communities. These individuals are unable to obtain access to ESL programs offered by other institutions. A large number of people registering for the program is a key indicator that the program is much needed. During 2011-2012, there were 520 clients registered for the program and had an average of 1,100 students attended the class each month. The Drop-In ESL Program provides three different levels of instruction - pre-basic, basic and intermediate. In the afternoon, we offer 3 different classes at each level all year round. In the evening, we offer four classes – two of which are basic - one each for pre-basic and intermediate. This is very convenient for students who have to schedule their learning needs around work schedules and other obligations. The students learn English through a thematic approach during a four-month cycle. The curriculums are relevant to their lives by subjects that include daily living and the employment skills needed in Canada. Each lesson stands on its own which allows the students who cannot attend class daily to share the benefits of not having to catch up with missed days. The volunteer tutors who teach the classes bring their own experience and creativity to add a variety of unique perspectives for the students. In addition, new teaching materials and activities have been constantly added to daily lesson plans by the ESL program manager and coordinator to better accommodate the students’ needs. The structure of the program allows the students to develop

communicative competence and enhance life and employability skills. These skills are grouped under seven major themes that consist of:

1. Consumer Skills – Banking & Money, Shopping: Understanding Canadian currency; 2. Living in Alberta and Canada – Communities and government services, Alberta, Canada,

Weather/Seasons/Environment: Understanding Canadian culture and their residing communities, and acquiring knowledge about living in Canada;

3. My Family and I – Self & Family: Understanding and expressing information about themselves;

4. Employment – Employment, Education & Training: Understanding various workforces in Canada, rights and responsibilities of workers and employers, and essential job searching techniques;

5. Leisure: Entertainment, Holidays/Vacation, Transportation & Traveling: Understanding various types of transportation in Canada and how Canadians spend their leisure time and celebrate holidays;

6. Health – Food & Nutrition, Health & Fitness, Emergencies & Medical: Understanding the importance of good hygiene, keeping good health, and medical system in Canada; and

7. Housing – Housing: Understanding how to purchase, rent and maintain various types of homes in Canada.

Drop-In ESL Program

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Each of the above themes follows a similar outline: Competency objectives; Phonics, Vocabulary and Expression; Grammar structure; Functions and strategies for social interaction; Sample conversations; Speaking/Listening activities; and Reading/Writing activities.

Lesson materials are updated continuously. We always make every effort to implement new materials and activities into our program to meet students’ needs. A series of writing activities and materials related to weekly themes has been added to our curriculum for all three levels. This change has been made since October 2011 based on the students’ performances of assessment in September 2011 as well as upon students’ requests we received from monthly questionnaires. Also, an extra half hour phonics class, mainly focusing on pronunciation practice of basic common words, has been delivered since Feb 2012 on every Monday and Wednesday before the classes to help lower level students, especially pre-basic students to improve their speaking skills. Moreover, additional relevant topics are also covered along with supplementary materials contributed by the volunteer tutors who are encouraged to add and share new materials to enhance the lessons and the learning experience. In addition to classroom learning, we arrange field trips to Calgary Zoo, Calgary Public Library, Glenbow Museum and Heritage Park when the themes of teaching are appropriate and relevant. Guest speakers are also invited to give mini presentations. The topics include banking, employment, education, health & fitness and communities & government services. The role of volunteer tutors has always been and will continue to be exceptionally valuable to this program. Each volunteer tutor will be interviewed, reference checked, trained, and then supervised by the program manager to ensure quality instruction for the students. Furthermore, the volunteer tutors can attend training seminars conducted by the program manager or at other institutions such as Bow Valley College. In the past, these training workshops covered issues that are pertinent to ESL teaching such as ESL tutor skills and how to work with adult ESL learners. As a result, the volunteer tutors are able to create or expand their teaching philosophies and establish teaching styles that best suit their personalities and characteristics as well as using best practices in TESL methodology. During 2011 – 2012, 76 volunteers spent a total of 4,326 hours both in and out of the traditional classroom setting. Most of volunteers made a commitment to teach a minimum of one class, 2.5 hours, per week. A few of them even came twice a week. Their commitment and flexibility gave the manager great and essential supports. We would like to wholeheartedly thank the dedicated and enthusiastic volunteer tutors who make this program possible and successful. Due to the nature of this program being drop-in, it has been a challenge evaluating the students’ progress; therefore, we rely on more than one method. The manager of the Drop-In ESL program and ESL coordinator monitor student’s progress with constant feedback from the volunteer tutors as well as their own observations when teaching. We also establish ongoing dialogues with individual students. Furthermore, we realized that new sets of comprehensive assessment tools were required to be developed to measure the student’s progress in a more precise manner - in English language proficiency and knowledge increase. Therefore, a twenty-month project of developing comprehensive assessment tools to measure Drop-In ESL student’s progress was completed in June 2011 and had been officially implemented since

Drop-In ESL Program

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September 2011. The newly designed assessment tools measures the drop-In ESL participants’ progress in

terms of their knowledge increase (e.g. life skills, social skills, information-based knowledge) as well as their English language growth. All the students are assessed every four months. After the testing, the manager also prepares the performance checklist for each student, goes over the test results, and discusses progress with each student orally as well as promotes some students to higher level classes. In conclusion, the Drop-In ESL program provides adult immigrant pathways to further their ESL study and a life-long learning opportunity, especially for those adult learners who are unable to enroll in regular ESL programs offered by other institutions. All of our students highly appreciate this program, which enables them to build their English Language skills whenever they have time to learn.

We would like to give special thanks to Ms. Christine Land, Manager of the Language Training Program, and Ms. Kelly McKean, Innovative Language Consultant at Alberta Employment and Immigration, for their continuous guidance and support.

Drop-In ESL Program

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Participant Statistics - Countries of Origin

April 1, 2011 ~ March 31, 2012

Total of students: 520

Drop-In ESL Program

Afghanistan 9 Ghana 3 Morocco 2

Algeria 1 Guatemala 8 Myanmar 1

Argentina 1 Guinea 5 Nicaragua 1

Burma 2 Haiti 5 Pakistan 4

Cambodia 10 Hong Kong 7 Philippines 2

Chad 1 India 15 Peru 8

China 46 Iran 3 Russia 4

Colombia 25 Iraq 11 Sri Lanka 2

Congo 17 Israel 1 Syria 1

Cuba 6 Ivory Coast 2 Sierra Leone 3

Canada 2 Kazakhstan 1 Somalia 8

Djibouti 1 Kenya 1 Spain 1

EI Salvador 20 Libya 1 Sudan 51

Eritrea 11 Laos 2 Ukraine 2

Ethiopia 65 Lebanon 1 Vietnam 101

Ecuador 1 Jordan 2 West Africa 1

Fiji 1 Mexico 37 Total 520

Georgia 1 Mali 3

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Participant Statistics - Gender

April 1, 2011 ~ March 31, 2012

Total of male students: 161

Total of female students: 359

Drop-in ESL Students’ Comments at C.I.E.S.

“My name is Li Yang. I come from China. I have lived in Canada for three and half years. I have been

attending Drop-In class at C.I.E.S. since January 2011. This program helps me improve my English in

listening, speaking, reading and writing.

In this class, I have learned English language and Canadian culture. I really appreciate my teachers, who

are all volunteers help us learn English. Besides, we also have the wonderful lesson plans prepared by the

program manager and coordinator, which provide us the good learning materials.

The Drop-In ESL class is very helpful and unique. Thanks to C.I.E.S and Alberta Employment and

Immigration to fund this wonderful program. Now I am accepted to Employment Skills Training program at

C.I.E.S. and I feel very proud of myself.”

Drop-In ESL Program

16

Literacy and Basic English Program

(funded by Alberta Employment and Immigration)

CIES currently offers a morning and an afternoon Literacy and Basic English classes on a daily basis from Monday to Thursday. The goal of this program is to introduce the basics of the English language to low-literacy participants and minimize language-learning obstacles experienced by this particular group of adult learners. The program consists of adult immigrants who have had a CLB Literacy Assessment done by ILVARC and received pre-benchmark scores. Most of the students only have had a few years of education in their home countries. Some of them even have absolutely no prior schooling experience before joining this class. This program helps adult learners develop basic literacy skills and learn strategies which prepare them for future ESL study, such as LINC and Drop-In ESL program. Moreover, due to language and education barriers, these groups of students lack self-esteem and confidence. The implementation of this program not only builds their confidence gradually over time, but also raises their desire to continue learning the English language. In other words, their self-esteem would improve by acquiring new language skills through this program. It is for these reasons that this program is extremely valuable for many adult immigrants. The program accepts all financially challenged adult immigrants. It also enhances the socio-economic well being of those immigrants who are marginalized and close to the poverty level. Seeing majority of the adult immigrants fall under the low-income category resides in Greater Forest Lawn area, it is unarguably the reason why the program is offered at no cost to them. Also, since the men are the sole providers in most of the immigrant families, it is extremely crucial to have an ESL program that provides an opportunity for them to improve their overall communication skills. Both of the classes we offer extend over a course of 10 weeks with over 100 hours of classroom instructional time. The students are mainly from Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, India, Pakistan and Mexico. There are about 10 students per session studying a combination of directional, responsive, manipulative and communicative approaches that has been implemented into this program. There is also an established curriculum with scheduled activities and evaluation components. A hands-on learning technique allows them to practice what they learned with the support of visual aids such as flashcards, printed handouts, worksheets and other activities. Some of the topics covered are: Upper-and lower-case letters, phonics, numbers 0 to 100, familiar objects in the classroom, days, months, years, family, weather/seasons, colours/shapes, shopping, introduction to time and money. The instructors here create an encouraging, positive and hands-on learning environment for all students. Additional worksheets and necessary lesson adjustments are continuously added and updated into curriculum binders for each session. The instructors also plan interactive games to review the lessons. For example, alphabet sound puzzles are used to review letters and sounds. The students enjoy playing these kinds of games and grasp the basic language skills quickly and easily. Question cubes are used to practice answering simple questions such as their names, addresses and phone numbers. Phonetic lessons focus on the corresponding sounds and symbols with target letters; sounds are always presented in the context of known vocabulary. Pictures related to the texts help learners understand what is being spoken, read and/or written. With the class being learner-centered, the students are given plenty of opportunities to put what they have learned into practice.

Literacy and Basic English Program

17

The objectives of the Literacy and Basic English program are to:

· address the identified need for adult English literacy instruction in Forest Lawn and its surrounding communities;

· provide adults with financial barriers, both men and women, with the essential foundation of English at no cost;

· enhance the self-esteem and confidence of the adult immigrants as they acquire pre-basic language skills;

· increase the interest and potential for further ESL education; and · increase community awareness and understanding through newly acquired relationships with

English speaking Calgarians.

All these objectives were successfully achieved from 2011 to 2012. It is amazing to see the progress made by each individual and how excited they become as their confidence level increases as they learn English. Fodie Sacko is one of the many new immigrants from the Ivory Coast who have no English learning experience prior to coming to Canada. He is a hard-working and conscientious student with perfect attendance and always arrives at school earlier than the other students. His persistence in learning prompted the instructor to give him extra worksheet to practice at home. Now he knows his numbers, colors, nouns, and verbs very well and he even can fill up personal information on forms. Fodie had made huge progress and was successfully moved to Drop-In ESL program by the end of the session. Due to his financial situation, the program manager also waived his tuition of Drop-In ESL Program, which allowed Fodie to continue his ESL class. Phung is another good example of successful English progression. She is originally from Vietnam and has lived in Calgary for ten years. However, due to surrounding environment where she works and lives, English is rarely used. Her weakest skill was speaking with correct pronunciation. Many of the English tones and sounds are nonexistent in her native language and she had trouble forming the proper sounds. With the instructor’s help, she gradually improved her speaking skills and became more

comfortable when attempting to form new words. She was promoted to Drop-In ESL pre-basic class after she had finished her 100 ESL Literacy instructional hours. Furthermore, most of the students were eager to learn and gave 100% class participation. Over 75% of the participants who have consistent attendance are now ready for English classes at a higher level. Either they move on to the LINC program or other ESL programs such as Drop-In ESL, which is also offered at our Society. Students who are considered for this advancement will have successfully demonstrated efforts in the following areas:

· making short conversations in English e.g. greetings, giving personal information, etc.; · recognizing English language alphabet, and simple words such as man and woman; · writing short sentences; · recognizing simple words such as dog and cat; · understanding the usages of subject pronouns and question words (who, what, when, where) and

was able to use them correctly; · recognizing basic items such as food, clothing, transportation, body parts, colours, numerals, etc.

in English language; · recognizing and be able to express days of the week, months, and years; · enrolling in further ESL programs such as Drop-In ESL or LINC; and

· obtaining foundations and basic essentials for further English language training.

Literacy and Basic English Program

18

To track learning progress, bi-weekly quizzes, midterm and final tests are the indicators used to evaluate individual students and learning curve of the lessons. Extra practices on writing alphabet, name, address and vocabulary were assigned to those students with relatively weaker English skills. Some students proactively asked their instructors for extra work so that they could practice or review their English at home before class. In conclusion, this program definitely addresses the Pre-basic ESL Literacy needs of both women and men residing in the Forest Lawn and surrounding communities. It presents an opportunity for them to improve their reading, writing, speaking and listening skills in English. They will be educated about Canadian history, living and working in Canada, employment and education which will then help them contribute to their communities. We would like to thank Alberta Employment and Immigration to fund this program, and we are looking forward to receiving their continuous support and guidance in the future.

Literacy and Basic English Program

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Participant Statistics-Gender

April 1, 2011 ~ March 31, 2012

Total of male students: 33

Total of female students: 67

Others: Chad, Cambodia, Congo, Costa Rica, Ivory Coast,

Laos, Morocco, and Philippines

Literacy and Basic English Program

Participant Statistics-Countries of Origin

April 1, 2011 ~ March 31, 2012

Total of 100 students

Afghanistan 6 Iraq 5

Bhutan 12 Mexico 5

China 3 Pakistan 5

Colombia 7 Somalia 8

Ethiopia 7 Sudan 20

Guatemala 2 Vietnam 6

India 5 Others 9

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Volunteers are the backbone of Calgary Immigrant Educational Society. Their commitment and contribution allow us to provide more comprehensive services to our clients. Their generosity and commitment help adult immigrants acquire and polish their English language skills, familiarize with Canadian culture, and integrate into Canadian society smoothly. Our volunteers contribute in many areas. Besides helping in ESL programs such as Drop-In ESL, Literacy and Basic English and

LINC programs as volunteer tutors or teachers’ assistants, there are individuals who assisted in areas such as maintaining computers, helping in computer classes or providing administrative assistance. Moreover, we have volunteers who prepare tax returns for economically challenged members and seniors in our communities in March and April every year. This year, George Fisher, Kim Holmes and Susan Norman filed a total of one hundred and fifty eight income tax returns. We would like to thank their contribution to the residents living in Forest Lawn and surrounding communities. During 2011-2012, Executive Director, Board of Directors, staff at CIES and 109 volunteers contributed a total of 7,870 hours to our Society. We are fortunate to have a group of dedicated volunteers for all of our programs, especially ESL volunteer tutors, who played an important role in the success of Drop-In ESL program. Without their commitment, we will not be able to offer and run the program at all. Their dedication and commitment have a tremendous impact on the adult immigrants who come to our Society not only for learning English language but also understanding Canadian culture. The more positive interactions new Canadians have with other Calgarians, the easier it would be for them to find a sense of belonging in Canada. Therefore, each of our volunteers’ support is significant and become the most valuable asset of CIES. We would also like to express special thanks to our volunteer Board of Directors for their continuous support, guidance, and dedication.

Volunteer Hours

May 1, 2011 ~ April 30, 2012

Total number of volunteers: 109

Total volunteer hours: 7,870

Volunteer Program

21

Fund-raising at Elbow River Casino

In order to raise funds for the Society, especially for certain programs which are not funded by traditional funders, we applied to Alberta Gaming and started to participate in volunteering at a casino. In 2012, we volunteered at Elbow River Casino on March 13 and March 14.

There were twenty-eight volunteers participated in this fund-raising event in March, 2012, including students from LINC program, Drop-In ESL program and previous graduates from our Employment Skills Training program as well as our dedicated board members and staff. The two-day event ended successfully and everyone had a wonderful time.

We would like to thank our advisors for the casino event, Jim Nguyen, Ritchie Bogle and Nola Brodsky for their guidance and assistance. We would also like to express our appreciation to the Board members, volunteers, students and staff who contributed their time and efforts. The next casino fundraising event will be held during July/August/September 2013. Following is the volunteer list for casino event in March 2012:

Volunteer Experiences at C.I.E.S.—By Nora McTague (Basic Class Tutor)

“I have found volunteering for CIES is the best volunteer experience that I have had. I have found virtually

every class to be exciting and rewarding. I remember that at the end of my first class that I didn’t want it to

end. I was amazed at how quickly 4:00 o’clock came. The students are ever so eager to learn and are very

appreciative for the work the volunteers put into the classes.

In teaching I meet wonderful people from so many places around the world with interesting stories and

cultures. My students are admirable. They have left their native lands and chosen Canada to be their new

home. In many cases they have endured great hardships to come here. They have left family and friends to

start new lives. I am proud to help them in the least little bit to become more comfortable and confident in our country and with our culture. However, I am also a better person for having met them. And Canada is

a better place for their choice to come here. Immigrants such as the students at CIES only serve to make

our home a better, culturally richer, more interesting and more diverse place.

The diversity of the CIES students is quite remarkable. We have students from Africa, South America, Asia

and Eastern Europe. However there are many common threads. CIES students often become good friends

who are eager to help each other learn this incredibly difficult language which is English. So many of the

sounds we use are totally foreign to their tongues. Our sentence structures can be confusing and grammar

can be totally unfathomable. And yet they come every day even though some have 2 or 3 jobs and children

at home. I am awestruck by their dedication and desire to learn and to adapt to this culture. They want to

make a new life here and to take advantage of the benefits of being Canadian.

I have also found CIES to be very supportive. I am always impressed with the quality of the class material

and the dedication of the administration and the staff. Our successes as volunteer teachers are due to a

large part to this group of people. It is a most satisfying experience and opportunity to be involved with this

organization. I hope to be involved as long as the organization can use me!”

I-Hui (Eva) Su Li Yang Shu Ping Lin Alex Ashby

Isabel Zhou Lailee Mussivand Svitlana Parasiak Bin Guo

Jenny Henriquez Manuel Gonzalez Shane Brent Carmen Arteaga

Jana Ciobanu Michael Cheuk Vladimir Siloci Diedra Oswald

Keith Huang Ngoc Lam Wookyung Jenise Chung Fenna Lai

Kerry Huang Philip Baker Ying Gao George Fisher

Korial Ghassan Rhodora Clua Yasin Yalcin Helen Gurnsey

Volunteer Program

22

List of Volunteers

Volunteer Program

Anna Mullbuck Dorothy Mailer Marjorie Cameron

Ali Al – Saleem Elizabeth Isenor Mariam C. Katz

Alison Cole Elizabeth Bertram Manuel Gonzalez

Amanda Pieper Florence Chung Melanie Outhwaite

Allison Olsen Fenna Lai Michelle Veldhoen

Anne French Galan Riley Michael Cheuk

Andrea Steell Grace Zhang M’ Liss Edwards

Angela Carson Greg Morrison Nanna Schall

Angela Cooper George Fisher Nora McTague

Audrey Hlady Helen Gurnsey Ngoc Lam

Annabelle Dick Holly Ann Penny Priya Kumar

Amarjit Rakhra Hamid Ebrahimi Philip Baker

Alexandra Baevsky Hotomi Nishikawa Peter Plesche

Armin Amini Jeanette Halasa Raj Kaila

Alex Ashby John Billehaug Rick Stone

Brenda Consens John Mannix Roslyn Rosenfeld

Brian Doss Jude Burr Rosemarie Colwell

Brian Kennedy Julie Bain Ranjani Srinivasan

Blair Hone Joan Cross Ryan Audette

Byron Trytten Julie Chu Rhodora Clua

Brian Simpson Jack Chang Sian Roberts

Blake Hartley Jim Morkin Susan Link

Bin Guo Jing Wang Susan Norman

Catherine Lebel Jenny. Henriquez Salima Hajee

Carmen Arteaga Kim Lewis-Ng Sheila Navrady

Connie Tagseth Kim Holmes Sheryl Leskiw

Celeste Rose Kim Meadow Shane Brent

Carlos Qafaiti Katie Bonder Shu Ping Lin

Cliona Curran Keith Huang Sophia Nufer

Colleen Cheng Korial Ghassan Suvan Dhiman

Danny Rehsein Laura Slifka Tommy Ngo

David Chan Laura Marino Tracey Reed

David Meade Leslie Willocks William J. Johnson

Daphne Jones Leah Crawford Yasin Yalcin

Doreen Hawkins Lisa Brattland Ying Gao

Doug Hawkins Lyndon Lindsay

Debra Johnston Li Yang

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Computer Programs

Calgary Immigrant Educational Society is now in its seventeenth year of serving the community through its Computer Programs. Newcomers to Canada as well as economically disadvantaged Calgarians who do not have any computer experience or who want to advance their computer knowledge will benefit from the programs that we offer. We provide programs that will allow the students to transfer their skills from the classroom to the workplace.

Computer Technology Made Practical

(funded by Calgary Learns)

The 30-hour basic computer training course called “Computer Technology Made Practical” is our most

popular and successful course, which includes keyboarding, components of computers, Windows Operating System, basic functions of MS Word and Internet. The course is funded by Calgary Learns. Our goal for offering this training is to provide a computer-learning environment, which is similar to the workplace for the students to enter into the job market easily after the completion of the program and finally they will become self-sufficient. The practical use of computer operation also gives students the foundation and opportunity to pursue more advanced computer training in the future. Therefore, the demand for the basic computer technology program has been overwhelming. Once again, special thanks to Calgary Learns for funding this program.

Microsoft Word & Excel

(funded by Calgary Learns)

This 30-hour “Microsoft Word & Excel” computer training funded by Calgary Learns offers students with

practical knowledge of a widely used word-processing program as well as a spreadsheet program. Most Canadian businesses use this software application in their fast paced workplaces. Therefore, many basic computer class students take this course as a continuation of their training and demand for this course is very great. Students realize that once they master the operation of the functions and features of these applications, they can get jobs easily and also work independently with confidence. As a result, the enrollment rate for this course has been very high due to the economic instability and more individuals would like to go for more trainings. The employment rate for 2011 was 63%.

Other Computer and Accounting Programs

Our Society also delivers other popular computer and accounting courses such as:

· Internet · Microsoft Access & PowerPoint · Advanced Computer · QuickBooks · Advanced Simply Accounting

Computer and Accounting Programs

24

Since 1996 these programs had been offered on cost basis and subsidized by donations. The 9-hour “Internet” program, which was initiated in 1998 as a pilot project, includes introduction to the Internet, browsing the World Wide Web, using search engines, signing up for an e-mail account, sending/receiving e-mails, global chatting, and creating a home page. The students enjoy all these course contents and the instructors as well. The 30-hour “Microsoft Access and PowerPoint” program, which was first introduced to students in 1998, now offers students with useful knowledge of a widely used database program as well as a presentations program. Most Canadian businesses use this software application in their workplaces. Therefore, this program is welcomed by most of our basic computer and MS Word and Excel class students who took this course as a continuation of their training. The 24-hour “QuickBooks” program, introduced in 2008 is a very popular program. It is a commonly used software in the accounting industry. The QuickBooks Accounting Program will train students to work on the general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, and inventory modules using the software. In 2009, we pioneered a 20-hour “Advanced Computer” program, allowing students to further improve their computer skills in advanced Excel, Word, PowerPoint and website design after taking the Clerical Training Program. In 2011, we launched the 24-hour “Advanced Simply Accounting” program to further refine the students’ accounting skills. The advanced features and functions of the software will be taught in this program.

Basic and Simply Accounting Programs

(partially funded by Community Spirit Donation Grant)

Due to some of the students who do not have any accounting experience, we offered a manual “Basic Accounting” program in 1996 so as to accommodate their needs before taking the “Simply Accounting”, “QuickBooks” or “Advanced Simply Accounting” course. This 24-hour program teaches the learners to do accounting manually and it covers the basics and concept of double-entry bookkeeping, journalizing, posting to the ledgers, completing a trial balance and preparing the financial statements. All the students who have attended this course think that the program is excellent and enrollment for this program has increased.

In order to keep updated with the open job market requirements, we started a computerized “Simply Accounting” course for the students in January 1997. From time to time, we updated our lessons so that our students can be trained with the most updated version of the software. This is a 24-hour program and covers general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, inventory and payroll modules. The students find the program very useful and they recommend that their friends and relatives come for our classes.

The programs are run to help students equip themselves with the necessary computer and accounting knowledge; therefore, many students join the class one after the other. We would like to express our thanks to these students who have been showing their keen interest in learning and maintaining their true loyalty to our organization.

Computer and Accounting Programs

25

Keeping in view the success of these computer and training programs, which are in great demand from the immigrants and economically disadvantaged Calgarians, we will continue to do our best for our students in the coming years. We would like to express our deepest gratitude to our funders: Calgary Learns; Community Spirit Donation Grant. Also, a special thank you to IBM Canada for donating 12 Pentium IV computers and one main server; other non-profit organizations for referring students to our programs; staff; instructors; volunteer instructors as well as volunteer computer technicians who have given their support, time, and efforts to make these programs so successful.

Student Statistics — Employment Status

for Basic Computer Training and MS Word & Excel

May 1, 2011 ~ April 30, 2012

Total Students: 275

Basic Computer Student’s Experience at C.I.E.S.

“With the hope of leading a comfortable and prosperous life, I, Veena Kapoor, moved to land of

opportunities known as Canada in February 2006. I along with my husband and two kids moved to Calgary

because of the prospect of new job and business opportunities and we commenced our life here.

We easily got the jobs here and tried to settle down. With the passage of time I considered to increase my

knowledge and skills to get healthier jobs and in this endeavor I came across one of my colleague and friend

who advised me to join Calgary Immigrant Educational Society to enhance my computer and other skills in

order to improve job opportunities.

When I came to know about this, I immediately join the basic computer course at C.I.E.S. which helped me a

lot to boost my knowledge and skills in computers. Now I am thinking to join other various courses offered

by C.I.E.S. to enhance my educational skills. Since I joined the C.I.E.S., I am so much impressed with this

organization that I would like to advise each and everyone who has desire to improve their educational skills

to join C.I.E.S. which is most conveniently approachable institution for achieving basic education in

computers and other spheres.

At the end, I would like to thank C.I.E.S. organization its staff and teachers who are contributing to the best

of their knowledge and skills for grooming new hopes in new immigrants and other permanent residents and

citizens of Canada by enhancing their knowledge and helping them to achieve their dreams to settle down in a timely manner. Moreover, thank you very much to Calgary Learns to provide funding to this wonderful

Basic Computer Program.”

Computer and Accounting Programs

Employed

63%

Others

7%

Underemployed

30%

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Clerical Training for Support Program (funded by United Way of Calgary and Area)

One of the most popular programs offered by our Society is the “Clerical Training for Support Program”,

which started in February 1999. This program was designed to meet the needs of individuals who have previous experience in clerical positions, but lack the necessary skills required to get employments in a Canadian office setting. The students have included both immigrants who held clerical positions in their home countries and economically disadvantaged Calgarians who held clerical jobs before computer technology was so prevalent. Therefore, the demand for this program, which provides a feasible way for the students to upgrade their computer and clerical skills, is very great. The success rate of getting clerical or related employments for the past year was 61% due to the economic uncertainty at this time.

The program includes 51-hour classroom training for Windows Operating System, MS Office Suite, Keyboarding, Introduction to Internet, Business Communication, Office Practices & Procedures, Career Search Techniques, Resume Writing, Interview Skills as well as 20-hour voluntary job placement after the training.

The work experience portion consists of a two-week, twenty-hour minimum training period in a business or non-profit organization. The students who participated in the work experience placement portion of the program have found it very useful in helping them gain some Canadian work experience and have benefited from it greatly. We are very thankful to the organizations that have assisted C.I.E.S. in supporting the students to work at their workplaces and also providing a pleasurable work experience. They are:

Þ Aboriginal Resource Centre Association Þ Alberta Cancer Foundation Þ Alberta Wilderness Association Þ Alpha House Þ Baccari Accounting Inc Þ Baker Hughes Þ Bridge the Gap Accounting Services Þ Calgary Aboriginal Awareness Society Þ Calgary Bridge Foundation for Youth Þ Calgary Chinese Community Service Association Þ Calgary Immigration Consulting Centre Þ Calgary Legal Guidance Þ Calgary Multicultural Society Þ Calgary Philaharmonic Orchestra Þ Canada Safeway Limited Þ Canadian Cancer Society Þ Canadian Diabetes Association Þ Canadian Red Cross Þ Centre for Newcomers Þ Condominium First Management Services Ltd. Þ Easter Seals Þ Electronic Recycling Association

Clerical Training for Support Program

27

Þ Four Quest Þ Funny Fest Calgary Comedy Festival Þ Heart and Stoke Foundation Þ Husky Oil Operations Ltd. Þ Immigrant Services Calgary Þ Impact Magazine Þ Independent Living Resource Center of Calgary Þ John Howard Society Þ Kerby Center Þ Laurie J. Hnatiuk, Barrister and Solicitor Þ Loring Laboratories Þ Making Changes Association Þ Manu Chugh Architect Þ Meals on Wheels Þ MLA East Office (Moe Amery) Þ Peter Lougheed Hospital Þ Shell Canada Limited Þ The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada Þ VH Websites Þ Youville Recovery Residence for Women

We are very grateful to the United Way of Calgary and Area for funding this program. A special thank-you to Ms. Jaime Enachescu and Mr. Brian Hoffart of United Way for their understanding and continuous support for this program. In addition, a heart felt thank-you to The Calgary Foundation for granting us the first year start-up cost of the program in 1999 and also for subsidizing a sustainability plan after funding from the Foundation was depleted.

Clerical Training Student’s Experience at C.I.E.S.

“ Good evening,

My name is Solomon Tassew and I am from Ethiopia. I immigrated to Canada 6 months ago. I want a better

life for myself and for my family and for this reason I decided to upgrade my computer skills; I know it

would be very hard for me to progress without computer skills.

I chose CIES to learn computer skills because it is a funded program. Students who have successfully

completed the program have learned a lot about Microsoft Office, which is my main interest. I have gained

knowledge about Word, Excel, PowerPoint, business communications, interview and career building in a

new country. This program has helped me to feel confident and better prepared to successfully start a new

life in Canada . I have found it so helpful that I have started suggesting to my friends that they should take

this course. The clerical training is my second training with CIES after the Basic computer training. I

would like to thank United Way of Calgary and Area on behalf of all of my classmates for funding this

program.

I would also like to thank the CIES staff for always helping us; they have given us the skills necessary to

build a bright future.

Clerical Training for Support Program

28

Employment Skills Training (funded by Calgary Learns as an initiative project: August 2009— March 2010)

(funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada: April 2010— present)

Since most of our learners were financially challenged Calgarians with medium literacy skill who were close to poverty level, they had low computer, career, and marketability skills due to many hindrances such as Canadian Language Benchmarks barrier, high tuition fees at other institutions, restrictive prerequisites and requirements, etc.. Therefore, they never had any training on essential employment skills, for example, computer and communication skills, marketing strategies, and workplaces knowledge to compete in the open job market. As a result, they remained low skilled, unemployed and underemployed, lacked self-esteem and confidence. With the generous funds provided by Calgary Learns for this Employment Skills Training Initiative Project in 2009, these learners got this training opportunity and they were eager to learn during the course. Many of them increased their self-esteem and confidence with secured employments.

In view of the success of the Initiative Project, C.I.E.S. has launched a free-of-charge, full-time “Employment Skills Training” Program for students with CLB Level 5 or higher starting from April 1, 2010 with Citizenship and Immigration Canada (C.I.C.) funding. This 300-hour (3-month) Program is divided into four different sections, teaching students the necessary skills to get a job in Canada. It includes computer skills, business communication, job search skills and seminars regarding Canadian business conduct and securing job positions in Canada. Also, there is an optional one-month volunteer job practicum. Moreover, we have started working with Safeway Canada to place students in volunteer job placements as well as employments since April 2010. We are looking for more employment opportunities in the corporate sector. With C.I.C.’s generous funding, we served a total of 96 students in 8 different classes from April 1, 2011 till March 31, 2012. To date, we have an employment rate of over 68%. Thank you to Citizenship and Immigration Canada to provide the funding. We would like to thank Mr. James Russell and Mr. Greg Doudican, our officers from Citizenship and Immigration Canada for their continuous support of this program. Also, special thanks to Calgary Learns to provide funding for this initiative project from August 2009 till March 2010.

Participant Statistics - Gender

April 1, 2011 ~ March 31, 2012

Employment Skills Training Program

Male

41%

Female

59%

Total of male students: 39

Total of female students: 57

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Employment Skills Training Student’s Experience at C.I.E.S. ~ by Nusrat Jahan

“When new immigrants come to Canada, they are faced by some unique challenges in the form of new

culture, society and language, and usually their educational qualifications and professional experience is

not recognized by the Canadian society. Therefore, they are unable to find jobs to make their living. They

need proper guidance to help them get settled in Canada. Among the many institutions, CIES stands out the

most prominent one.

When I, along with my husband left my home country forever and landed on Calgary airport as an

immigrant on 30th of August, 2011, in the pursuit of a better career and better future opportunities, I was

with high hopes. With Masters in Business Administration and seven years of working experience, I was

hoping to get a proper job within a short span of time. I started sending a lot of resumes to various

organizations on daily basis for almost four months, but with no response at all. I then came to realization

that I need someone who can really and properly guide me as a newcomer. During internet surfing, I came

to know about Calgary Immigrant Educational Society (CIES), which helps many new immigrants to learn

language and helps acquire employment skills so they can get at least entry level jobs and be equally

accepted by the Canadian Society. Funded by the Government of Canada, CIES provides a wide range of

educational and training programs. Therefore I got myself enrolled in one of the programs, Employment

skill Training Program (EST), offered by CIES. When I joined CIES, I was with little hope and uncertainty

whether or not I will get a job but with the passage of time I realized that CIES is the only ray of hope for

me. Right from day one, I found CIES management and staff extremely cooperative and friendly. I was

extremely impressed by the management for their continuous moral support. It was a great place where I

had a wonderful opportunity to learn, observe and interact. CIES helped me in polishing my

communication skills, resume writing and business communication skills a lot.

I cannot forget the unflinching support of CIES employment counselors throughout the training. May it be

sending jobs relevant to my experience on almost daily basis or preparing me for some interviews, CIES

has done a lot, and just in the second month of my training, it prepared me to appear for an interview with a

highly reputable financial institution and helped me getting the job, which is more like a career to me now.

I am so happy and I am so grateful to CIES. I have no words to express my gratitude to CIES for providing

me this great opportunity.

In the end, I really want to salute the Government of Canada, which supports such a credible organization

~ CIES, who is helping and supporting new immigrants like me, to become useful citizens and help them

contribute to the Canadian economy.

Thank you CIES!

Thank you Government of Canada!”

Employment Skills Training Program

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Accounting Skills Training (funded by Calgary Learns as an initiative project: October 2011— June 2012)

Since most small and medium size businesses, corporations, and organizations are either using QuickBooks

or Simply Accounting software for their bookkeeping; therefore, whoever is mastering these two

applications will have better chances to land employment in junior accounting positions. Hence, a number of

Basic Accounting and Literacy students approached the Program Managers and inquired about the launch of

accounting training classes offered in our Society. After attaining a certain level of basic accounting and

literacy skills, these individuals wanted to seek jobs. However, they lacked the computerized accounting,

career and marketability skills needed for today’s work society and got restricted on the entrance

requirements at other institutions in order to get such skills. Therefore, we applied for “Accounting Skills

Training” to Calgary Learns as an initiative project in 2011.

The Program is designed to teach 36-hour computerized accounting (QuickBooks & Simply Accounting), 14

-hour computer skills (MS Word & Excel), 12-hour business communication (business terminologies,

conversation skill, business writing, presentations, business meeting), 12-hour job search strategies (resume

and cover letter writing, interview techniques, job searching skills including on-line job search), and 2-hour

seminars regarding general practices in workplaces to economically challenged, low skilled, unemployed

youth and adults residing in Forest Lawn and surrounding communities. Each 76-hour training provides

instructional and hands-on learning activities to enhance a positive influence on confidence and

employability allowing for greater opportunities working at junior accounting positions at any time.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Calgary Learns for providing funds for this initiative project

so that many less fortunate individuals can benefit from this Program. Special thanks to Ms. Krista Poole,

Executive Director and Ms. Jeannie Finch, Grants Coordinator for their understanding and continuous

support for our programs and services.

Participant Statistics - Gender

October 2011 ~ June 2012

Accounting Skills Training Program

Total of male students: 10

Total of female students: 26

Male

28%

Female

72%

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Internet & Employment Services for Youth

(funded by TELUS Calgary Community Board: June 1, 2011—May 31, 2012)

Since June 2011, C.I.E.S. has launched a free “Internet & Employment Services for Youth” for individuals who are between the age of 16 and 28. To date, we have served 1,342 individuals through this service. Our

clients mainly came from the economically depressed southeast quadrant of the city as the families usually

have lower income and cannot afford to have high speed computers at home as well as pay for the internet

fee. Therefore, this service provided free internet service for youth to search for information to complete

their academic assignments; supplemented them with extra High School lessons; and enhanced their

knowledge in various aspects. Moreover, we offered this service for youth to look for jobs with free

employment supports such as resume writing, job search, and interview skills.

This very meaningful one-year service has helped youth find steady jobs and create a higher level of

confidence and self-esteem through increased knowledge and employment. Also, it has helped to build

social networks among youth. Therefore, we are very grateful for the generous funding provided by

TELUS Calgary Community Board and especially Ms. Christi Cruz, Senior Manager Community Affairs,

for her full understanding and support for our clients’ needs. Hats off for their contribution to this great cause!

Client Statistics - Gender

June 1, 2011 ~ March 31, 2012

Total of male clients: 766

Total of female clients: 576

Internet & Employment Services for Youth

Male

57%

Female

43%

32

Employment Counseling Service

C.I.E.S. has launched the Employment Counseling service since 2001 and it has gained much interest and recognition not only from our students and clients, but also from the community, government, and corporate sector. We served 172 clients among which 48% male and 52% female from April 1, 2011 until March 31, 2012. The success rate of getting employment was 59% and with 14% of our clients pursued for further studies.

Client Statistics - Gender

April 1, 2011 ~ March 31, 2012

Total of male clients: 83

Total of female clients: 89

Client Statistics - Employment Status

April 1, 2011 ~ March 31, 2012

Employment Counseling Service

Others: pregnant, new mothers, returning to their home countries, not actively looking for jobs and could not be contacted.

Employed59%

Underemployed14%

Further Studies14%

Others13%

33

The main focus of the employment counseling service is to provide the following services:

· Educating clients on differences between the job market in their home countries and the job market in Canada including laws, rules, employment techniques, etc. · Employment counseling together with qualification assessment, resume writing / upgrading, job search techniques, interviewing skills, and job referrals · Education / upgrading counseling · Conducting workshops on general job search, resume writing, and interview tips

The employment counseling staff and volunteers had risen to the challenges of helping and providing assistance to many in desperate career need. Useful resources had been in place, numerous workshops had been established, and business contacts had increased and about 85 companies had agreed to partner with the employment department. Preference was given to C.I.E.S. clients during the selection process. Through our Employment Counseling Service, clients had found work in the fields of accounting, administration, banking, computer, customer service, engineering, food processing, hospitality, housekeeping, human resources, manufacturing, marketing, medical, restaurant, security, and warehousing.

We are proud to be able to offer an increasingly successful Employment Counseling Service alongside with its ESL, accounting, computer-based, and entry-level job training courses. Assisting immigrants and newcomers through information, education, and employment is the main key to help immigrants and economically challenged Calgarians succeed in Canada.

We would like to thank and express our gratitude to our volunteers, helping agencies, and businesses that have constantly supported this worthwhile service. Also, special thanks to Ms. Wafa Kadri, Regional Manager Donations at RBC Financial Group, for her guidance and understanding during the early years of the service.

Clients’ Comments

· “Thank you very much for helping me write my resume. It’s great!”

· “I appreciate the work done for me in my job search.”

· “Thank you for helping immigrants like me to look for a job and I am so thankful.”

Client’s Success Story

“I virtually feel at loss to find suitable words that can express my greatest thanks and deepest appreciation

to the employment counseling staff at C.I.E.S.. As an immigrant here in Calgary for a year, I faced a lot of

challenges in getting a decent job. Not until I came to C.I.E.S. and got the professional assistance and

advice in resume writing and job search skills, I am now working as an Accountant in a Downtown office.

I personally want to convey my gratitude to C.I.E.S. that God has blessed such an organization, helping

immigrants like me to become successful. The employment counseling staff motivated and encouraged me

to find a job in my field with full confidence. With their help, I remained positive even at times of low

spirits. Also, I have learned a lot of things during the job search process. Thank you so much!” ~ by

Josephine Ma

Employment Counseling Service

34

Calgary Immigrant Educational Society is very grateful for the generous donations made by organizations and individuals. We appreciate their support, donation in cash, in kind, or in service to our Society. They are:

Individual Donors (There are numerous individual donors who do not wish to publish their names.)

Abdulrahman Abbas Juan Carlos Vargas Sally Zhao Abhijit Chatterjee Kamini Kharka Samira Abbas

Agnes Wong Kevin Li Sarah Alana De Guzman

Alice Zhao Lori-ann Flores Siena Reus

Amie Lo Mandy Xu Sultana Shahid

Anayeli Robles Marilu Valeriano Susan Ellis

Anniele Racila Monir Torabi Ahmadi Svitlana Parasiuk

Eva Su Nataliya Lykhosherstova Victoria Briones

Guadalupe Torres Noureddine Bouissoukrane Vladimir Siloci

Hatem Algulaib Oksana Hul Yab Fang Zhu

Jing Chen Olha Hul Zakia Sarwari

Joanna Wysocka Salim M. Sindhu Zubayda Ibrahim

Juan Carlos Medina

Corporate Donors generously provided cash, gifts, coupons, gift cards, and in-kind donations to our Society’s

various projects, functions, and activities and they were:

ATB Financial, Forest Lawn Glenbow Museum T. Muhammed Prof. Corp.

Calaway Park Global Engineering & Testing Ltd. United Way of Calgary and Area

Calgary Co-op, Forest Lawn Heritage Park (Donor Choice Program)

Calgary Simo Caffe Ltd. International Avenue BRZ Village Square Leisure Centre

Calgary Zoo Kwality Ice Creams Inc. Vogel LLP Lawyers

Canadian Western Bank McDonald’s Wendy’s

Cenovus Employee Foundation Microsoft Corporation Werklund Foundation

(Thanks & Giving Employee Campaign) Mr. Submarine

Cenovus Energy Pizza Grande & Donair Ltd.

ConocoPhillips Canada SAHURI + partners Architecture

EnCana Cares Foundation Skylark Restaurant

EnCana Corporation Supreme Basics

Fluor TELUS Communications Co.

(Employee Giving Campaign) (Employee Charitable Giving Program)

Forest Lawn Physiotheraphy The KJ Group Inc.

Recognition to Donors 2011 - 2012

35

We would like to thank the following organizations for donating their time to enhance our programs:

Alberta Health Services Fort Calgary

ATB Financial Genworth Financial

Bank of Montreal Glenbow Museum

Calgary Police Services Heritage Park

Calgary Public Library IS 2 Staffing Services

Calgary Workers’ Resource Centre Mortgage Brokers Ltd.

Calgary Zoo S.A.I.T. Polytechnic

Canada Border Services Scotia Bank

Canada Revenue Agency TD Canada Trust

Canadian Diabetes Association The Alex Community Health Bus

Canadian Scholarship Trust Plan U.S. Consulate

Certified General Accountants Association University of Calgary

City of Calgary Volunteer Calgary

David Alpine Group Staffing Agency World Financial Group

A ton of thanks to the following organization and individuals:

- Canadian Western Bank for maintaining our building operations and casino account free of charge.

Special thanks to Assistant Vice President Commercial Banking, Mr. Ken M. Duke.

- ATB Financial - Forest Lawn Branch for their contribution in maintaining our accounts free of charge.

We appreciate continuous support of Branch Manager, Mr. Rakesh Vashista.

- Heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Microsoft Corporation’s donated softwares that worth US$38,250.00

- A sincere gratitude to Dr. Ashis Gupta who has been a volunteer advisor to C.I.E.S. for the past 24 years.

- Many thanks to SAHURI + partners Architecture for preparing all the architectural drawings and

supervising the construction work of the new building as well as donating their professional time that

worth $100,000.00 to our organization

Recognition to Donors 2011 - 2012

36

Alberta Employment and Immigration Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission Burns Memorial Fund Calgary Learns Citizenship and Immigration Canada Community Spirit Donation Grant Government of Alberta, Human Services Service Canada TELUS Calgary Community Board

United Way of Calgary and Area C.I.E.S. would like to express our greatest gratitude towards our funders and donors for their continuous support of our programs and services.

Calgary Learns $ 55,662

Donations and Membership Fees 131,172

Federal Grants 2,090,448

GST Refunds 7,593

Interest Income 16,880

Miscellaneous Income 1,234

Provincial Grants 235,761

Registration Fees 83,145

TELUS Calgary Community Board 20,000

United Way of Calgary and Area 145,721

Total Revenues: $2,787,616

Recognition to Funders 2011 - 2012

37

Client Inquiries

Total Walk-in Clients: 3,879

Total Phone-in Clients: 6,535

Client Inquiries

Our Administrative Assistants, Lori-ann, Zakia and Rhodora, at the reception area

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

Accounting

programs

Computer

programs

Clerical

Training

E.S.T Drop-in ESL LINC ABC Literacy Referrals

1115

615

1056977

1452

2317

593

2289

38

We moved into our present office building in 2003, however, we ran out of space for expanding our programs and services later in 2005. Our Executive Director and Board of Directors had a vision to either lease or build our second office building. Since then, we made our efforts to raise funds for our second building project.

In May 2010, we purchased a plot of commercial land located at 3820 – 32 Street N.E., Calgary. The new building is now complete and we moved in this new 22,000 square feet building in May 2012. At present, we are conducting L.I.N.C. classes and free childminding services for our students. We plan to offer various kinds of programs and services for the newcomers, immigrants and economically disadvantaged Calgarians at our new location. Thank you to Community Facility Enhancement Program of Community Spirit Donation Grant for granting $500,000.00 for this new building project. Also, special thanks to our private donors to provide funding for the capital investment, office equipment and technology for the new building as well as Burns Memorial Fund for partly funding the capital items of the childminding centre. Last but not least important is to thank all donors who make our dream of having our second office building to serve our clients and students come

true!

Public Transit Access to Welcome Centre for New Immigrants:

· Whitehorn C-Train Station

· Bus # 33: from Whitehorn C-Train Station to 37 Avenue and 32 Street N.E. · Bus # 57: from McCall Way at Whitehorn C-Train Station to 37 Avenue and 32 Street N.E.

Welcome Centre for New Immigrants

Welcome Centre for New Immigrants

3820 - 32 Street N.E. Calgary, Alberta

Tel: 403-291-0002 Fax: 403-291-0004

This report was compiled by Agnes Wong and was printed in house.

1723 – 40th

Street S.E. 3820 – 32 Street N.E.

Calgary, Alberta T2A 7Y3 Calgary, Alberta T1Y 7L9

Tel: 403-235-3666 Tel: 403-291-0002

Fax: 403-272-7455 Fax: 403-291-0004

E-mail: info@immigrant-education.ca Email: info@welcomeimmigrants-calgary.ca

Website: www.immigrant-education.ca Website: www.welcomeimmigrants-calgary.ca

© 2012 Calgary Immigrant Educational Society – Charity Registration No. 130143373 RR0001