CIES Attends WeEmploy Inaugural Round-Table hosted by Canadian Icon Tom Jackson

He walked slowly to the front of the room, his tall slender frame seeming to have a sense of effortlessness as he moved. For a moment, he just stood and looked across the people in front of him through his dark, almond shaped eyes. "You know me... but there is something you don’t know," he said in his deep baritone voice that instantly seemed to ring with truth.

"I love you....  I love all of you....  you saved my life."

The tall, slender man in front of us was Canadian icon Tom Jackson. The group he was addressing was a collection of key local Calgary area non profits. His love was for those people and their organizations who dedicate themselves to helping those is need. His connection was once being a 38 year old man suffering from addiction, homeless and living in a crawl space,  before discovering how helping others in fact would be the only way he could save himself. There is no doubt, the story of Tom Jackson is the stuff of legend. Born on the One Arrow Reserve in Saskatchewan to an English father and Cree mother, and raised largely in Winnipeg, Jackson has been an actor, singer, producer and activist for over 40 years, and is well known for his dedication to helping the less fortunate.

CIES was in attendance of an event hosted by Jackson and put on by WeEmploy. Jackson has put his full support behind their vision and shared his views and insights on working with not-for-profits and bringing communities together for social initiatives. 

WeEmploy is a digital platform that facilitates the matching of employers and charitable organizations with individuals who are seeking employment and volunteer positions. Backed by over 30 years of experience, WeEmploy empowers the market with knowledge and expertise in staffing and recruitment, job boards, social recruiting and voluntarism.

Seeking to break the status quo, WeEmploy leverages its intelligent applicant and network database to eliminate barriers between employers and job-seekers, at a competitive rate. Its rich, streamlined applicant database is designed to make the recruitment process efficient and cost-effective. To date, WeEmploy Inc. has provided services valued at more than $$250,000 to charitable sectors in Canada and the US, having helped 85 charities so far in our rapidly expanding network.

As a social enterprise (company with purpose and profit), WeEmploy gives back by offering charities within the WeEmploy network free use of their services to post staff and volunteer positions; access to a database of work-ready job-seekers; and the opportunity to create community awareness for their cause.

CIES is excited at the possibilities of utilizing and collaborating with WeEmploy and fully supports their vision. For More photos of the event CLICK HERE and be sure to watch the incredibly moving video below. We very much look forward to where the future takes us with this worthwhile project!

Ballads Not Bullets: Tom Jackson , National Film Board of Canada

CIES to Attend Neighbourlink Event

Last year at this time, the Calgary charity NeighbourLink was on the verge of insolvency, but director of operations Nikki Golnik wasn't having any of it. After months of hard work, and voluntarism by many, former employees, NeighbourLink was resurrected. Chris Jost, NeighbourLink’s new executive director, also played a vital role in the long standing organization's resurrection,dedicating himself fully to getting this truly valuable organization back on its feet.Today they are again a vibrant organization making an impact in our community.

Neighbourlink would like to share their journey over the last year. They have returned to their roots; they are volunteer driven and focused on vulnerable Calgarians especially infants. You are invited to hear about the restructuring of their programs, meet some of their new partners and celebrate their amazing volunteers on May 13th. Plus, it all takes place in their new home at 3751 21 Street Northeast. CIES will be there to support them on this special day and you too are invited. You are welcome to arrive as early as noon and take a tour, mingle and/or enjoy the festivities! The program starts at 1:30 p.m. For More information please contact info@neighbourlinkcalgary.ca. As a lunch is being served an RSVP is required. To do so simply CLICK HERE.  

Calgary's Sudanese Community Empowers Youth

This Saturday and the Dover Community Association the Sudanese community of Calgary is empowering its youth with a day of self-discovery and connectivity.

With a practical goal and mission of building bridges across the Canadian cultures, the South Sudanese Community Association of Calgary made it their priority to embrace the identity of their new country. With the objective of nurturing the new community, the executives focus on the creation of events to signify their commitment for building bridges that leads to the integration. This was inclusive strategy has helped to bridge the gaps in building new relations with others and reduce isolations to the community members. The community embarks for strategies to embrace diversity envisioned many ways of achieving the societal mission:

For more information on this and other events call 403-903-9936.

CIES Community Investors XV - The Cinderella Gown Project

The 15th non-profit highlighted in the CIES Community Investors Series is the Cinderella Gown Project.  Graduation is every high school student’s rite of passage, a milestone in any young person’s life, and as graduation dates draw closer the Calgary Board of Education is gearing up for their annual Cinderella Gown Project.

The Cinderella Gown Project began in Calgary in 2005 as a small project by several Sir Winston Churchill High School staff & Fashion students. The goal was to collect 20 to 30 previously loved and gently used graduation and formal dresses for students from different Calgary high schools that were not financially able to attend their graduation banquets. The first year over 100 Cinderellas were in attendance and the legacy began. Now the project invites over 325 Cinderellas each year with 50 high schools participating.

The Cinderella Gown Project helps teens in need realize their dreams for high school graduation. The program is discreet, and celebrates the diversity and educational achievement of our youth. For many Cinderellas the path to high school graduation has been a difficult one that we would like to reward and honour.

The Cinderella vision is to meet the growing need for every Calgary area grade 12 female graduate to complete their high school requirements and attend their graduation celebration in the dress of their dreams, regardless of social or financial circumstance. The Cinderella Gown Project creates an environment of respect so that each participant can uphold their dignity and feel proud to participate in their graduation along with all of their peers. The organization believes, and rightfully so, that graduation is a significant educational milestone; one of the first important steps in establishing responsible citizens in the broader community.

CIES would like to extend our thanks to the Cinderella Gown Project for making a truly special day in a young person's life come to life.  For more information, along with volunteer and donation opportunities, please visit their website.

The CIES REDI Program

With wait-lists often being long and the need for refugees to improve their English being high, CIES has opened a new program to address the gap. The CIES Refugee Express Drop-In ESL & Integration Program is a fast track language training and social integration program designed for refugees to learn essential vocabulary and basic language skills and put hands on basic real life tasks in order to function in Calgary communities as soon as possible. 

The community engagement modules will cover the most basic and immediate needs in life. Community engagement activities will give students the opportunity to visit Calgary Transit Office and apply for low-income passes, to go to grocery stores to learn to pay, and so on. In addition, presenters from banks, City, Calgary Housing, Calgary Board of Education, Alberta Health Services, Calgary Police Service, and other community service providers will be invited to give workshops. Through the field trips and workshops, students will have hands-on experience on each real life tasks that will enable them to function in the Canadian society.

For a summary of the program in Arabic (with English subtitles) simply click below. 

CIES Attends CBFY Youth Conference

The Calgary Bridge Foundation for Youth put on their 2016 Youth Conference this past Friday and CIES was very happy to attend.

There's no question, the power youth is a recognized force in the world today. Young people always have been in fact, but today, with the advent of the internet and social media platforms, the voice of young people is being heard at levels never before reached.

It's not overstating to say the very vision of Canada lies in the hands of our youth. They are filled with tremendous and towering ambitions and the youth of today must be given an opportunity to nurture and implement their talent, creativity and ideas. Its often easy to forget that they are in fact our future and it is up to us as a community to make sure our future generations are equipped with the assets they need to thrive. Social support networks, empowerment, boundaries, self-esteem, value systems and social competencies are examples of asset building - and our youth are every nation's biggest asset. That was the foundational concept behind the conference and CIES salutes CBFY and all the supporting organizations that took part on what was a wonderful day for all involved. For more pictures of the event CLICK HERE.  

CIES Attends Syrian Refugee Settlement Update Forum

Yesterday CIES attended the latest Syrian Refugee Settlement Forum at the John Dutton Theatre, where a detailed breakdown of the numbers were shared. By all accounts the local community of Calgary is being held up as an prime example of efficient, caring, organized planning and lauded as the best handling of refugee settlement in the country.

So many organizations have worked hard to make this happen that it's hard to acknowledge all. but CIES Community parters in settlement - Centre for Newcomers, Immigrant Services Calgary, Calgary Immigrant Woman's Association, Calgary Bridge Foundation for Youth and the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society - would be a good place to start. So many other organizations, from the Distress Centre and the Calgary Food Bank to Women in Need and Neighbourlink, just to name a few, have contributed to the process and of course, the Office of the Mayor has been instrumental from the beginning. Additionally, the people of our great city have volunteered thousands of hours of their time to the process and all that has been done could not have been done without them.  If there was ever a time for the city to take a step back and be proud... this is it. 

And now, as was often said at the forum, the work begins. Settlement is long term process and there is still much to do. Further still, with about 65% of the total number of refugees arriving in Calgary being under 18 years of age, ensuring the future of our youth becomes a priority for all of us. Notwithstanding, with the many passionate community investors the City of Calgary has we will be more than up for the task. 

As of March 1st, the City of Calgary has taken in 600 government sponsored refugees, 690 privately sponsored refugees and 99 who qualify as a combination of both - for a total of 1399 refugees. These 1399 refugees are residing in approximately 260 housing units of varying sizes throughout the city. On top of that, 259 children have already been registered and are attending classes in the city's public school system. For more photos of the forum and more detailed breakdown of the numbers presented CLICK HERE. And congratulations Calgary on a job well done!