Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Page 1 of 4
November 2016 • Vol. 1 No. 5
On Friday, October 21st the annual Welcome Reception for Newcomers was hosted by the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB). Throughout the years the TCDSB has kept the Church’s Social Justice Teachings in welcoming the stranger. This annual welcome reception celebrated and empowered stakeholders as valued members of the TCDSB family but also drew a vision around the work that needs to be continued on in society and schools. His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Collins was in attendance and remarks written by Laura Albanese were also presented. A number of community partners were also recognized as continuous advocates of care for newcomers across the city. Ildy Sziladi attended on behalf of the Office for Refugees Archdiocese of Toronto and gratefully accepted a certificate of appreciation for outstanding services.
Continued on page 4
ORAT (Office for Refugees Archdiocese of Toronto) Appreciation
Photo: courtesy of TCDSB. Left to right: His Eminence, Thomas Cardinal Collins, Archdiocese of TorontoIldy Sziladi, Resettlement Manager, ORATAngela Gauthier, Director of Education, Toronto Catholic District School BoardFrank D’Amico, Vice-Chair, Toronto Catholic District School Board
Please read the below update from Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) outlining changes in submitting applications for all populations.
This is to inform you that some of the temporary facilitative measures previously put in place for Syrian and Iraqi applications have changed as of August 18th 2016, namely that applications will no longer be prioritized at the Centralized Processing Office in Winnipeg (CPO-W) and will resume a First in First Out (FIFO) processing method.
Some of the special measures have been expanded as best practices. Effective immediately, the following measures will apply to all sponsored populations:
Submitting a Group of 5 (G5) or Community Sponsorship (CS) application?
ORAT is one of the only Sponsorship Agreement Holders in Canada that does continuous follow up meetings and interviews with refugees every year in order to ensure successful resettlement to Canada. Without the help of the many dedicated sponsors and parishioners who initiate resettlement through the Office for Refugees, many refugees would lose out on the opportunity to start a new peaceful life with a durable solution for living in Canada.
Refugees in Ghanawho need you
Continued on page 2
Page 2 of 4
As the renewal and improvements started this year at ORAT, the last major step was to have a permanent manager for operations. It is my pleasure to welcome Deacon Rudy Ovcjak in this challenging position. Deacon Rudy will be assisted by Ildy Sziladi as resettlement manager and Luciano Moro as outreach manager. This leadership - with the increased team - will be well prepared to assist in the Archdiocese to all parishes to help resettling refugees.
Deacon Rudy brings with him significant experience in both the private and not-for-profit sectors. Most recently, Deacon Rudy worked as Director, Parish Campaigns for the Family of Faith Office, where in addition to delivering on-site counsel and project management expertise to parishes as they conducted their capital campaign, he managed a strong team in the Donation Processing Centre.
He has a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario and a diploma in Theology from the University of Toronto. He has extensive staff and budget management experience including operational experience in not-for-profit, corporate social responsibility and compliance settings. He also brings with him a strong background in strategy development and project management.
Deacon Rudy was ordained in 2010 and is actively involved in various ministries with his parish community of St. Isaac Jogues in Pickering, where he resides with his wife, Kathy and 4 children. He also serves as chaplain at Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences.
Dr. Martin Mark
Director, ORAT
New Operations Manager for ORAT
Continued from page 1
Deacon Rudy Ovcjak Operations Manager, ORAT
First Halloween in CanadaThe Resettlement Group of Good Sheppard was happy to celebrate with the Dia Desso family as it was their first Halloween in Canada. Wendy and Ariane looked beautiful in their costumes as a princess and a pirate.
Please continue to help support and save lives of refugees that are from many different countries of the world. There are currently refugees residing in Ghana that are in need of a resettlement group to sponsor them. If your group is interested in learning more please contact Anna Lundkvist at: [email protected] or Zaid Yusufani at: [email protected]
Refugees in Ghanawho need you
Page 3 of 4
Please note that you are required to register to book your seat for any session you wish to attend. You may register for the following sessions by clicking on the attached link:
http://www.officeforrefugees.eventbrite.com
Info Session 1: Orientation (Civic Resettlement Program)
Date: Tues, Nov 15th
Time: 11:00am
Location: 830 Bathurst Street, Paulist Centre
Resettlement Group (RG) Seminar: Next Stop Canada hosted by the Y
Date: Thurs, Nov 17th
Time: 6:30pm
Location: 16066 Gore Road, St. John the Evangelist
Info Session 1: Orientation (Civic Resettlement Program)
Date: Sat, Nov 19th
Time: 11:30am
Location: Ryerson University, The Victoria Building, Room: VIC 210
Newcomer Meeting on Community Engagement
Date: Tues, Nov 22nd
Time: 6:30pm
Location: 1220 Yonge Street suite 203, Office for Refugees
Info Session 2: Settlement Training Workshop
Date: Wed, Nov 23rd
Time: 6:00pm
Location: 830 Bathurst Street, Paulist Centre
Upcoming Sessions
A message from a volunteer
Project Hope Parish Info Session
Date: Thurs, Nov 24th
Time: 10:30am
Location: 830 Bathurst Street, Paulist Centre
Info Session 1: Orientation (Civic Resettlement Program)
Date: Wed, Nov 30th
Time: 11:00am
Location: 830 Bathurst Street, Paulist Centre
Info Session 3 IRCC Processing Time
Date: Tues, Dec 6th
Time: 1:00pm
Location: 830 Bathurst Street, Paulist Centre
Nathalie is an experienced Human Resources (HR) professional who spent over 10 years working globally as HR Director and consultant for large multinational firms. She spent the last 9 years living in Dubai and has relocated permanently to Toronto earlier this year. She is currently enrolled on the Professional Coaching Certificate Program and hopes that as a coach, she will be able to empower others to achieve their goals.
Nathalie also took a personal interest in corporate social responsibility throughout her career and has established strong relationships with Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in the Middle East.
Nathalie enjoys working with people from various cultures and is able to converse fluently in Arabic, English and French. Nathalie was born in Lebanon where she spent most of her adult life and since the civil war began in 2011 in neighboring Syria, she became increasingly interested in supporting the refugees who were fleeing the country. This is what led her to the Office for Refugees in Toronto where volunteering opportunities were posted. She hopes that with her experience and capabilities, she will be able to assist refugees to make their settlement into Toronto easier. Nathalie
Volunteer, ORAT
ORAT Webpage
Please visit ORAT’s website to find details about our mandates, goals, and policies, as well as tools regarding immigration forms and Info Sessions 1 and 3 materials.
https://www.archtoronto.org/refugee/
Are you in a Resettlement Group that has formed since Project Hope was established in September 2015? A Facebook Group was formed specifically for the Resettlement Group members that are involved with Project Hope. If you would like to join the group please contact Anna via: [email protected]
Project Hope Facebook Group
Join us on Facebook
Become a member of the ORAT Facebook Page and join the Canada Group on to get the latest news and updates on resettlement issues.
ORAT Facebook page
The Office for Refugees is Supported by
Refugee resettlement work is not possible without our many dedicated volunteers who assist with administration, event coordination, interpretation, translation, outreach work and information sessions. Volunteers at the Office for Refugees develop useful skills while contributing to our world in meaningful ways. If you are interested in volunteering for the Office for Refugees, please contact Alexandra at: [email protected]
Become a volunteer for ORAT
•CPO-W will accept emailed applications from Sponsorship Agreement Holders (SAHs), G5s and CS groups for all populations.
•CPO-W will accept scanned refugee signatures on the IMM6000 (IMM0008, Schedules 2 and A) forms for all populations, and will accept digital photos; client photographs will be collected overseas for PR card purposes.
•CPO-W will accept scanned sponsor signatures on the Undertaking, Settlement Plan, Sponsor Assessment form, Financial Profile, and proof of funds (Letter from employer, funds held in trust).
Incomplete applications for all refugee populations may be returned to sponsors (SAH, G5, CS) if the information provided is inadequate/missing.
Only one application should be sent within one email. Multiple applications within one email will be returned.
If you would like to read more about this information and find instructions on how to email applications for G5 or as a CS please follow this direct link to the Refugee Sponsorship Training Program’s (RSTP) website.
Continued from page 1
Submitting a Group of 5 (G5) or Community Sponsorship (CS) application?
