Latest news with #CCIS
CTV News
10-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
Calgary Catholic Immigration Society welcomes migrant seniors with pilot program
The Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS) has launched a groundbreaking three-year pilot project aimed at improving the quality of life of immigrant seniors in Calgary and improving the integration process. It's hoped the project, called the Calgary Seniors Ethnocultural Network (CSEN), will bring together immigrant senior groups from across Calgary 'It's a collaboration of bringing all these newcomers together to form a stronger network within the Calgary community,' said Ricardo Morales, CCIS director of community development and integration services & southern Alberta rural settlement projects. 'To better be able to support and provide seniors with a plethora of different activities and services that are going to enhance their lifestyle.' CSEN will deal with issues of social isolation, language barriers, financial difficulties, elder abuse, digital literacy, cultural and generational differences and well as accessibility to services. The collaborative pilot project will see CCIS work closely with 13 partner associations. 'The impact of COVID showed us the need to support seniors,' Morales said. 'They were the most vulnerable sector for a population, hence now when we take a look at emerging seniors or emerging ethno-cultural seniors coming into Calgary, coming to us for support, we thought the best way we could do this is to formalize this into a network.' CCIS says the partnerships will focus on sharing resources and opportunities, promoting awareness of each other's work, collaborating on projects, workshops and presentations, co-applying for grants, advocating for understanding and inclusion and meeting regularly to discuss observations and proactively support immigrant seniors' well-being. 'We're trying to address this issue of social isolation, and I believe that with this network we can do more, especially if we help each other,' said Sherrisa Celis, CCIS immigrant senior services manager. 'So (we thought) why don't we just built this network so we can support more organizations, and more seniors will benefit from it, because if you have the money, then you can do more activities and seniors will be happier.' CCIS says by addressing the specific needs of ethnocultural seniors, it aims to build bridges of friendship, develop self-esteem and foster a sense of belonging. Organizers of the network will monitor how it works for the next three years with a hope of expanding out to rural communities one day.
Calgary Herald
09-06-2025
- Health
- Calgary Herald
Opinion: What does it mean to be Albertan in Canada? Lessons from refugee resettlement
In uncertain times, it's easy to become consumed by anxiety, anger and division. But these moments are precisely when we must reflect on our core values and ask: What does it mean to be Albertan or Canadian? For us, as physicians at the Calgary Refugee Health Clinic, the answers lie not in the loudest voices but in our patients' quiet resilience. Since 2011, our clinic has cared for over 15,000 refugees. Their stories and Alberta's welcome reveal the best of who we are. Article content Article content Calgary serves as Canada's western hub for refugee resettlement thanks to effective settlement and clinical programs developed over decades of inter-jurisdictional collaboration. Since the 2021 Afghan Resettlement Initiative, thousands of Afghan and other displaced families have arrived. Working with settlement agencies like CCIS, we often received only 24 to 48 hours' notice. We would meet at the airport with urgent medical care, warmth, and services. This reflects a rare but effective partnership between federally funded settlement agencies and provincially funded health services. Article content Article content This partnership isn't just functional, it's exemplary. Alberta leads Canada in refugee resettlement. And no municipality in Canada – among the 55 we examined – resettles more refugees per capita than Brook, a prairie town an hour from Medicine Hat. Article content Article content When we share these stories in academic and international circles through our work with the World Health Organization and UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), we're often met with disbelief. Canada's 'most conservative province' is also its most welcoming? We've just returned from Geneva, co-organizing a high-level side event for the WHO's 78th World Health Assembly. From this global perspective, we've learned what sounds like a most un-Canadian boast: Canada is exceptionally good at refugee resettlement and multicultural integration. Few Canadians know we are the only nation awarded the UNHCR's Nansen Refugee Award, for our response to the 1970s and 80s Indochinese refugee crisis, when Canada invented the Private Refugee Sponsorship Program, now emulated worldwide. Canada has since pioneered multiple resettlement programs, including Ugandan Ismailis, Central and South Americans, South Sudanese, Kosovars, Syrians, Afghans and Ukrainians.
CTV News
06-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Newcomer youth hiring fair aims to confront economic uncertainty and opportunity in Calgary
The Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS) held its inaugural Youth Employment Summit on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (CTV News)
