Regional Connections (RC) gathered last week for the Annual General Meeting sharing reports from the various areas of support provided by the non-profit settlement services organization with offices in Altona, Winkler, Morden and Dauphin.
In the past, 1000-1200 new clients were considered a high number, but Executive Director noted, last year, the number was around 1900 across the organization.
"We welcomed over 1600 new people to the Pembina Valley region during that time and have existing clients from previous years who have come back, as well. So, there is a lot of work that way."
This level of growth allowed for increased programming in a couple of areas.
"We were getting those going. Supporting some government assisted refugees and we're able to start what's called a case management program which provides more social work level support for complex cases or high needs clients."
Reynolds added there was another area which saw significant growth.
"And in response to a lot of people arriving, we were also able to add some English classes and capacity that way. It was the first year, too, for a new employment program Gateway to Work Experience for Newcomers. Three cohorts of that program ran very successfully. It's for people with lower English levels looking more at entry level type positions in the workplace and over 80% of those clients got full-time permanent jobs out of that program."
Reynolds told a success story at last week's AGM, about a language student who arrived in Canada in 2019. Natalya has improved her English up to an intermediate level over the last few years. He shared her sentiments on the impact the organization has had on her settlement so far.
"I can speak and it's just fantastic. It's very important to be a part of the community where you live, to communicate with all people, to feel that you're in the right place. And now, I have a job and I'm very happy. I'm very grateful. To the team of regional connections for this job. My result is their results."
Reynolds added she gave some inspirational advice for newcomers, "I would like to say to every newcomer, never give up. Learning a new language is not easy. It will take a lot of your time and it won't happen all at once. But the team of the language program is there for you and always ready to help."
She is now working in the Regional Connections Language department.
When asked how many adjustments RC has had to make to meet the growing need, Reynolds replied, "Lots."
"Between advocating for services or the support to make sure that people are successful after they arrive here with jobs, and with language, and with connecting to the community. And for sure, expanding capacity too. A lot of community connections help with that, so other programs, volunteers, and community members really expand the capacity of welcoming and supporting newcomers."
While some programs may not be a perfect fit for everyone, there are multiple options to try, and Reynolds encouraged newcomers to keep trying to find what works for them.
Learn more about how you or your organization can get involved in supporting the work of Regional Connections on the social media or RC website.
