June 21, 2023
Success Stories
Rural Immigration Initiative
The war in Ukraine has resulted in the largest human displacement crisis in the world today, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). To date, there are an estimated 5.9 million internally displaced people in Ukraine, nearly 8 million refugees from Ukraine have been recorded in neighbouring countries and across Europe, and approximately 17.6 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance this year (UNHCR).
To help Ukrainian nationals and their family members find safety in Canada, the federal government launched the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) program in March 2022, which is an accelerated temporary residence pathway for Ukrainians fleeing war. As of the end of May 2023, there were 157,885 individuals who arrived in the country under CUAET (Government of Canada), and 31,000 Ukrainians have registered with Alberta Health across 194 communities (Ukrainians in Alberta).
Recognizing that communities outside the seven major city centers in Alberta have limited resources, capacity and knowledge regarding the needs of Ukrainian evacuees, the Rural Development Network (RDN), together with Multicultural Health Brokers Cooperative (MCHB) and Action for Healthy Communities (AHC), applied for funding from the Alberta Association of Immigrant Serving Agencies (AAISA) to address this need. The successful proposal’s, Increasing Community Understanding of Ukrainian Evacuees, goal was to build the capacity of rural communities to better support Ukrainian evacuees through the delivery of a virtual workshop series.
There were four workshops delivered in a span of four months – from February to May 2023. Each workshop was delivered virtually twice per month. Below is a summary of each workshop and what was covered.
In the first workshop, we discussed the extent and scope of the Ukrainian refugee crisis, the long-term impact the conflict has had on Ukrainians; federal and provincial government supports available for evacuees, and we provided a working understanding of the CUAET program. The session was led by Lori Shortreed, Consultant for MCHB.
“Thank you for putting together the series, always good to have more information to better serve clients.”
The second workshop, also led by Lori, focused on models of healthy integration and settlement of evacuees through social inclusion such as cultural brokering and contextual layers model, a framework for learning more about individuals and families who have come to Canada. Part of the discussion was looking at the protective and risk factors during the pre-migration and migration stages of the evacuees. At the end of the sessions, two cultural brokers from MCHB shared how they effectively support the settlement of Ukrainian newcomers.
“I learned new approaches and ideas for connecting our Ukrainian clients with the community in meaningful ways and better leveraging the support systems in our community more.”
In this workshop, Karin Linschoten, Training and Outreach Coordinator with the MCHB gave a thought-provoking discussion on the internal experience of someone fleeing war and the impact on behaviour and perception, how trauma develops, symptoms of trauma in adults and children, how to better communicate with and support trauma survivors, and strategies in supporting survivors in rural communities.
“I really enjoyed this workshop, it was easy to understand and helped me understand more about the brain’s function in trauma and then the practical elements of how to support someone. I will certainly use this in my work with clients.”
The last workshop was led by Lisa de Gara, Rural Small Centres Manager with the AHC. Points of discussion were:
“I have gotten so much information that I thought I knew but did not…and my best takeaway is the resources that I can provide to the Ukrainian clients to help them thrive in Canada.”
Our workshop series attracted a total of 143 individuals, with 85 attending at least one workshop. The project reached 23 communities across Alberta that included Banff, Brooks, Consort, Devon, Drumheller, Innisfail, Provost, Wainwright, and many more! Other Canadian provinces such as Manitoba, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Nova Scotia were also represented by attendees. For those who attended these workshops, their places of work were typically in settlement organizations, learning centres, multicultural councils, public libraries, private colleges, different forms of governments, school divisions, legal clinics and other non-profits.
Overall, participants expressed their appreciation for the workshops prepared which have been helpful in understanding the Ukrainian evacuees’ experiences, needs and challenges to better support them in their communities. Our participants’ feedback is a testament that the delivery of the workshop series achieved its goal – building the capacity of all interested and affected parties to better understand the pre- and post-settlement realities of evacuees, a further understanding of the CUAET program, and cultural and trauma-informed education to successfully support the integration and settlement of Ukrainian evacuees across Alberta.
The project has been an incredible success thanks to the powerful partnership between RDN, MCHB and AHC. This collaboration truly exemplifies the importance of working together across different sectors. RDN’s expertise in rurality, MCHB’s expertise in community development, and AHC’s expertise in providing settlement services have synergized perfectly, allowing us to develop the workshop series through multiple lenses. Here are quotes that our partner organizations shared:
“As a professional working in rural settlement, I know that the needs of immigrants in small communities are frequently overlooked. When those immigrants are in crisis and a constantly changing environment, as was true for the Ukrainian arrivals through CUAET, the work becomes even more challenging! I was very thankful that RDN stepped up to the plate to offer coordination of workshops to teach about the new arrivals and how we can support them effectively in communities throughout Alberta and Canada at large.” – Lisa de Gara, Manager, Small Centres, Action for Healthy Communities.
“The Multicultural Health Brokers Cooperative Ltd. are grateful for the opportunity to partner with the RDN and Action for Healthy Communities in this innovative project to engage with and bolster rural community efforts to support Ukrainian evacuees arriving in their communities. In this unprecedented situation, projects such as this help us all to collaborate in creating holistic approaches to settlement – and beyond – that truly meet evacuee and other newcomer needs and in doing so lay the ground for socially inclusive communities across Canada. Thank you!” – Lori Shortreed, Consultant for MCHB.
Again, we’d like to thank our funders – AAISA and the Government of Alberta as its funding partner, our partner organizations – MCHB and AHC, and all participants who took the time to attend the workshop series!
For more information on this project, please reach out to Elaine Flores at elainef@ruraldevelopment.ca.
Canada’s immigration doors have been opened in recent years allowing newcomers to migrate into the country as students, permanent residents, or other approved immigration paths as one way to address a skilled labour shortage. However, some newcomers find the integration and transition into the Canadian workforce difficult or complex due to several factors such as the absence of Canadian work experience and lack of knowledge of Canadian work culture, among others.
Renzo Calienes is a newcomer. Hailing from Peru, Renzo came to Canada as a student to pursue a Master’s in Business Administration at Vancouver’s University Canada West. When he approached the end of his studies, Renzo was eager to build his resume with Canadian work experience before he graduated as he believed this would increase his chances of employment.
To support Renzo, his university’s career centre introduced him to the Rural Development Network’s Rural Roots initiative – a work-integrated learning (WIL) program that allows post-secondary students to gain practical work experience alongside their classroom study. When an employer is matched with a student, this is known as a WIL placement.
In this blog, Renzo highlights how Rural Roots helped him gain Canadian work experience to enhance his resume and how Rural Roots can do the same for other newcomers.
For newcomers like Renzo, Rural Roots offers the opportunity to safely test the waters of the Canadian workforce. Renzo was matched with the Rural Development Network’s Shelter Pulse project. He worked as a Research Intern, conducting research, analyzing data, and writing reports on gender issues and violence against women.
I pursued a work placement opportunity to gain practical experience and apply what I had learned in school to a real-world setting
Renzo Calienes
The internship introduced Renzo to the realities of a formal work setting in Canada. He developed workplace skills and experience in Canada’s work culture. To secure the position, Renzo received guidance on how to prepare his resume to improve his chances of being invited for interviews by Canadian recruiters. Essentially, he learned how to ‘Canadianize his resume’. He also went through a formal recruitment process that will help him prepare for future recruitment processes.
Renzo argues that his WIL placement offered an experiential insight into the Canadian workforce, making him “feel better prepared for future work opportunities.”
WIL placements can help newcomers explore career paths they haven’t considered or had the opportunity to experience. Renzo worked in the non-profit sector for the first time through his WIL internship while his previous work experiences have been in entrepreneurship, consulting, sales, and customer service in his home country.
In the beginning, I felt overwhelmed and doubted whether I could succeed. However, I was able to overcome challenges and succeed in this new environment. This experience has taught me the importance of pushing myself out of my comfort zone and being open to new opportunities, even if they seem daunting at first
Renzo Calienes
As an intern, Renzo helped develop and implement projects, such as creating new policies or procedures and communicating the results to stakeholders of the Shelter Pulse Initiative. “I had a few “AHA!” moments [working with Shelter Pulse] when I realized the real-world impact of my work and how it could contribute to improving the lives of women and marginalized groups,” he adds.
Seeing the outcome of his research in real-time combined with his newly gained work experience in the non-profit sector, Renzo is now open to exploring career opportunities in the nonprofit sector, especially roles that will help him support women and other marginalized groups.
Through Rural Roots, newcomers can identify new industries and explore potential career opportunities where they can learn to transfer their existing skills to not only gain employment in Canada but also identify the type of work and industry they’d like to pursue after graduation.
WIL placements help post-secondary students build their resumes or portfolio before they graduate, which is very important for newcomers seeking employment. It can help newcomers improve the quality of their resumes by enhancing their existing work experience or help them develop new skills, allowing them to effectively compete for skilled jobs and improve their quality of life.
From this experience, I learned the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and how to effectively communicate research findings to stakeholders. It helped me build my research, analytical, and technical skills, provided me with valuable experience for my resume and portfolio, and opened up new opportunities for future work
Renzo Calienes
Renzo’s favourite part of working with the Shelter Pulse team was how he was able to develop a range of soft and hard skills while contributing to the project’s mission to build capacity for rural women’s shelters across Canada. These new skills have greatly improved Renzo’s competitiveness in the employment space.
Renzo also developed a professional network that can provide mentorship and testify to his skills, potential, and professional character for future employment referrals – a powerful and much-needed asset for newcomers.
It was also a great opportunity to work with passionate and knowledgeable professionals who were committed to making a difference. Looking back, I am proud of my achievements and the skills I developed during my time with the Rural Development Network such as adaptability, resilience, and dedication to learning
Renzo Calienes
The Rural Roots initiative invites newcomers in post-secondary institutions like universities, colleges, and trade schools to take full advantage of the benefits of its work-integrated learning program and work placements.
Work-integrated learning is a great way for newcomers or international students to learn about the Canadian workplace. It’s a low-risk way for you to discover new skills, build relationships, or add valuable experience to your resume as a way to enhance your future job applications
Daniela Seiferling, RDN’s Program Manager for WIL
Renzo Calienes is a highly qualified and value-driven business leader with over 15 years of business management experience in entrepreneurship, consulting, sales, and customer service in his home country, Peru. He holds a Master’s in Strategic Business Administration from Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, and an International Certificate in Digital Transformation from MIT. He recently completed his second MBA from University Canada West (Vancouver, BC).
Renzo possesses strong leadership, talent management, strategic planning, and change management skills. He is self-motivated, proactive, and detail-oriented. He has a track record of managing diverse teams ranging from 5 to 60+ people. Renzo is known for his ability to adapt to new technology trends and update his strategies accordingly. He has garnered numerous affiliations, awards, and recognition for achieving top rankings, annual goals, customer loyalty, and growing customer bases.
Innovation is simply the understanding and knowledge that there is an efficient way of doing something – achieving a set task or goal. However, arriving at an innovative idea requires creative thinking, stepping outside the box, and oftentimes teamwork or partnership. But how can employers make sure they stay innovative?
Bob Bezpalko, the Executive Director of Alberta HUB has engaged over 20 students through the Rural Roots Initiative of the Rural Development Network.
He shares his insight on how work-integrated learning (WIL) supports innovative business solutions.
Work-integrated learning allows employers to outsource various aspects of a complex project. For instance, Bob’s organization had plans to establish a distribution location in Vegreville. However, the business needed an in-depth analysis of the viability of Vegreville as a suitable distribution centre to make informed decisions.
Through the WIL program, Bob outsourced this task to skilled post-secondary students in Canada. This gave Bob and other employees of Alberta HUB the capacity and time to focus on more complex aspects of the distribution project. Bob saw the value in working with students by leveraging their knowledge and skills.
“I believe WIL facilitates innovation. Our project required thinking outside the box and seeing the world as it is today, and defining trends that will change how business is done,” says Bob. He described his WIL experience as “very rewarding and successful.”
Engaging WIL students increases the capacity for success of any project. For innovation to thrive, employers must have a clear understanding of the complexity of their business challenges and provide student talent with the flexibility and space to bring innovative ideas forward. .
While working with Bob, WIL students creatively undertook an analysis of the relative industry, transportation and logistical opportunities, geographic and socioeconomic factors, and provided an extensive report that delivered the required outcomes.
“Our organization focuses on increasing wealth in our region which provides opportunities for our communities to grow. WIL provided the necessary capacity to gather information and formulate recommendations on best ways to proceed thus increasing the opportunity for success,” Bob explains.
These WIL students had research capabilities, skilled in marketing and human resource management to name a few. From his experience, Bob notes that while WIL students bring quality skill sets to any project, it is the responsibility of employers to provide all important information for a successful project.
Working with post-secondary students can help businesses develop strategies to meet their mandates. To achieve this, Bob says it is important for employers to “define the problem they are trying to solve” so students fully understand the expected deliverables.
“The students were very professional and showed great interest in executing the project. The result was an excellent report that detailed the required information and recommendations for the next steps in the short and long term.,” adds Bob.
Working with RDN’s WIL initiative also provided Bob with an insight into the future of Canada’s workforce. He urges more organizations to tap into the unlimited human resources WIL offers. “This program can help employers and organizations like Alberta HUB maintain operations and assist in developing a strategy to meet our mandates,” says Bob.
Post-secondary students across Canada are searching for opportunities to use their acquired skills in real-life situations to enhance their portfolios and resumes. Businesses have a chance to benefit from this pool of innovative and creative talent to meet their needs.
“[Rural Roots] program assists in developing a partnership with post-secondary institutions allowing the opportunity to address current and future labour needs,” Bob concludes.
Bob Bezpalko is the Executive Director of Alberta HUB. He began his career towards Economic Development in radio where he developed his communication and marketing skills. This gave Bob the opportunity to understand that the most important skill needed to communicate is “listening”.
Over the years he has gained extensive experience in project management, marketing, and strategic planning. He has a sincere passion for working with people in a team environment.
In his position as a regional economic development professional, Bob has had the opportunity to lead an alliance of municipalities, First Nations, Metis Settlements, colleges and business/industry to enhance the quality of life in his region. Working collaboratively with numerous other organizations and government departments has enhanced positive results.
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