Jan/100
New Feature on Settlement.Org and Etablissement.Org | Alternative Jobs
As most know, if you are trained outside of Canada, it can take some time to get a licence to work in a regulated profession. With funding from CIC we have created a new feature on Settlement.Org to learn about alternative jobs for different regulated professions. You can read and compare key information about each job and watch videos of newcomers talking about their experiences working in an alternative job.
Below is one of the videos from the project.
Oct/090
New Look for Settlement.Org
This morning, we very softly launched the new (and improved!) Settlement.Org. Take a look: http://www.settlement.org/index.asp
The site has:
- A new graphic design and updated logo
- A new way of navigating to articles
- Short, concise, more web-friendly – articles in four major sections: Housing, Health, Employment, Education. Articles in the other four sections will be posted in this new format in the coming weeks.
In addition, some sections have been renamed:
- Services Near Me – formerly Find Help Close to Home
- In My Language – formerly In Your Language
- Daily Life – formerly Consumer Information
And some sections have been moved around. One important change is that you no longer have a choice to go to AtWork before you go to the newcomer site. Bookmark AtWork and go directly there! (http://atwork.settlement.org/atwork/home.asp)
We will continue to implement this new design, fix “bugs” and so on for some weeks before we are back to normal maintenance. So let us know if you see anything not working!
Jul/090
Sites for Newcomer Youth Launched
You Are Here and Vous êtes ici, the latest online information and referral resources from OCASI, are now live!
The websites are a place where youth new to Ontario can get information about the issues that affect them. They will have the opportunity to interact with and learn from the experiences of other newcomer youth, Canadian youth and youth workers. Visitors to the website will have a variety of ways to get the information they need. Along with dozens of articles written specifically for newcomer youth, the site will include a directory of youth-serving organizations, a local event and workshop calendar and a place to comment and ask questions in a moderated and safe online space.
Over the summer we will be doing some more user testing and adding new features. We will do an official launch in the fall.
It has been a great cross-team exercise. From planning to technical to editorial to translation the entire OCASI New Media group has been involved.
Make sure you visit the sites and spread the word! And send feedback too!
- http://www.newyouth.ca (You Are Here)
- http://www.nouveauxjeunes.ca (Vous êtes ici)
Jul/091
Latest on the Multilingual Kiosks
We have received several inquiries about whether we will be producing any more of the multilingual touch screen kiosks for school Reception Centres.
The short answer is “we don’t know yet”.
The funder (CIC) had to put a lot of the big projects on hold as they worked through internal budget issues. So we put the (very big) kiosk project at the bottom of our pile.
Sample video from the Kiosk:
Recently, CIC approved the budgets as they were agreed upon so the money should be there to do more kiosks. However, we can’t assume the kiosks are a lock to move forward.
The kiosks are expensive to make, between $5000 and $8000 per unit (including hardware, video, software, remote access, etc) and we (CIC, OCASI, the schools) need to be really sure that this type of format is useful to the newcomers for whom it was designed.
We did an evaluation of the two kiosks we produced last year, as part of a pilot program. The evaluation was pretty neutral. The kiosks had only been in place a couple of months and the feedback was positive but not overwhelming. CIC, understandably, has asked how we can make the project better.
I believe there are many things we would do better in a full roll out. Including:
- more training/support for the schools that get the kiosks
- related multilingual brochures/documentation
- improved signage
- remote access for technical support
There is demand for us to create more, and I am personally a fan of the kiosk, but, even with improvements, we still have to talk to all the stakeholders about whether this is the right way to go.
Check back or subscribe for email updates to get the latest on the kiosks. We will have to make a decision one way or the other within the next month or two.
Jul/090
Update on SSCAN
For the last 2+ years OCASI has been working on the SSCAN (Settlement Sector Client Administration Network) project. The main goal of the project was to build an integrated database to reduce the abundant duplicate entry which currently affects the sector and provide for more opportunities for agencies to improve internal evaluation and planning.
To date we have accomplished the following:
- devleoped the business plan, data concept, etc,
- put together the overall cost of the project which at a minimum will cost $2 million dollars during 2 years of development
- report on business and governance model options fo the SSCAN Database System
- pilot test that will help us understand how agencies are reporting to the many funders
Despite everything we have accomplished it is with a fair bit of disappointment that I say the SSCAN project is on indefinite hold.
Jul/092
[Video] Really Simple Strategies – Keeping Track of Your Organization and Issues Online
Marco Campana, who manages the Settlement At Work website, recently presented at the MyCharityConnects conference. The conference focused on connecting charities to the technology they need to succeed. Settlement At Work has similar goals around non-profits and technology use.
Below is the video of Marco’s presentation: Really Simple Strategies – Keeping Track of Your Organization and Issues Online
Jul/090
Launched! New Mapping Tools on Settlement.Org
We have completely updated the Settlement.Org Find Help Close to Home section!
Now, users can look for community services in cities across Ontario in a much easier way. See a map of where services are located, and find detailed information about each service.
Jul/094
Small Changes for Settlement.Org Logo
We are currently reworking the look of Settlement.Org. It has been almost 3 years since the last refresh and we all felt the site was looking a little stale.