Many thanks to AMSSA in British Columbia for having me present this workshop to settlement and language workers across the province. I’m definitely not a marketing expert. But, like making technology, or any service choices, it all comes down to being strategic and knowing/understanding your client.
In this video I’m looking at the future of immigrant/refugee settlement work, but really human service more broadly. I hope you find it interesting. I would love to hear what you think! Comment below, or connect on social.
When it comes to I&R, one of the sites you should be using frequently, and as a power user, is your local 211 site. But, 211 sites are not always the most user friendly. You might find search results a bit confusing, or are unsure how to start, etc. We created a screen cast walking course participants through the 211Ontario site.
At a workshop last year, I asked a group of participants to break into groups and identify the top four things settlement workers need to know, top four skills that they must possess, and the top four work-related attitudes and behaviours in the era of digital service delivery. Interestingly, there wasn’t much overlap between groups. This suggests the richness of human service work, as well as its complexity.
I recently presented at a workshop focused on innovative outreach approaches and thought I’d share my presentation here. My piece of the morning looked at how technology can help with that outreach.
I asked Madison what it’s like to shift from a predominantly in-person service culture to an online-only service. She provides a refreshingly candid overview of some of the challenges they faced.
In March of this year, PeaceGeeks was one of the winners of the Google Impact Challenge. They took home $750,000 to bring their “Services Advisor” mobile app/system to Canada (previously used in Jordan with UNHCR) focused on connecting newcomers to Canada with services, including service tracking, etc.
In this episode, I talk with Heidi Fuentes, Online Services Program Manager at COSTI Immigrant Services. I learned a lot from Heidi about what it takes to move existing services online to meet the needs of clients who many never set foot in your offices. COSTI’s success is a great example for all human service organizations about what is possible, and desirable, when looking at online service. She shares many lessons and insights about what it took to make COSTI’s services successful.
In this episode, I’m talking with Joséphine Goube, Chief Executing Officer of Techfugees. In our conversation, I explore what Techfugees does and what they’re learned acting at the intersection of technology developers and human service providers. Joséphine shares a number of important insights for any civic techies or human service workers looking to collaborate to provide technology-based services or information solutions for refugees, and other vulnerable populations.
In this episode, I’m so excited to bring you Lawrence Murphy, a pioneer in cyber counselling in Canada. Together, we explorethe foundations of cyber counselling, what an organization really needs to think about before moving into this space, why it’s just as effective for clients (but, not all clients), and some future trends in online counselling/services.