Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia is launching a new program to support young newcomers to the province with issues they face when settling into life in Nova Scotia.
ISANS says the Youth Explore! Program will help newcomers between the ages of 16 and 25 who are facing drastic life changes.
Jennifer Watts, CEO of ISANS, says the program will particularly help those who haven’t been able to connect with others due to a variety of reasons.
“Perhaps they don’t have strong English skills, or they’re feeling particularly dislocated from their previous experience to settling here,” Watts said.
“So it’s a wonderful opportunity to bring them together as a group.”
The pilot project will provide newcomers with sessions where participants can learn about what it’s like to live in Canada, as well as provide them with support through the form of tours, presentations, networking session, job shadowing and more.
ISANS says the project is being made possible by a three-year commitment of $300,000 through the Emera Inclusion and Diversity Fund, a $5-million program spanning over five years that was announced earlier this month.
“We’re pleased to be collaborating with ISANS on this new initiative to help immigrant and refugee youth as they prepare to enter the workforce and become future leaders in the province,” Emera said when it announced the fund earlier in February.
Watts says the program will allow for immigrant youth to participate in individual goal setting and learn about some of the avenues they can take in their careers.
“It’s a very interesting opportunity and we’re excited to see what will emerge from it,” Watts said.
Watts added that there will be education elements about Nova Scotia’s Indigenous and African Nova Scotia communities to provide a fuller picture of the diversity that already exists in the province.
The program also be working a lot around digital literacy.
“Often, there are some real concerns about how to protect yourself, about things you need to know around consent, different laws and different applications,” Watts said. “It will also do some focus work with them on writing resumes and understand about Canadian workplace expectations.”
Watts says it’s expected about 45 newcomers will benefit from the program.
Information on registration will become available in the coming weeks.
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