The Agincourt Community Services Association (ACSA) was established in the 1970’s for residents of the Agincourt area. For over 40 years, ACSA continually set to accomplish its original mission of bridging people in need and people who have the ability to provide help.
Today, by means of funding from all levels of government, foundations, schools, and The United Way of Greater Toronto, ACSA continues to address various social issues such as hunger, homelessness, unemployment, and systemic poverty, among others. The ACSA currently has five different locations found throughout Agincourt; however, the services of its Newcomers’ Centre are the ones that my family and I are most familiar with.
The Newcomers’ Centre, as its name suggests, focuses its resources to provide various programs for newcomers to Canada. Since its creation in 2010, it has been funded by the Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and has served over 5,000 newcomers every year.
The Main Office of the Newcomers’ Centre is currently located at the Dorset Park Community Hub at 1911 Kennedy Rd. (near Kennedy cor. Ellesmere); however, some of the programs run by the Newcomers’ Centre also take place at various Toronto Public Library locations such as the McGregor Park branch, the Kennedy & Eglinton branch, and the Cedarbrae branch.
Programs and services offered by the Newcomers’ Center include the following:
• Newcomers’ Needs Assessment and Referral:
In this project, experienced settlement counselors provide one-on-one settlement counseling support, employment referral, and guidance in filling out application forms for Permanent Residence cards, OHIP, and Child Tax Benefit, among others. They also connect newcomers to other community resources, other IRCC-funded agency support programs, as well as to other programs ACSA offers.
• Newcomer Orientation Sessions:
These sessions serve to give comprehensive information to newcomers regarding life in Canada. Topics include (but are not limited to) financial literacy, immigration updates/rules, upgrading skills in Canada, foreign credentials assessment, bridging programs, children and family-related topics, among others.
• Online Language Training Program:
This program offers online language support to improve the language skills of newcomers, as well as to help them in improving their knowledge of Canada, Canadian society, Canadian workplace, and Canadian citizenship. This program assists clients in becoming proficient in English speaking, listening, reading, and writing through weekly one-on-one webinars with qualified teachers.
• Entry-Level Skills Training for Refugees and Newcomers:
This program provides and teaches newcomers various skills in Food Service, Customer Service, and Cashier Training, among others to help them get into entry-level jobs. Translation support, for diploma and transcript of records only, is also provided for those who aim to get into continuing education.
• Citizenship Test Preparation Workshops:
The Citizenship Test Preparation Program of ACSA includes both in-person and online workshops. There are five (5) sessions per series, and the ACSA conducts around ten (10) series in a year. Clients are guided in learning the details of Discover Canada guide & to help them successfully pass the knowledge test of the Citizenship exam. Participants are also provided with handouts & practice tests to ensure maximum knowledge retention.
• Seniors’ Café:
Hosted at the Dorset Park Community Hub weekly, this program promotes newcomer seniors’ general well-being by broadening social networks, promoting good health, eliminating social isolation, & providing cross-cultural recreational activities, among others.
• Summer Youth Program:
The Summer Youth Program is a five-week program for newcomer youth (typically 12-16 years old). Activities and workshops throughout the program help promote leadership, socialization, and social awareness, among others, to the participants of the program. The daily program includes sports and physical activities. The program, also, conducts educational field trips at the end of each week.
These are just some of the many programs the ACSA’s Newcomers’ Centre runs annually. However, because of the funding requirements of the IRCC, the Newcomers’ Centre can only serve and assist Permanent Residents, Convention Refugees, Protected Persons, and Live-in Caregivers.
For additional information regarding the Newcomers’ Centre, you can visit their website here or contact their manager, Jamillah Mananghaya-Poernama at (416) 292-6912 ext. 323.
All in all, the Newcomers’ Centre, and ACSA, in general, is a great organization in helping newcomers like my family and me in getting back on our feet and integrating ourselves into Canadian society, and for that, I thank them very much.