CERIS PAC Training Project
"Knowledge for Action - Action for Knowledge"

Preface
Background information

TRAINING PROJECT DOCUMENTS - PDF format suitable for printing. You'll need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.

PREFACE

This Training Manual is the product of the CERIS PAC Training Project "Knowledge for Action - Action for Knowledge". It is intended to be a resource training manual for community agencies serving immigrants and refugees.

CERIS-PAC members would like to acknowledge the support and participation of everyone involved in the Project. Without their sense of commitment, their expertise the Project would not have been possible. We say "thank you" to all community agencies, their staff who attended the various workshops, the curriculum writers, trainers and the Project Manager, who brought life to the Project through their knowledge ideas and enthusiasm. We would like to acknowledge the active involvement of the Multicultural Interagency Group of Peel (MIAG) in the western part of the GTA and Scarborough Network of Immigrant service Organizations (SNISO) in the east. These agencies organized workshops in their areas by partnering with the Project in the delivery and promotion of the training workshops.

We must also acknowledge the cooperation and partnership that has manifested itself among the CERISBPAC and the Canadian Immigration and Citizenship Department (CIC). Together, we have taken the first steps towards a new approach to delivering much needed research training workshops to community agencies.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Fernando Nunes, the Project Manager, and Madalena Silva, the Project Management Consultant. As well me must acknowledge the guidance and leadership of the Project Steering Committee consisting of the PAC Executive, Dr. Morton Beiser, CERIS Director; Prof. John Shields, Ryerson Polytechnic University; Mr. Ted Richmond, CERIS Administrative Coordinator; Ms. Mary Alberti, Director, Family Services Association of Toronto; Mr. Khan Rahi, Executive Director, Access Action Council of Toronto; Ms. Wendy Kwong, Multicultural Health Consultant, Toronto Public Health Department; and, Mr. Timothy Owen, Associate Executive Director, COSTI.

We also would like to thank the curriculum writers and trainers who made possible the delivery of the workshops all over the GTA. Their expertise and knowledge of community agencies was appreciated by all involved, and contributed greatly to the success of the project. The end product in your hands is a practical training manual that is available and accessible to all involved.

The trainers were: Mr. Marco Campana, Ms. Linda Epp, Mr. Joseph Geronimo, Ms. Keiko Kuji-Shikatini, Mr. Clem Marshall, Mr. Daudi Nidwa-Lana, Mr. Ahamad Saidullah, Ms. Madalena Silva, Ms. Francine Volker, Ms. Rebecca Ullman, Ms. Suparna Nirdosh, Ms. Linda Grobovsky, Mr. Norrel London.

The writers were: Mr. Marco Campana, Ms. Linda Epp, Mr. Joseph Geronimo, Ms. Keiko Kuji-Shikatani, Mr. Clem Marshall, Mr. Daudi Ndiwa-Lana, Mr. Ahmad Saidullah, Mr. Seetharam Mukkavilli.

We encourage all agencies to use these workshop materials for staff training and development, and trust that you find them useful in improving the ability of your organization and your staff to do research within your communities.

The training manuals included in this training package are as follows:

Acquiring and Interpreting Census Information
Introduction to Accessing Available Research On Immigration and Settlement
Researching Immigration and Settlement
Conducting Valid and Cost Effective in House Research
How to Utilize Research on Immigration and Settlement For Program Planning, Development and Evaluation
Accessing Settlement and Immigration Research on the Internet
How to Develop a Management Information System
Using Research to Create a Management Information System
Introduction to Action and Participatory Research
Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods in Immigration and Settlement
Using Research for Advocacy
Introduction: How to Apply for Research Funds
Introduction to Research Methodology in Immigration and Settlement
Acquiring and Using Research for the Purpose of Funding Proposals
Building Closer Academic - Community Collaboration
How to Create a Client Database

You can get more copies of this training manual by downloading it here, or by purchasing a CD at the CERIS office. As well, a paper copy of this material is available in the CERIS Resource Centre.

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BACKGROUND INFORMATION

CERIS and the Metropolis Project

The Joint Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Settlement - Toronto (CERIS), was established in March of 1995 to study the settlement of immigrants into the economic, social, political and cultural life of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The Centre is a collaborative project between the academic, social services and government communities. Along with Centres in Montreal, Edmonton, and Vancouver, CERIS is a major component of Canada's participation in the international Metropolis Project, which focuses on issues related to the settlement of immigrants in large metropolises, and seeks to understand related "best practices" that should inform public policy.

The goals of CERIS are to promote scholarly research on the immigration and settlement of new Canadians that can provide practical insights for informing relevant public policies; to offer a new model of collaborative research between academic and community partners in order to ensure the solid grounding of such research; to provide new recruits to the ranks of scholars in immigration and settlement; and to disseminate widely its research findings to policy makers, academics, community groups, and all who may benefit thereby. In keeping with its collaborative nature, CERIS is governed by a Management Board that encompasses Ryerson Polytechnic University, University of Toronto, York University, the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants, the Social Planning Council of Metropolitan Toronto, and the United Way of Greater Toronto.

The Partnership Advisory Council (PAC)

Additional community support to the CERIS Management Board is provided by a Partnership Advisory Council (PAC). The PAC consists of representatives of immigrant service agencies, social planning councils, school boards and the education sector, municipal government, and local representatives of the (Metropolis) federal funding partners. It is structured so as to include consultation with, and advice from, groups that are actively involved in the provision and/or planning of services for immigrants in the Greater Toronto Area. The mandate of the PAC includes facilitating communication between CERIS and community agencies, and advising on research priorities and on the research process including adjudication, dissemination and community/academic partnerships.

Feedback from community agencies identified clear gaps in the capacity of some community agencies to access the results of the research on immigration and settlement, and to effectively incorporate research findings into their program planning and service delivery. After some consultation, CERIS and the PAC received funding from Citizenship and Immigration Canada for a project to address these gaps. The project capitalized on the PAC as a structured mechanism for collaboration and community outreach.

The goals of the CERIS-PAC Research Training Project (later renamed the "Knowledge for Action - Action for Knowledge" series) were accomplished by:

• increasing access by community organizations and their clients to immigration and settlement research resources

• delivering specialized group training to help community agencies

• assisting agencies in the use of research for program planning and service delivery

• increasing the capacity of community groups to participate in the priority setting processes to identify potential CERIS funded immigration and settlement research.

The training was targeted to the staff and volunteers of agencies delivering settlement and community-based services to newcomers in the GTA. Workshop delivery took place at local community agencies, to encourage participation and minimize the burden on staff participating in the training sessions.

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