ARMS Reach -- ARMS Newsletter
Web Edition, November 2006
A full version copy in PDF format can be downloaded from here

MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Warm greetings to all our readers of this, our new "ARMS Reach" publication, keeping you updated on settlement information and support across the Auckland Region.

ARMS' core business is the provision of accurate and relevant information, advice and support to assist the settlement of migrants and refugees within Auckland. Throughout 2006, ARMS has been doing this in various ways-local Settlement Network meetings, a weekly radio programme, ARMS' website, workshops and Open Days at our centres. Our latest addition-the "ARMS Reach" newsletter-will be launched at our Public "Open Doors @ ARMS" event on December 7th.

In this "ARMS Reach" edition are updates on four of the Settlement Support NZ initiatives across Auckland. In our next edition will be an update on the fifth initiative-SSNZ Pacific. ARMS has the responsibility of regularly bringing these five initiatives together to collaborate and share ideas regionally.

This year has seen the spawning of numerous settlement strategies, action plans, networks, working groups, and other initiatives such as the Strengthening Refugee Voices group. From these positive developments will emerge many collaborative innovative initiatives to assist our newcomers-"ARMS Reach" will keep you posted on these in the coming year.

In the meantime, I wish you all a very restful break with your families and communities over the Christmas-New Year period.

OFFERS ADVICE IN 25 LANGUAGES

In October, some of Auckland's more recently established migrant and refugee communities found it easier to get assistance in their own language, as the CAB Multi-lingual Information Service based at ARMS Three Kings extended its service by a further 11 languages.

The new languages are: Amharic, Kurdish, Lao, Thai, Vietnamese, Portuguese, Kirundi, Burmese, Khmer, Russian and Kiswahili. They join the already existing languages offered through the CAB, which are Arabic, Farsi, Hindi, Bengali, Urdu, Korean, Cantonese, Mandarin, Dari, Somali, Hokkien, Taiwanese, Spanish and Japanese.

The Department of Labour has funded the extension of the service, which is available for Settlement Support Coordinators around the country to contact for interpreter assistance when they are assisting clients with limited English who are needing settlement related information.

Migrants and refugees living in Auckland will also be able to call the service directly to speak with someone in their own language about any issue, or to visit the centre at Three Kings for face-to-face assistance.

MLIS Auckland Manager, Durga Ray, says that the additional languages will help the CAB to serve the migrant and refugee communities in a broader way.

"Many communities usually do not access the CAB facilities and are ignorant of the rights and rules of NZ because of the language barrier. Now with these new languages, people from the migrant and refugee communities will be well versed with the rights and responsibilities of living in their new home land" , she said.

At present, the languages most in demand are Chinese, Arabic and Korean while the most common issue that people call for help about is immigration. However, many enquiries are about everyday things like knowing how to get the gas or electricity connected, how to get children into school, the tax system etc.

A BUSY FIRST YEAR FOR AUCKLAND CITY SETTLEMENT SUPPORT

Three very successful local Settlement Support Network meetings have been held in Auckland so far this year. The meeting in April addressed key issues for participants, such as how to make the Network effective, how the Network could have fuller community representation and what expectations the participants had of the Network.

It was during this meeting that participants also established topics to be addressed at future Network meetings, with the second meeting in August focusing on ESOL.

Almost 70 people representing local and central Government, NGOs, community groups and service providers attended the August meeting, where more than 26 ESOL providers were represented. Providers were invited to display their programme brochures, flyers and posters and presentations were given by six of the providers, representing different areas of ESOL provision.

These were: ESOL Home Tutors, Selwyn College (Refugee Education for Families), Chinese New Settlers Trust (Bilingual Community English), Auckland Somali Association (Bilingual Community English), Onehunga Community Education (Community Education and English), Unitec (Employment English 1) and AUT (Employment English 2).

A directory of local ESOL service providers was prepared by ARMS Settlement Support and ESOL Advisory Services and was distributed to all present. It is also available for downloading on the ARMS website at www.arms-mrc.org.nz.

Good feedback was received on the August SSN meeting and it provided all agencies with a chance to get together and exchange up-to-date information on ESOL and other services. While the ESOL Advisory Service at ARMS has been instrumental in organising meetings between community representatives and ESOL providers, the Settlement Support Co-ordinator Kiran Mallapur has also been involved in extensive community consultations where communities have had the opportunity to identify their critical issues and immediate needs.

The third Auckland Settlement Support Network meeting addressed Employment and was held at the Fickling Centre, Three Kings, on 15 November 2006. Over 80 people attended this meeting. A directory of employment services in Auckland compiled and distributed by ARMS was appreciated by the participants.

Auckland City Settlement Support Co-ordinator :
Kiran Mallapur, Tel: 625 3093.

HELP FOR NEWCOMERS TO WAITAKERE

Settling into a new country can be a bewildering experience for new settlers. Unexpected challenges and crises crop up when least expected, so where do they find expert help?

Settlement Support, the free information and advice service for new settlers, started in Waitakere in February this year.

Migrants and refugees can make an appointment with Jennie Derrick, Settlement Support Advisor, at one of the four Citizens Advice Bureaux in the city and talk about their settlement service needs. Jennie has met with people from 19 different ethnic backgrounds and she uses Language Line or the Multi-lingual Call Centre at the Auckland Regional Migrant services (ARMS) to communicate with clients who have a low level of English. Issues range from finding a local doctor or dance class, to sponsoring a family to come to New Zealand.

Settlement Support Coordinator, Julie Newell, works part time behind the scenes coordinating the local New Out West network, writing the monthly newsletter and organising workshops for providers and for migrants and refugees. "Networking and the provision of information is a mysterious occupation with mostly intangible results" says Julie. Jennie may have an hour with someone at the CAB, provide information and contacts and never see that person again. Julie might organise a workshop, know that 20 people attended, read the feedback sheets but be in the dark as to whether it was a life changing experience or a complete waste of time. What becomes of them and their issues? "Here is a warm happy tale of what can happen," says Julie. "A while ago Relationship Services facilitated a workshop called Relating Well in New Zealand. Part of the workshop focused on a job search case study using one of the participants as a "volunteer. "This person was highly embarrassed about her level of English and cited this as a primary barrier to finding work.

However, with a lot of input and encouragement from the other participants, she came to realise that her fears were much greater than the reality and that in fact she was a skilled and capable person, a person an employer would be lucky to have. "Following this boost to her confidence she made an appointment to visit Jennie at the CAB to discuss avenues of finding work. There she got the leads she needed plus another shot of encouragement and now.she is working and doing exactly the type of job she had thought she had no hope of getting" says Julie.

This happy result was reported through a chance encounter. Not many people go back to the CAB to report their successes which is understandable. They just need some advice, information, and maybe encouragement so they can get on with their lives and hurdle the obstacle which has been inhibiting them.

Waitakere Settlement Support Co-ordinator : Julie Newell,
Tel: 837 6271

Settlement Adviser : Jennie Derrick,
Tel:0800 367 2222

UPDATES ON MANUKAU CITY SETTLEMENT SUPPORT

Manukau City Settlement Support Network met in March, August and November of this year. The first meeting addressed the theme "Facing the Challenges - Manukau's New Multi Ethnic, Multi Cultural and Multi Lingual Workforce" and was also used as an opportunity to thank Colin Dale for his work as he retired from his role as the City Manager of the Manukau City Council. Held in Papatoetoe, the meeting was attended by 69 representatives from the migrant and refugee communities as well as service providers and government agencies in the area. The speakers included Hannah Samuel - from the Equal Employment Opportunities Trust, and Amit Ohdedar - ARMS Trust Board member.

The meeting identified concerns related to finding suitable employment and a request was made for another meeting with the focus on inviting employers to participate in the discussion to address some of these concerns. A sub-committee was established consisting of representatives of the network stakeholder to plan the next meeting.

The second network meeting was held in August and covered the theme "Global Solutions in Your Neighbourhood" - Tapping into our Cross-cultural Talent" - a forum for employers, migrants, refugees and service providers. More than 74 people attended the meeting and heard from speakers including: Olivia James - Pacific Settlement Support Coordinator, Judy Hunter - Researcher Massey University, Peter Browning - IPENZ, and Rod Giles - Managing Director, Contact Warehousing Ltd.

Participants at the third Manukau Settlement Network meeting, held at Te Wananga o Aotearoa, shared their views on what the Network Settlement Plan should contain for 2007.

Other activities throughout the year have included a joint workshop with HAPCOSS - "Face to Face with Migrants and Refugees", while a "Welcome to Flatbush" event is being planned in collaboration with the Botany Downs Community Adviser. Welcome and Orientation workshops are also being arranged in consultation with stakeholders.

Manukau City Settlement Support Co-ordinator: Desmond Abrahams
Tel: 262 5983.

NORTH SHORE SETTLEMENT SUPPORT NEWS

This network identified a working group, which has since scoped the range of information outlets that serve settlement needs in North Shore City and is currently drawing up a proposal for the preferred "Best point of contact for Settlement Information in North Shore City". This proposal will be presented back to the network before the end of the year. With no pre-existing citywide settlement network much of the settlement support energy has been directed to building a well connected North Shore Settlement Network, establishing relationships, facilitating connections and working with groups and organisations with energy and commitment to settlement outcomes.

As the Settlement Support coordinator, Lindsay Waugh says it is encouraging to see organisations, community groups and NGO's delivering an increasing range of services and opportunities that assist local migrants and refugees to connect socially and settle into their new community. Some of the key highlights from the last year are detailed below.

Settlement Support Co-ordinator North Shore : Lindsay Waugh
Tel: 486 8600 ext 8220

Migrant Services North Shore continues to provide regular workshops that focus on employment related issues. This year has seen the service delivered in additional locations in East Coast Bays and Albany providing a valuable service to the wider community. For a full programme of future workshops contact Lin Lee Mahendran at migrantservicesns@xtra.co.nz

North Shore Women's Centre in collaboration with Migrant Services North Shore initiated a series of workshops that focused on settlement issues that have particular relevance to women. This new programme was well received and further programmes are being considered. For more information on this series please contact Julie Duffy at women.ctr@ix.net.nz

North Shore Community and Social Services continued with their popular lunchtime Cultural Perspectives series. The opportunity to hear real settlement stories have been very well received and stimulated much discussion and increased understanding across the community. For more information contact Lesley Farmer at lesley@nscss.org.nz

Raeburn House has published the second edition of their Ethnic Links North Shore, a Refugee and Migrant Directory of services. This year the information is also available on line at www.raeburnhouse.org.nz or by emailing info@raeburnhouse.org.nz

WHAT'S NEW AT ARMS?

Specialised Employment Programmes
The Ministry of Social Development has agreed to fund us to continue our specialist employment workshops. ARMS has been conducting First Steps to Employment workshops for over 2 years and, from that experience, it was clear that specialist workshops are needed for different professional groups to help them into working in their own specialised fields.

Migrant Teacher Workshops and Small Business Workshops are continuing. A successful workshop for migrant accountants has been held, and other specialist groups identified for future workshops are banking and administration staff and migrant women returning to work. Specialised workshops will continue to involve all stakeholder agencies, employers and recruitment consultants. We will let you know of further developments through ARMS Reach and our website.



Employment Support for Engineers
The Special Interest Group for Immigrant Engineers (SIGIE), ARMS, and Work and Income NZ are collaborating on an initiative called the Supporter Programme to assist migrants with professional engineering qualifications into engineering employment in New Zealand. SIGIE is a special interest group of the Institution of Professional Engineers of NZ (IPENZ).

The aim of the group is to facilitate pathwaying of migrant engineers into meaningful professional engineering employment in NZ and the programme provides a range of job search assistance activities. Since late last year, 44 migrant engineers have enrolled into the SIGIE supporter programme and with the help of their supporter, at least 11 have gained a job in their field.

This free programme is available to all professional qualified migrant engineers who are either unemployed or who are working but not employed in professional positions.

For more information, contact project co-ordinator Jun Luo on (09) 625 2440 ext 752 or email junl@arms-mrc.org.nz

International Migrant Day
International Migrant Day falls on the 18th of December. It is a good time of the year to celebrate being in a new country and we at ARMS want to celebrate this event with the theme of hospitable host communities welcoming new settlers. We will be having a small celebration in our Three Kings Centre in the form of a shared lunch on Friday the 15th of December 2006. All friends of the Centre are welcome to attend this. Please bring a plate of food to share.

Refugee Employment Project
ARMS has received some initial funding from the JR McKenzie Trust which will enable development of a targeted employment assistance programme for refugees.

The first pilot, starting in March next year, will be aimed at assisting young refugee women and will incorporate initiatives such as mentoring, a job club, work experience and volunteering opportunities to try and secure meaningful job outcomes for refugees.  It is hoped that future funding will enable the programme to extend to skilled and professional refugees seeking employment. For more information about this project, please contact Anna Fyfe-Rahal, Project Worker at ARMS email annaf@arms-mrc.org.nz or Tel: 625 2440 ext 751.

Great News for Migrant Women Returning to Work
We will be having a series of workshops for migrant women who want to get into employment in New Zealand under our specialist employment workshop programme. We will hold the first workshop of the series on the 9th of December at the Three Kings Centre and further workshops are planned for the new year. For further details please email: reception@arms-mrc.org.nz or call 625 2440.

Tangata Tiriti - Treaty People Kit
A resource which addresses the need for new settler education about the Treaty of Waitangi was launched in early November at Orakei Marae. The development of Tangata Tiriti - Treaty People was a collaborative project led by the Tamaki Treaty Workers working with the Auckland Workers Education Association (AWEA), the Human Rights Commission (HRC), the Refugee Council of New Zealand, and ARMS.

The resource has simple and accurate information about the Treaty of Waitangi and includes many interactive activities that are best used in a group or workshop setting. It has been written in a way that it will be particularly suitable for facilitators and teachers to use with community groups or ESOL classes. It can be used with new settlers for whom English is a relatively new language and also with any non Maori who wants a basic understanding of the Treaty.

Auckland Regional Migrant Services (ARMS) is the main distributor. If you or your group would like to have an orientation session or facilitator training session, or order copies of the kit, please contact: Jun Luo, Distribution Coordinator email: junl@arms-mrc.org.nz or Tel: (09) 625 2440 ext 752.