ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 16

Promoting intercultural understanding and the

retention of cultural identity and language since 1964.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

2016 Annual General Meeting Agenda ——————–——————————————————— 3

2015 Annual General Meeting Minutes ——————–——————————————————— 4

Message from the President ——————–————————————————————————- 10

Message from the Executive Director ——————–————————————————————- 12

Vision, Mission, Values and Goals ——————–—————————————————————-- 14

SIA Bylaws Changes ——————–———————————————————————————- 15

Mentorship Program ——————–————————————————————-——————–— 19

Learning Interculturalism Through Employment (LITE) ——————–————————————— 20

English for Employment (E4E)/Stage 1 & 2 English ——————–——————————————– 21

Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) ——————–————————————- 22

ConnectED/Active Culture ——————–————————————————————-————— 23

Global Movement/Performing Arts ——————–—————————————————————— 24

Saskatoon Multilingual School ——————–————————————————————-———- 25

Equity and Anti-Racism Committee ——————–————————————————————-— 26

Syrian Initiatives ——————–————————————————————-——————–——— 27

SIA Partnerships - Newcomer Information Centre ——————–——————————————–-- 28

Treasurer’s Report ——————–————————————————————-——————–— 29

Financial Statement ——————–————————————————————-——————–— 30

Board of Directors Slate ——————–————————————————————-—————— 45

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2016 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AGENDA

Agenda Item:

1.0 President’s Opening Remarks 6:00 PM

2.0 Adoption of the agenda Mark

3.0 Adoption of the minutes from last AGM | June 17, 2015 Mark

4.0 Business arising from the minutes Mark

5.0 Executive Director’s Report

5.1- Annual Report overview

5.2 - Project & Committee updates, progress, challenges, and

new opportunities

Jess

6.0 Treasurer’s Report

6.1 - Financial Report

6.2 - Appointment of Auditor

Winnie

7.0 Election of New Board Members

David

8.0 Other Business

8.1 - Updated Vision and Values Statements

8.2 - Bylaw Changes and Amendments

Mark

9.0 Questions/Suggestions Mark

10.0 Adjournment Mark

Pizza Dinner: 5:30 PM

Date Wednesday, June 15th

Location Room G30, 230 Avenue R South (St. Paul’s Hospital - C Wing)

Time 6:00 – 8:30 PM

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Agenda

1.0 Call to order 6:30 PM

2.0 Adoption of the agenda

3.0 President’s opening remarks

4.0 Adoption of the minutes from last AGM (June 18th, 2014)

5.0 Business arising from minutes

6.0 Executive Director’s report

7.0 Updated mission statement and goals

8.0 Bylaw changes and amendments

9.0 Treasurer’s Report:

9.1 – Audited financial report

9.2 – Appointment of the auditor

Motion by Winnie to appoint Max Lingard as SIA auditor for

2015/2016 fiscal year.

10.0 Election of new board members

11.0 Other business

12.0 Adjournment

2015 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING MINUTES

Date Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Location École Canadienne-Française Gustave-Dubois, 2320 Louise Ave

Time 6:00 – 8:30 PM

Pizza Dinner: 6:00 PM

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David Parkinson called the meeting to order at 6:30 PM

Motion to adopt by Caroline Cottrell to adopt the agenda. Seconded by Tracey Muggli. Motion Carried.

David acknowledged we are on Treaty 6 territory. He also acknowledged SIA staff and Bob Cram as Acting

Executive Director for the past eight months. He expressed appreciation for Bob and his efforts. He also

gave special acknowledgment to our funders in attendance; Iris Penner from the Provincial Ministry of the

Economy and Donna Parker from Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

Last year was a big year for SIA. We hosted a picnic attended by approximately 400 – 500 people. It was a

great opportunity to thank the community and gain visibility for the organization. We also celebrated at our

50th Anniversary Gala to recognize our 50 years of work in the community.

David also acknowledged staff who have moved on. Haven Seto left in April 2015, and Mahasti Khakpour

went on leave in September and has decided to continue her academic pursuits. Therefore, since Bob only

took the Executive Director position for ten months, we have started a search for a new Executive Director.

David encouraged individuals in the community to spread the word about the Executive Director posting.

David wishes Mahasti all the best for her future endeavours.

1.0 Call to Order

2.0 Adoption of the Agenda

3.0 President’s Opening Remarks

Motion by Pratyush Das to adopt the minutes from the last AGM on June 18, 2014 as presented.

Seconded by Mark Brown. Motion Carried.

None heard.

Bob welcomed everyone to the AGM. He stated he has had an eventful an enjoyable eight months, but he is

excited to go back to retirement.

Over the past year, the organization has experienced transition. Jess Hamm had filled the Executive Director

position for two months before Bob came on with the organization. He encouraged everyone to spread the

word or to apply themselves for the ED position.

SIA continues with its strong commitment to Heritage Languages in Saskatoon, Arts and culture promotion

and an intercultural role in the community. We also promoted anti-racist education through the Reel to Real

film festival held last March.

In more recent years SIA has experienced growth in our settlement programs to assist newcomers coming to

Canada, and in the last couple of years we have also increased our services to Indigenous people. We are

different because we have an intercultural and multicultural mandate that sets us apart from other settlement

organizations.

4.0 Adoption of the minutes from last AGM (June 18th

, 2014)

5.0 Business arising from the minutes

6.0 Executive Director’s Report

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ConnectED, our summer program for newcomer youth has had success over the past summer. Our 2 ESL

programs, LINC (Federal) and Stage 1 & 2 (Provincial program), remain strong. The LINC program has more

than doubled in size over the past year, and we have secured funding to remain operational at these elevated

levels throughout 2015 – 16.

Mentorship, which is provincially funded, continues to help professionally trained newcomers, and LITE

(Learning Interculturalism through Employment) brings together at–risk Newcomer youth and Indigenous

youth. A lot of them are single parents, and may not have strong educational backgrounds. The program

builds bridges between Newcomer and Indigenous populations and helps at-risk youth get jobs.

It has also been a year for policy development. We have seen organizational changes, the introduction of

direct deposit payroll, a new HR policy, and a travel policy. In addition, we introduced Guidelines for revenue

recognition to improve consistency and transparency with regards to revenue deferrals at year-end.

We also conducted a strategic planning session to renew SIA’s mission and goals. Work continues to be done

on the outcomes of the strategic planning session, but the Board has already approved a new mission

statement of goals, which are shown in the annual report.

Another theme has been relationship-building. SIA has been working to improve relationships with other

agencies and partners. This area has been successful and we continue to benefit from a better relationship

with partners and funders.

Something new for SIA was our application to United Way for more core funding. United Way changed the

rules about who could apply for funding for its Community Fund, which created an opportunity for us. A lot of

agencies have applied, so it will be very competitive.

SIA also continues to be involved with provincial/local agencies and associations such as; MCOS, SK Culture,

SAISIA, SOHL, and TESL SK. Here in the city we continue to work with the Saskatoon Settlement and

Integration Council, Saskatoon Refugee Coalition and the Newcomer Information Centre.

Bob finished by saying he has greatly enjoyed his time at SIA. The work was very interesting, and the staff at

SIA are amazing. He commented that he has led a lot of units and departments over a 29 year career, and it is

rare that you are in a workplace where every single staff member is so good.

One disappointment was our work towards a Community Learning Commons. SIA was a part of an initiative

spearheaded by Kinsmen of Saskatoon to find new office space. The Kinsmen purchased a building on

20thAve M. hoping to renovate and expand it as a learning centre with five non-profits to share resources.

Unfortunately, the fundraising effort was unsuccessful, and the building will go up for sale.

We will now look into acquiring newer and improved space elsewhere.

Bob finished by saying he has greatly enjoyed his time at SIA. The work was very interesting, and the staff at

SIA are amazing. He commented that he has led a lot of units and departments over a 29 year career, and it is

rare that you are in a workplace where every single staff member is so good.

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The SIA board has approved a new mission statement and goals, which are included for information in the

annual report. We went through a renewal exercise in part because it was overdue, but we also wanted to do

so in advance of applying for the United Way funding. Part of our reasoning was that we have a greater focus

now on working with Indigenous people.

The process is not complete. We will be working on vision and values next. The goals are meant to illuminate

our top priorities for the next 3 - 5 years.

The proposed amendments are fairly small. We have removed the mandate, mission and goals from the

bylaws so that every time the mission and mandate changes the bylaws do not need to change.

In the changes to 6. b,c,d, we are just making it possible to attend board meetings and vote on motions by

electronic means.

We have also made a change regarding sending the audited financial statements to members. The Act

states you must mail out the audit statements 15 days in advance of an AGM unless your bylaws stipulate

otherwise. The change allows us to send out audited statements by email/electronic means.

4 c. 4. General Meeting – a sentence didn’t make any sense regarding quorum, and we corrected it.

Motion by Gerlinde Sarkar to approve bylaw change amendments as presented. Seconded by Mark Brown.

Motion Carried.

9.1 Financial Statements: ending March 31, 2015

Total revenues from all financial resources were about $1.1 million, which is a drop of 5 per cent from last

year.

Expenses were about $1.2 million, which is an increase in expenses by 6.5 per cent over the past year. The

largest part of the expense is related to salaries and benefits, which accounted for 76 per cent of overall

expenses. Overall Winnie noted we did serve more people in the last fiscal year.

The audited financial statements are included on pages 27 – 40 of the Annual Report. It is a clean audit. The

balance sheet and income statement were a fair representation of our standing.

At the end of the Treasurer’s Report it discusses the deficit of $83,600. SIA had a surplus of $54,500 in 2013

– 14 fiscal year. The main reason for this is that we did not have an established Revenue Recognition

strategy. We were not consistent year over year in how we reported and deferred revenue. SIA receives

funding in blocks, and we do not receive all the money for contracts from our funders at once. Revenue we

receive in February may be for the next six months, but our year-end is March 31. However, this has caused

some revenue to be reported in different fiscal years.

Winnie, Bob and Elena (bookkeeper) sat down with auditor and came up with some rules regarding this

situation. Originally we should have written the $54,000 surplus in 2013-14 into next year’s revenue. If this

would have happened, we would only be reporting an approx. $30,000 deficit for the current year. Our new

approach will lead to consistency in future years.

7.0 Updated Mission Statement and Goals

8.0 Bylaw Changes and Amendments

9.0 Treasurer’s Report (Winnie Mutswangwa)

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Winnie thanked the administration and finance staff, and she thanked Bob for opening the Board’s eyes to

some things that had not been discussed before.

A member asked why there was almost no revenues in “Donations and Fundraising” in 2014-15, when the

previous year reported many more donations. Secondly, there appeared to be a considerable decline in

membership revenue, and a declining membership indicates issues with the health of the organization.

Bob explained that actual membership has not declined. The year in which membership gets reported

depends on when people pay membership. Before or after year end. Revenue figures provide a skewed view

of membership and health of the membership of SIA.

Regarding fundraising, there have indeed been more fundraising events in the past. In 2014-15, due to all the

work and the focus on celebrating SIA’s 50th Anniversary we didn’t do any fundraising beyond that single gala

event. While, it is true there is very little revenue under Fundraising, the Gala revenue is reported under a

different line and shows about $26,000 of revenue.

Bob added that he is planning to write up a list of recommendations for the board before he leaves, and he

has an idea for a future annual fundraiser.

David Parkinson thanked the member for the good questions. He added that fundraising experience was

mentioned in the posting for the new Executive Director position.

Motion by Caroline Cottrell to approve financial statement as presented. Seconded by Roger Gauthier.

Motion Carried.

9.2 Appointment of Auditor:

Motion by Winnie Mutswangwa to appoint Max Lingard as SIA auditor for 2015/16 fiscal year.

Seconded by Sylvia Cholodnuik. Motion Carried.

Gerlinde mentioned our bylaws indicate we need overall 12 – 16 Board members. The positions up for

election include President, Vice-President and six Director positions.

Leaving the Board: David Parkinson (will become past-president), Tracy Muggli, Gerlinde Sarkar, Raj Dhir,

Karl Martens and Sadeq Rahimi.

President Position: Mark Brown has been nominated.

Nominations for President from the floor? (Gerlinde asked three times) There were no nominations from the

floor.

Mark Brown has been elected as President by acclamation.

Vice-President Position: Sharon Clarke has been nominated.

Nominations for Vice-President from the floor? (Gerlinde asked three times) There were no nominations from

the floor.

Sharon Clarke has been elected as Vice-President by acclamation.

Director Positions:

Gerlinde presented the slate for Director Positions including Pratyush Das (returning), Ayesha Baig, Caroline

Cottrell, Jennie Lawrence, Shenuka Wickramasinghe and Jason Zhang.

Any nominations for board member position from the floor? (Gerlinde asked three times) There were no

nominations from the floor.

Pratyush, Ayesha, Caroline, Jennie, Shenuka and Jason elected by acclamation as new Board Directors for

2015 - 17.

All new Board members – invited to say a few words:

Mark: Looking forward to no issues but great opportunities for SIA. Thank all staff/Bob/David/Tracy for leaving

10.0 Election of New Board Members: (Gerlinde Sarkar)

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SIA in such good shape.

Sharon: Excited to work more closely with SIA. Looking forward to working with everyone.

Ayesha: Pleasure to be nominated – work with the NIC with SIA, learning more about it and getting more

involved.

Caroline: Pleasure to come back to the Board. One of the things so important – ability to support the staff.

Jennie: Happy to be part of the Board. Would like to learn more and gain more experience in the

organization.

Pratyush: Thanks the staff for the wonderful two years. Thanks for vote of confidence – looking forward to

next two years.

Gerlinde thanked the Board and noted how she had enjoyed working with the Board and staff.

David thanked Gerlinde, Sam and Raj for their work on the Nominations Committee:

Nayyar Javed thanked David for all his hard work as President.

Bob thanked the outgoing board members on behalf of himself, the staff and other board members.

Eleanor Shia thanked the staff of SIA and especially Nafiseh and Bob. She noticed how the multilingual

schools and SIA have worked together for the last 50 years. She thanked all the SIA supporters for their

hard work your passion and wished them good luck.

Tracy Muggli, thanked the board and staff. SIA leadership and strength comes from innovating with new

programs.

David pointed out that an AGM is also a celebration of achievement and thanked everyone.

Motion to adjourn by Sylvia at 7:42 PM. Seconded by Pratyush. Motion carried.

11.0 Other Business

12.0 Adjournment

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MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT As your new President in 2015 I welcome this

opportunity to address the Saskatchewan

Intercultural Association membership. After the

success of the 50th Anniversary celebrations in the

previous year I knew I had some big shoes to fill.

This was soon realized when I found myself standing

in front of a Canada Day audience, introducing the

amazing multicultural music and dance show that SIA

was presenting and espousing the importance of

intercultural belonging. It was only then I felt all of the

hard work that goes into SIA and the historical impact

we have had on our community. This good work is

something that we should all be very proud of.

Our year past was a product of our environment. The

provincial government remained the same, and we

had a new one in Ottawa. Resource revenue

collapsed, our dollar fell, the health sector was

pinched, real estate prices rose, and food costs went

through the roof. The Syrian refugee crisis was the

center drew our attention away from the rest of the

world. These events impacted the way we made

decisions and planned our future.

In the year that was, the elections put our budgets on

hold, and we waited anxiously for either promises or

cuts. Our office capacity and training space was

stretched to the limits and we realized a move out of

St. Paul’s Hospital is costly for SIA. We confronted

human resource issues to ensure hardworking staff

will receive fair pay and benefits. We strategized how

to diversify our revenue and ensure stability. We put

our finances under the lens to ensure operations were

sustained. We saw the departure of Bob Cram, our

skilled and talented interim Executive Director who

spent his initial months of retirement leading the SIA

team, and David Parkinson move into the past-

President position, and who still attended almost

every meeting and worked hard on committees. We

also saw a transition in SIA management by

welcoming our long time employee Jess Hamm as

the new Executive Director. In a year of moving parts

and escalating challenges, everyone came together

to make SIA better and stronger.

A personal highlight was the success of the Reel-to-

Real Film Festival. SIA worked with the Broadway

Theatre, the Greater Saskatoon Catholic School

System, the Saskatoon Public School Division,

SaskCulture, the Multicultural Council of

Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan Federation of Labour,

and the Union of Food and Commercial Workers

Canada to present the film 42 to schools and Salam

Neighbour as a public showing. 42 included an

educational package on antiracism aligned to the

provincial education curriculum, and Salam

Neighbour gave a first-hand account of life in a

refugee camp, followed by a panel discussion. In just

over four years the Festival has grown from a handful

of audience members to a packed house with overall

attendance of about 1,200 due to the hard work of the

Equity and Anti-Racism Committee.

Another highlight was a hearty thank you note we

received from the City of Saskatoon after SIA

attended the Muskeg Lake First Nation PowWow in

July. Here is an excerpt from that note:

We took part in a round dance where AJ the emcee

came around with the microphone to let everyone

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share where they had come from; Iraq, Afghanistan,

China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Pakistan, Bangladesh,

Zimbabwe, Cameroon and on. Harry Lafond

presented each guest with a Muskeg Lake bag,

journal and lapel pin. All the Band Councillors came

around the circle to shake our hands. A huge meal

had been prepared and was shared with everyone.

The note is the essence of what intercultural respect

means, but programming is at the core of SIA.

This year we saw the addition of programs such as

Active Cultures with others currently being

negotiated. Language and mentorship programs

have grown. We are the go-to for intercultural music

and dance performances. We are continuously

diversifying our revenue by training staff in

Intercultural Development Inventory training, and

have created a fundraising committee to brainstorm

and implement new ideas. The work goes on.

Thriving amidst change in an ever changing world is

a challenge for non-profits such as SIA. It takes

dedication by the membership and hard work by staff

and the executive. It takes engaged committees and

leadership by the Board. It takes collaboration with

partner organizations and supporters. I would like to

take this opportunity to thank everyone past and

present for their contributions towards SIA and

making Saskatoon a more accessible, equitable

community that celebrates all peoples and cultures!

Mark Brown, President

Saskatchewan Intercultural Association

SIA BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2015 – 16

President

Mark Brown

University of Saskatchewan

Vice - President

Sharon Clarke

Saskatoon Health Region

Treasurer

Winnie Mutswangwa

BHP Billiton Canada Inc.

Secretary

Sam Sambasivam

Retired

Past President

David Parkinson

University of Saskatchewan

Directors

Ayesha Baig

Retired

Stryker Calvez

University of Saskatchewan

Sylvia Cholodnuik

Retired

Caroline Cottrell

University of Saskatchewan

Students’ Union

Pratyush Das

Tourism Saskatchewan

Roger Gauthier

Saskatchewan Network for

Health Services in French

Jennifer Lawrence

Retired

Purnima Rajbhandary

Sutton Group—Norland

Realty

Shenuka Wickramasinghe

Square One

Jason Zhang

Deloitte LLP

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MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR It is my pleasure to report on the many

accomplishments and changes experienced by the

Saskatchewan Intercultural Association (SIA) this

year. First I would like to thank Bob Cram for his

leadership and dedication during his term as the

Acting Executive Director which ended in August of

2015. As you may know, I have worked for the SIA for

eight years, but after being gone for a 10-month

maternity leave, I came back very motivated take on

new challenges and to work in a new capacity with

the Board and Staff in moving the organization

forward.

One of the things I have always appreciated while

working at the SIA, is the passion and commitment of

its staff and volunteers. The SIA has gone through

many changes and developments over the years but

everyone here has always worked together to make

sure operations and programing continue to run

effectively. During the last fiscal year, the SIA’s core

programs continued running successfully and further

details are listed later on in the report, but there were

a few new developments and changes that I will

highlight here.

The SIA started two new pilot programs last fall in the

areas of Youth and English Language training. The

Active Culture Program started in September and

provides an intercultural physical activity for youth in

after-school programs. The English for Employment

(E4E) Program started in October and is for

Newcomer adults who can receive six months of part-

time practical English Language training for improved

workplace communication and employment

opportunities. Both programs have been well received

and we plan to continue offering them in the next

fiscal year.

In the fall, we also saw a change in the Federal

Government which directly impacted all settlement

agencies across the Country as the plan to bring over

25,000 Syrian Refugees to Canada meant there

would be a need to increase available services in

order to help so many

refugees at one time.

More locally, through

the coordination of

SAISIA

(Saskatchewan

Association of

Immigrant Settlement

and Integration

Agencies), there was

commendable

collaboration across

the agencies in

Saskatchewan in order to meet these immediate

needs. Since the SIA’s services are more secondary

settlement, we provided support where we could to

the agencies that are RAP (Resettlement Assistance

Program) Providers. In February, we increased our

LINC programming and added more childcare spaces

to our Forest Grove Location. We also organized

volunteer-run conversation circle sessions open to

Refugees on a drop-in basis on Saturdays. I would

like to thank the staff and volunteers that gave their

time to make this effort possible.

Early in the year we also received some very

disappointing news regarding the Saskatoon

Multilingual Schools (SMS). The Saskatchewan

Organization for Heritage Languages (SOHL)

informed us that the Ministry of Education would be

ending its funding support for heritage language

programming in the province which it has supported

for over 30 years. As this funding support is over half

of our budget for SMS, we are looking at potential

ways to keep this program running this fall as we

want to continue supporting heritage language

learning in our community and feel this education is

very important to the cultural communities we serve.

Outside of running programs, the SIA also focused on

continuing its efforts in organizational development by

having the Board and Staff participate in an annual

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SIA STAFF 2015 - 16

Gabrielle Bouchard

Jess Hamm

Haven Seto

Ben Bodnaryk

Golsa Kafili

Nafiseh Zamani

Lubna Sheikh

Tehreem Zafar

Shiva Akhlaghipour

Robert Cram

Aaron Postlethwaite

Marco Milani

Shashwati Gope

Todd Johnson

Elena Tenorio

Scott Mickelson

Imran Mahmood

John D. Johnson

Charlotte Garrett

Zoe Mukura

Musarrat Saeed

Akmla Kamboh

Michael Kresak

Rachel Zelowsky

Colin Guenther

Darla Boese

Gayle Maines

Samreen Mubarik

Paige Appleyard

Nadia Maqbool

Zahra Rezazadeh

Victoria Gerwing

Kelly Rapko

Fatima Ghosia

Bushra Shafiq

Laura Jones

Julie Berscheid

Dominika Kosowska

Shazia Azim

Navdeep Dhillon

Asma Saeed

Kirstin Scansen

Toni Chasmar

Shazia Amir

Mahnaz Khakpour

Victoria J. Gerwing

Farrah Russel

Tanjalee Kuhl

Heather Anwender

Christine Zyla

Strategic Planning session. This year we focused on

creating a Vison and a Value statement for the

organization. Both statements were approved by the

Board in April and are presented in this report. The

Board and Staff were also working together on a new

relocation plan since we lost the Community

Learning Commons last year. We have outgrown our

current location at St. Paul’s Hospital and it has been

high on the agenda for the SIA to find a larger and

more accessible location for our future location. We

hope to be successful in finding a new home in the

next year.

Towards the end of this fiscal year, we focused on

developing innovative initiatives where we could

provide new services to the community. The Board

approved a professional development plan that

allowed three staff to attain their Intercultural

Development Inventory (IDI) Qualified Administrator

licences in March. We will be offering Intercultural

Education training to the public and will officially

launch this initiative to the public this September. The

other service that was approved by the Board this

year was for the SIA to become a CILISAT

(Community Interpreter Language and Interpreting

Skills Assessment Tool) Testing Centre. We were

approached by the Saskatoon Police Service’s

Cultural Unit in March who were looking for a partner

to offer this service to their trained Interpreters. We

have now signed our agreement with Cultural

Interpretation Services for Our Communities (CISOC)

and are the only CILISAT Testing Centre in

Saskatchewan. We look forward to providing both

these services in the new fiscal year.

Overall, this year has brought us many changes and

challenges but I believe we have not only

successfully overcome them but we have

experienced positive growth and development as a

result. I want to thank all of the SIA Staff, Board,

Volunteers, Members, Participants, Partners and

Funders for a productive and rewarding year and I

look forward to continuing to work with all of you in

the future.

Jess Hamm, Executive Director

Saskatchewan Intercultural Association

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VISION, MISSION, VALUES, AND GOALS

MISSION:

We promote intercultural understanding and the retention of cultural identity and

language to fully include Newcomers and Indigenous peoples in Canadian society.

VISION:

We aspire to build an equitable community that accepts and celebrates all cultures.

VALUES:

In all our endeavours we will model respect, resourcefulness, integrity, and

collaboration.

GOALS:

1. To optimize financial stability by diversifying funding sources, improving

fundraising, raising public awareness, and finding efficiencies.

2. To strengthen our culture of innovation with creative programming and

continuous improvement that meets the changing needs of stakeholders.

3. To foster collaborative and positive relationships with partners who are similarly

committed to interculturalism.

4. To enhance programs and services for the most vulnerable members of

Newcomer and Indigenous communities.

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CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS OF THE

SASKATCHEWAN INTERCULTURAL ASSOCIATION (AS

APPROVED ON JUNE 17, 2015)

I. NAME

The name of the organization shall be the SASKATCHEWAN INTERCULTURAL

ASSOCIATION Inc. also known as SIA.

II. MEMBERSHIP

Groups and individuals who support the objectives of the organization are eligible for

membership.

a) The Board shall approve all memberships.

b) The Membership fees shall be approved at the Annual General Meeting.

MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES

a) There shall be two membership categories:

i. Group Members

ii. Individual Membership

* NOTE: Memberships shall not be transferable.

* NOTE: A group shall be defined as any recognized organization or other such

organization which may be approved by the Board at their sole discretion. Memberships

shall not be transferable.

* NOTE: Membership is in effect upon payment of fees.

b) Termination of membership

i. Any member may withdraw membership by notice in writing to the Secretary.

ii. For actions contrary to this Constitution and By-laws, and upon a minimum sixty (60)

percent vote of the Board, a membership may be suspended or terminated. Such

member shall receive notice of the meeting at which membership status will be brought

into question, and shall be entitled to attend and be heard.

iii. A member whose membership has been suspended or terminated has the right to

appeal, in writing, the decision of the Board within sixty (60) days of the date of the

decision. The President shall call a special General Membership Meeting to review the

decision.

III. MEMBERS VOTING RIGHTS

Members shall have voting rights on all matters at General Membership Meetings.

a) Group Members, upon payment of fees, shall be entitled to two (2) voting delegates.

b) Individual Members, upon payment of fees, shall have one vote.

c) Resolutions of the General Membership shall be decided by a majority of members

present, who are eligible to vote.

d) Election of officers shall be by a secret ballot.

e) All other votes shall be by a show of hands unless requested by at least three members.

f) There shall be no voting by proxy.

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IV. MEETING AND QUORUMS The Annual General Meeting a) The Annual General Meeting shall be held within three (3) months after the end of the fiscal

year. b) At least twenty-one (21) days written notice to the membership is required for the Annual

General Meeting. c) The Association shall hold an Annual General Meeting for the following purposes:

i. To receive written reports from the Board of Directors; ii. To approve financial statements and appointment of the auditor; iii. To elect the Executive Officers and Directors; iv. Any other business deemed necessary.

General Meeting i. General Meetings of the Association may be called by the President or requested in writing by at least 25% of the members. ii. The time and place of each General Meeting shall be determined by the Board. iii. Notice shall be sent to all members of the date, time, place, and agenda, fifteen (15) days prior to the date of such meeting. iv. A quorum shall consist of the delegates present, provided clause iii of this section has been met. v. The President and one-third (1/3) of the Board of Directors may call a special meeting of the Membership in no less than seven (7) days of the notice.

V. FISCAL YEAR The Fiscal Year shall be from April 1 to March 31 of the following year.

VI. COMPOSITION Board of Directors The Board of Directors shall be composed of ten to sixteen (10-16) elected members, including the Executive Officers, elected at the Annual General Meeting. The Past President shall be an ex-officio member of the Board.

a) Eligibility |Members in good standing are eligible for election to the Board, for a two -year term, at the Annual General Meeting.

b) Duration | Executive Officers can remain in the same position for a maximum of two consecutive terms.

c) Term of Election | The positions of President, Vice-President and 50% of Board Members shall be elected at Annual General Meetings, held in odd numbered years, for a two-year term. At the Annual General Meetings held in even numbered years, the positions of Secretary and Treasurer and 50% of Board Members will be elected for a two-year term.

d) Vacancies | If any vacancy should occur on the Board of Directors, the Board may appoint an individual from the membership to serve the remaining part of the term.

e) Removal from the Board of Directors – Any Board member acting against or in violation of the Constitution or Bylaws of the Association or acting in any way detrimental to the interest of the organization may be removed from office by a simple majority vote at a Board Meeting.

Powers a) The Board of Directors shall set and oversee the policies and programs of the Association. b) The Board of Directors may appoint committees or advisors when necessary and shall report such appointments to the next General Meeting. c) The signing officers shall be two of the following four: Treasurer, President, Vice President and Executive Director for cheques on any money going out of SIA.

17

c) d) The signing officers shall be one of the following four: Treasurer, President, Vice President and Executive Director for any legal contracts or agreements as long as the rest of the Board is informed.

d) e) A Board member may be asked to resign upon missing three consecutive Board Meetings with the exception of planned or unavoidable absences.

Notice of Meetings a) All Meetings of the Board of Directors shall convene at the call of the President, or Vice-

President. b) A quorum of the Board of Directors shall consist of one-half of the Directors plus one.

Board Meeting Voting Practices and Duties

a) Each member of the Board, except the Chair of the meeting, shall have one vote at Board Meetings. In the case of a tie, the Chair shall have the deciding vote. A simple majority of votes is required to conduct business.

b) The Board shall review and approve monthly financial statements and financial policy. c) Voting on board motions by electronic means is permitted. d) Participation in board meetings by electronic means is permitted at the discretion of the

President. Executive Officers The Executive Officers shall comprise the following: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and Past President. The Executive may act on behalf of the Board between Board meetings. President – the President shall: a) Call and chair all meetings of the Executive, the Board of Directors and General Membership. b) Be responsible for the implementation of policies passed by the Board and/or General Membership. c) Be a signing officer. d) May delegate duties to individual Executive officers, Board members and staff. e) Be an ex-officio member of all committees. Vice-President – the Vice-President shall: a) Assume all duties of the President in his/her absence. a) b) Be a signing officer. Secretary – The Secretary shall: a) Keep a full and accurate record of all proceedings of the General meeting, the Board of Directors and the Executive Officers meetings. b) Issue notices of meetings. c) Keep records of communications and correspondence. d) Be a signing officer. e) d) In consultation with the President, may assign any portion of his/her duties to the staff. Treasurer – The Treasurer shall: a) Keep accurate records of all financial transactions. b) Be responsible for receiving and depositing all funds. c) Prepare and submit such financial statements as the Board of Directors and/or General meeting may require. d) Be a signing officer. e) Prepare and file the audited financial statements to the appropriate authorities within the prescribed deadlines. f) In consultation with the President, may assign any portion of his/her duties to the staff.

18

VII. AUDIT The books of the Association shall be audited annually by an independent auditor. The audited report of the Associations financial affairs must be presented to each Annual General Meeting. The audited financial statements do not need to be mailed out to members in advance of the Annual General Meeting, but a notice will be published that they are available at the registered office of the corporation for examination during the usual business hours of the corporation by any person and that person may make copies free of charge.

VIII. CORPORATE SEAL The seal of the Association shall be in the custody of the Secretary or designate of the Board at the registered office. All papers required to be sealed must be sealed in the presence of two (2) of the signing officers or designates of the Board.

IX. DISPOSITION OF PROPERTY

In the event of dissolution of the organization, any assets, including remaining monies, shall, after payment of all debts and liabilities of the Association, be distributed to other charitable, non-profit organizations in accordance with the decision of the majority of the members in attendance at the meeting of the membership called for the purpose of determining distribution, such distribution to be made according to law.

X. AMENDMENTS The Constitution and Bylaws of the Association shall not be rescinded, altered or added to unless such proposed amendments have first been presented in writing to the Board of Directors and all members at least thirty (30) days before the next General Meeting. Such proposed amendments must be passed by a 2/3 majority at the next General Meeting.

* Robert’s Rules of order shall apply unless otherwise specified by the Board.*

19

The Mentorship Program provides services

for highly skilled and educated

Newcomers focused on employment

training, networking, job search techniques,

workplace literacy, an introduction to

Canadian work culture and the

development of fundamental social skills

which are essential to succeed in the

Canadian workplace. The mandate of the

Mentorship program is to provide training,

mentoring, and link foreign-born and trained

professionals to the Canadian workforce in their

field of expertise. While the participants in the

program are highly educated and qualified, they often

lack knowledge of the Canadian workforce,

culture and job search techniques, as well as specific

local information related to their field. In addition to

this, their isolation from the labour market means that

they have a limited professional network, which in

turn means that they lose access to the hidden job

market. The Mentorship Program works to alleviate

many of the barriers which keep these professionals

from attaining relevant employment in their industry,

teaching core social competencies, and providing a

three-month internship with a company or

organization related to the client’s educational

background to provide them with an opportunity to

establish relationships and a specialized network.

The Mentorship Program offers three intakes each

year beginning in February, May, and September.

Each program consists of eight weeks of classroom

instruction followed by 8-12 weeks in an internship-

style work placement which helps to connect clients

to their careers and build their professional networks

here in Saskatchewan. The past year saw the

program serve clients from the following professional

backgrounds; Mechanical Engineering, Radiology,

Pharmacy, Psychology, Agriculture, Political Studies,

Business Administration, Plant/Soil Science, Finance,

Information Technology, Accounting, Civil

Engineering, Commerce, Investment Securities,

Medical Laboratory Science, Optometry, Education,

Database Management, Economics, Logistics/Supply

Chain Management, Public Health, Organic

Chemistry, Planning and Development, Law,

Telecommunications, Non-Profit Management,

Computer Engineering and

Medicine.

44/45 Clients completed training in the Mentorship Program in 2015 - 16.

28/45 Clients found sustainable employment

14/45 Clients found sustainable employment in their field of expertise/training.

5/45 Clients are upgrading their education/training.

6/45 Clients are currently completing internships and job searches (as of June 01, 2016).

2/45 Clients are currently unable to pursue their career goals due to personal/family reasons.

4/45 Clients no longer live in Saskatchewan.

MENTORSHIP PROGRAM

2015-16 Mentorship Statistics:

20

LITE (LEARNING INTERCULTURALISM THROUGH

EMPLOYMENT) PROGRAM The LITE (Learning Interculturalism Thorough

Employment) program is an employment and

Intercultural learning program for Indigenous and

Newcomer youth ages 18-30 in Saskatoon. LITE is

truly unique in that it brings diverse cultural groups

together to prepare participants for employment

success in the Canadian work force while also

learning about the diversity of cultures in Canada.

The majority of the LITE program is funded by the

Federal government through the Skills Link Program

and part of the Youth Employment Strategy.

The LITE program offers six weeks of paid in-class

employment and intercultural group training, followed

by a 12 week paid work placement designed with the

participants’ career goals and aspirations in mind.

Through LITE, participants have the opportunity to

develop employment-ready skill sets such as resume

and cover letter writing, videotaped mock interviews

and preparation for employment. They also have the

opportunity to obtain certifications such as; First Aid,

CPR, W.H.I.M.I.S. and FoodSafe. Participants learn

skill sets for success in diverse workplaces and learn

about racism, discrimination, diversity, Canadian and

Saskatchewan history, treaties, human rights and a

number of life skills topics. Participants also take field

trips to a number of job fairs, University of

Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan Polytechnic,

Wanuskewin Heritage Park and Western

Development Museum.

Between April 2015 and March 2016, the LITE

program served 23 participants. LITE participants

came from a number of Indigenous nations

throughout Saskatchewan such as Nehiyaw,

Nehithaw, Anishinaabe, Denesuline, Dakota, Lakota,

Nakoda and Saulteaux and the Newcomer

participants were either permanent residents or

refugees who came from diverse countries such a;

Bangladesh, China, Mexico, Croatia, Eritrea,

Pakistan, Iran, Vietnam and Colombia. Successful

LITE program participants are those individuals who

gained meaningful employment in their fields or

return to school to further their education. As of

August 11, 2015 as many as 83.3% of participants

became employed or returned to school following

completion of the LITE program.

At the Saskatchewan Intercultural Association, we

look forward to offering the highest quality of

employment and intercultural training to Newcomer

and Indigenous youth in Saskatoon in the future

intakes of the LITE program.

21

ENGLISH FOR EMPLOYMENT (E4E)

In October of 2015, the English for Employment

(E4E) program was introduced as a pilot project to

assist newcomers develop their English language

skills needed to meet their employment challenges.

This program provides participants with important

information about Saskatchewan’s work environment

and helps them to connect to the Saskatchewan

labour market. The success of the pilot project

resulted in it’s continuation into the second half of the

year. E4E offers two intakes annually to clients in

CLB levels 3 - 6. Classes are held twice a week at St.

Mark Community school, free child-minding services

are also provided to clients enrolled

in this program.

STAGE 1 & 2 ENGLISH PROGRAM The Stage 1&2 English program launched in March of

2010 and is tailored to facilitate Newcomers meeting

English language requirements for a smooth

integration into Canadian society. This program offers

free Adult English Language classes from CLB level 1-

6, and free child-minding services in Saskatoon. This

program is funded by the provincial Ministry of the

Economy. The Stage 1 & 2 English program offered

classes at three locations in Saskatoon; St. Paul’s

United Church, Wildwood Mennonite Church and St.

Mark Community School.

The goals of this program are to facilitate the

improvement of participants’ basic English language

skills, to build confidence in their use of English in

daily community interactions and workplace

environment, to ease integration into Canadian

culture, and to improve their ability to meet their

settlement needs independently.

The staff of both programs comprise of a

Coordinator, Assistant Coordinator, six Instructors and

five Childminders. In the 2015-16 year, 250 clients

were served originating from different countries

around the world.

The accomplishments of the programs are

indebted to the continuous cooperation and

collaboration with St. Paul United Church, the

Mennonite Church and the Saskatoon Catholic

School Board – St. Mark Community School, and the

University of Saskatchewan.

22

LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION FOR

NEWCOMERS TO CANADA (LINC) The SIA’s Language Instruction for Newcomers To

Canada (LINC) Program provides our clients with a

language learning environment which improves their

language skills and their ability to independently

access community resources and services. The goal

of the LINC program is to provide language and

skills development to eligible newcomers to facilitate

their social, cultural, economic, and political

Integration into Canada. The LINC program is

funded by the Federal government through

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Over the past year, the LINC program activities took

place at various locations in east, central and west

locations of Saskatoon based on existing

partnerships with schools, the local food bank and

various churches serving various levels ranging from

Literacy to CLB 9. In the past year, the LINC

program has increased its capacity from 110

participants to 159 participants, and served a total of

390 unique clients throughout the fiscal year 2015-

16. Over this time period, classes continuously ran at

full capacity with healthy waitlists.

SIA’s LINC program expanded due to the increased

demand to accommodate Syrian refugees arriving in

Canada. SIA was able to add two new classes and

expand child-minding services at the Forest Grove

Community Church location. Currently, there are a

large number of Syrian clients attending the new

LINC classes and most of them have their children

enrolled in our childminding program. SIA has

started full implementation of portfolio-based

language assessment practices in the classes and

continues to develop its instructors to fully implement

this approach.

In this fiscal year, almost all classes had several

opportunities to learn English outside of the

classroom. The participants partook in several field

trips in Saskatoon and in other areas of

Saskatchewan. These outings provided students

with the opportunity to learn about Saskatchewan,

First Nation culture, and to use their English skills in

public. The community connection tours and events

that were organized by the LINC program were as

follows; Wanuskewin Heritage Park, Festival of

Trees, Muskeg Lake Cree Nation, PotashCorp

Playland, Saskatoon Police station, Saskatoon Fire

Department stations, Riverview Hutterite Colony,

Court of the Queen’s Bench - Saskatoon, Ukrainian

Day in the Park, Culture Day events, Civic Centre

Visits, Annual potluck in Kiwanis Park and monthly

visits to Saskatoon Public Libraries for ESL

conversation and book clubs.

23

CONNECTED ConnectED is a summer program for newcomer boys

& girls (12-18 yrs.) which includes three sessions:

Canada & Saskatoon Integration, Education &

Volunteering, and Sports & Recreation. Participants

can register for one or more sessions. This program

runs during the months of July and August.

In 2015, 20 participants in ConnectED Program spent

the summer learning/playing a variety of sports

improving their English skills, trying some science

projects, and learning about life in Canada. This

year’s activities included field trips to the Regina

Science Centre, Fort Battleford, swimming lessons,

and a three-day camping trip to Pike Lake where they

experienced camping in Canada, which was new to

most of them. A few sessions were also focused on

drawing, painting and craft projects. The participants

were very excited about the artwork they created,

resulting in a final day family potluck/art exhibition

where they could show their parents their creations.

The feedback received from the participants this year

was very positive; The majority (80%) of participants

felt that all the activities of the program made them

feel more comfortable speaking English and would

lead them to better academic success in the school

year. They also felt that the program had increased

their self-esteem and helped prepare them for life in

Canada. Also, all of the participants (100%) felt that

the program helped them make new friends.

The ConnectED program is funded through

Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada, City of

Saskatoon, and Saskatoon Community Foundation.

ACTIVE CULTURE The Active Culture Program, established in 2015, is

run in partnership with the St. Mark Community

School and the Saskatchewan Indian Cultural Centre.

The Active Culture program ran once a week for ten

weeks and helped elementary school aged children

develop cross-cultural skills and meet their physical

and emotional needs. The goal of this program is to

engage students in fun activities which in turn

encourages healthy lifestyles and relationships among

youth and their families. Throughout the Active

Culture participants had the opportunity to learn about

diverse cultures, develop new friendships, understand

and express their emotions, and increase their self-

esteem while enjoying healthy activities.

Over the ten-week period participants had the

opportunity to learn about several different aspects of

Indigenous culture such as beliefs and values, art,

respect, medicine, natural sources of food, and story

telling. This program also provided students with

information about health and nutrition, physical

activity, mental health, relationship building among

family members and within the community, and the

importance of creativity. The students gained insight

on these topics from several workshops and hands on

learning experience.

24

GLOBAL MOVEMENT Global Movement is a program run in partnership by

the Saskatchewan Intercultural Association Inc. (SIA)

and the Saskatoon Public School Division in which

cultural performing arts are made easily accessible to

Saskatoon elementary school students. This program

allows students to take part in cultural activities that

are not traditionally offered in Saskatoon schools.

Participating in this program not only increases

awareness of ethnic dance, music and recreation, but

also promotes social interaction amongst Canadian-

born, immigrant, and refugee students in elementary

schools.

This program aims to unite youth of all cultural and

socioeconomic backgrounds through participation in a

program where they will learn new skills and cultural

knowledge together. Global Movement is a program

that provides an opportunity for youth to learn about a

variety of cultures, develop new friendships, and

increase their self-esteem while enjoying a healthy

activity.

This year, two SIA performing art groups (Chinese

Martial Art Academy and Del Mundo Dance Academy)

offered instruction to the students of Lawson Heights,

Bishop Roborecki, and Lake Ridge schools. Each

school offered a winter and spring session consisting

of nine classes per session. Then students showcased

what they had learned in each section at a school

assembly where other students, educators, volunteers

and parents could see their progress and learn about

the program. Around 60 students enjoyed the program

throughout the 2015-2016 school year. Thanks to

Community

Initiatives

Fund for

providing the

financial

support for

this program.

The Performing Arts Program promotes

multiculturalism through fine arts, and performing arts

by developing programs and booking performing arts

services for community events. This program also

develops and oversees educational projects and

programs (multicultural education) and engages in

multicultural events to enhance cross cultural

awareness in the City of Saskatoon.

Throughout the 2015-2016 year, SIA has made

arrangements

between the

Performing

Arts group

members and

community

organizations

for more than

20 community events in Saskatoon. As happens

every year, SIA organized the performing arts events

for the Canada Day celebration on July 1, 2015 in

which 15 SIA performing groups presented a

professional performance in Diefenbaker Park. The

performing groups were:

Oriental Dance Arts, Heritage Chinese Language

School , German Junior Folk Dance, Saskatoon

Salsa Dance Company; Blakey School of Irish Dance,

Chinese Language School of Saskatoon, Del Mundo

Dance Academy, Saskatoon Scottish Country

Dancers, Punjabi Cultural Association of

Saskatchewan, Filipino Heritage School, Tzahalah

Dance Group, DancEqypt Dance Co., Russian

Language School, MBC Saskatoon, Concordia Junior

Alpenrose Dancers, and Russian Language School.

PERFORMING ARTS

25

SASKATOON MULTILINGUAL SCHOOLS The Saskatoon Multilingual Schools (SMS),

established in 1983 provides language instruction (K -

12) in different heritage languages in Saskatoon.

Some of the language schools offer credit classes to

high school students and some deliver heritage

language training for adults as well.

The Saskatoon Multilingual Schools’ goal is to

promote Heritage language education in Saskatoon

through publication of the program, booking more

classes for active Multilingual Schools, helping

Saskatoon communities to establish new language

schools and providing students with certificates for

accomplishing their heritage language learning.

Saskatoon Multilingual Schools provide the

opportunity for Newcomers to be connected to their

community and culture, which eases their settlement

process.

Throughout the 2015-2016 school year, SMS had 32

active schools offering instruction in 29 different

languages with around 1,500 youth and adult students

taught by over 170 volunteer teachers. Sudanese

Language schools is the new school and Vietnamese

community has resumed their language school this

year. The Choral Concert, presented by 13 language

schools and attended by around 450 people, as well

as a fall Workshop on “Lesson Plan/Teacher

Professionalism”, attended by 43 volunteer teachers,

were the main functions of SMS during the 2015-2016

school year. The SMS would like to thank the

Advisory Committee, especially Eleanor Shia who

chairs these meetings.

For more than 30 years, SMS has been fundamental

in achieving SIA’s goal of increasing cross-cultural

awareness, understanding, and providing

opportunities for youth in Saskatoon. The financial

support for this program was from the Saskatchewan

Organization for Heritage Languages (SOHL) and

Ministry of Education. SMS also receives tremendous

support from the Saskatoon Public School Board. Part

of the Multicultural Initiatives Fund grant through

Saskculture is used to cover the extra cost of SMS

due to the increased number of language schools as

well as students.

Unfortunately, SIA was informed in Jan 2016 that the

Ministry of Education would stop financial support for

the Heritage Language Schools in Saskatchewan in

the fall of 2016. SIA is currently looking for another

source of funding to support this program in order to

protect heritage languages, the main element of

culture.

26

EQUITY AND ANTI-RACISM COMMITTEE:

REEL TO REAL FILM FESTIVAL 2015-2016 One of the annual events coordinated by the Equity

and Anti-Racism (EAR) Committee has been a Film

Festival commemorating the International Day for the

Elimination of Racial Discrimination on March

21st. Funded by the Multicultural Council of

Saskatchewan (MCOS) and a partnership between

the Saskatchewan Intercultural Association and the

Broadway Theater, the Real-to-Reel Film Festival

took place March 21st and focused on the

documentary “Salam Neighbour” highlighting

the struggle of internationally displaced persons and

the growing number of refugees face when fleeing

war. The documentary examined

the Za’atari Refugee Camp in Jordan along the

border with Syria and follows the experiences of two

American filmmakers who lived among 80,000

refugees in the United Nations camp. The

documentary was met with unanimous acclaim and

was followed by a panel discussion with three

refugees who fled to Canada from deteriorating and

unstable conditions in the Congo and Eritrea.

In addition to the formal evening event, two

private viewings during the day (March 21 & 22) of

the film “42” was organized for students of the

Saskatoon Public Schools and the Greater

Saskatoon Catholic Schools. The historical docu-

drama highlights the life and times of Jackie

Robinson – the first African American to break the

colour barrier and play professional baseball in the

United States in 1947. The matinee program was

accompanied by an educational

package available for participating teachers so that

they could carry the themes of the film back to the

classroom and use the educational materials to

provide additional

instruction and

activities for their

students.

With an established

presence,

supportive partners

and funders, and

growing community

support, the Equity

and Anti-Racism

Committee are excited about continuing our Film

Festival into 2017 with a special focus on combating

prejudice, eliminating racism, and providing a basis

for public discussion around relevant social justice

issues.

27

SIA SYRIAN INITIATIVES Towards the end of 2015, as Syrian refugees started

arriving in Saskatoon, the SIA advanced LINC classes

decided to put together welcome packages for the

Newcomers. They collected over 30 kg’s of flour,

kitchen utensils, clothes and other food items. The

students donated their contribution to the Saskatoon

Open Door Society (the official collection centre for

donations). This donation was a small token of

friendship from our

LINC students and

an exciting way to

welcome our new

Syrian friends.

While working on

the Health theme

in our LINC

classes learners

studied the West

Nile Virus in detail

such as how to

avoid getting bitten

by mosquitos, how

to clean up possible breeding places, etc. As part of a

comprehension exercise, students worked in groups

to present the information in the brochure form. They

decided to focus on Syrian Refugees as their target

audience. The learning teams were assessed for

brochure design and content. The three brochures

were of very good quality and the students enjoyed

the exercise. This activity encouraged the students to

take initiative for Syrian Newcomers in one way or

another and created opportunities to connect with

Syrian Refugees participating in Conversation Circle

sessions for Refugees.

Another initiative taken towards welcoming Syrian

Refugees to Saskatoon was the free drop in

Conversation Circle Sessions for Refugees which was

run by SIA in partnership with the Mennonite Central

Committee.

These free Drop-In Conversation Circle sessions

were held between March 5th to April 16, 2016 and

served 23 adult and youth Syrian refugee participants

once a week. The goals of these sessions were to

serve refugee communities, especially Syrian

refugees upon their arrived in February 2016 to

develop their English skills as well as improve their

understanding of cultural norms in order to a facilitate

a smooth integration into Canadian society. SIA

organized these sessions with the help of several

committed volunteers.

In these conversation circle sessions, the participants

got a chance to talk about various topics, such as

food, health, housing, their personal and cultural

experiences. The participants were also able to

increase their knowledge of Canadian culture and

improve on their self-confidence throughout the

sessions. All of the participants showed interest and

satisfaction in participating in the conversation circle.

Currently, the Saskatchewan Intercultural Association

continues to offer the Drop-In Conversation Circle

sessions for Refugees at the Westgate Alliance

church.

28

SIA PARTNERSHIPS

The Saskatoon Regional

Newcomer Gateway

The Newcomer Information Centre (NIC) is a walk-in

centre welcoming all newcomers to the Saskatoon

Gateway (Saskatoon and 150kms radius around the

city). Established as a one-stop shop, the NIC offers

a variety of information and referrals about programs

and services in the community relating to settlement

agency programs, business, children & youth,

community, driving, education, health, housing,

recreation and more.. All services at the NIC are free

of cost. If further settlement support is needed, the

NIC can connect clients to settlement support

workers and provincial settlement advisors. In

addition, over-the phone interpretations services are

available in 170 languages at the centre.

The NIC is a unique partnership project co-funded by

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

(IRCC) and the Ministry of the Economy, Province of

Saskatchewan and governed by the NIC Partnership

which includes: Saskatoon Open Door Society

(SODS), Global Gathering Place (GGP),

Saskatchewan Intercultural Association (SIA) and

International Women of Saskatoon (IWS).

RESOURCES:

Friendly and

knowledgeable staff are

here to welcome all

newcomers and are

ready to help! Clients can

also access the computer

resource centre and

copier machine (for fax,

print, copy and scan) to

meet their settlement

needs. Telephones are

also available for local

calls. As well, Canadian Language Benchmark

Placement Tests (CLBPTs) can be provided if clients

meet the provincial eligibility requirements.

Reporting Period: April 2015 to March 2016

Year-end Totals

Number of New Visits (New Clients) 2995

Number of Repeated Visits (Registered Clients) 5272

Number of Phone Calls 2483

Numbers of E-mail Client Inquiries 422

Annual Total Client-related Events at the NIC 11172

Annual Total Referrals made by the NIC 26320

Saskatoon Newcomer Information Centre Statistics:

29

I am pleased to report on the

financial performance of the

Saskatchewan Intercultural

Association Inc. (SIA) for the

year ending March 31, 2016.

For this fiscal period, total

revenue stood at $1.16

million, a slight increase of

approximately 3.4% over the

previous year. Regardless of

this slight revenue increase,

SIA continues to experience strong growth due to an

increased demand for its programs and services. This

is mainly a result of a continuing increase in the

newcomer population over the recent years.

In line with the increase in demand for SIA programs

and services, the expenses for 2015/16 went up to

$1.24 million, an increase of around 2.7% over the

past year. Salaries, wages and employee benefits

constitute the main operating expense item at 75% of

total expenses. The deficit for the year is ($78,510), a

drop of around 6.1% compared to last year. Around

54% of the current year deficit is attributed directly to

the expenses that were unanticipated yet mandatory

in nature and could not be covered under any

program. The other component of the deficit related to

payments for services rendered in 2015/16, ahead of

the release of the funds in the subsequent year

2016/17. Tighter budgetary and monitoring measures

are being implemented to avoid future deficits.

The revenue from government grants is recognized in

the current year’s financial

statements, consistent with the entity’s revenue

recognition policy. However, capital assets are

amortized over a number of years, resulting in only

the prorated portion of the cost of the asset being

recognized in the current year and the remainder of

the cost being spread over the estimated useful life of

the asset.

The audit firm of Twigg & Company Chartered

Accountants audited the financial statements of SIA

for the fiscal year 2015- 2016 and issued a clean audit

opinion. This means that the financial statements are

a fair representation of the financial position of the

SIA, in accordance with Canadian Accounting

Standards for Not-For-Profit organizations.

As in prior years, the SIA Finance and Administration

staff is continuing to focus on program-specific

revenue and cost allocation reporting and are working

diligently to streamline the internal summary financial

reports for its key programs and services.

TREASURER’S REPORT

On behalf of the Finance

Committee, I wish to thank the

Finance and Administration staff

for their hard work and

continued efforts to improve the

financial reporting and internal

control processes of the

Saskatchewan Intercultural

Association.

Winnie Mutswangwa, Treasurer Saskatchewan Intercultural Association

-$200,000.00

-$100,000.00

$-

$100,000.00

$200,000.00

$300,000.00

$400,000.00

$500,000.00

2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16

Cash and Surplus/Deficit for SIA

Cash & Equivilents Surplus/Deficit

24

25

SIA 2016—17 BOARD OF DIRECTORS SLATE

Name Position Term Status

1 Mark Brown President 2015 - 17 Continuing

2 Sharon Clarke Vice President 2015 - 17 Continuing

3 Winnie Mutswangwa Treasurer 2016 - 17 Nominee

4 Pratyush Das Secretary 2016 - 18 Nominee

5 David Parkinson Past President 2015 - 17 Ex officio

6 Ayesha Baig Director 2015 - 17 Continuing

7 Caroline Cottrell Director 2015 - 17 Continuing

8 Jennifer Lawrence Director 2015 - 17 Continuing

9 Shenuka Wick-ramasinghe

Director 2015 - 17 Continuing

10 Jason Zhang Director 2015 - 17 Continuing

11 Pratyush Das Director 2015 - 17 Continuing

12 Sam Sambasivam Director 2016 - 18 Nominee

13 Dave Hannah Director 2016 - 18 Nominee

14 Firew Seyoum Director 2016 - 18 Nominee

15 Director 2016 - 18 Vacant

16 Director 2016 - 18 Vacant

45

A SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR FUNDERS:

The Government of Canada's Skills Link Program