Links and Documents

SNAP Vol. 4 / #2 - Spring 2008 - Etablissement.Org: One Year Later

Etablissement.Org: One Year Later

By Lumembo Tshiswaka, Coordinator for Marketing and Promotion, Établissement.org

Launched in March 2007 on Radio Canada Toronto, Etablissement.Org is an internet site whose primary mission is to help francophone refugees and newcomers and the settlement organizations that serve them to find all the information they need to successfully settle and integrate in Ontario.

The goal of this site is to make information about settlement and immigration available to newcomers, their families, and the general public. Very often, Francophone newcomers have only very limited information and resources available when they arrive in Ontario for the first time, or the information they have is difficult for them to understand. There is no doubt that the more complete and up to date information is, the better it can help newcomers find their place in the host society. Etablissement.org has become an indispensable resource, a clearinghouse where newcomers have access to the information that makes all the difference.

BACKGROUND

Reflecting a growing interest in using the internet to access and share information and the needs assessment conducted in winter 1997/98 under CIC’s Immigrant Settlement and Adaptation Program (ISAP), web sites were developed under the working title Settlement.Org / Etablissement.Org. The goal of Etablissement.Org is to promote to Francophone newcomers access to information and resources on settlement and immigration to Canada, especially to Ontario. Etablissement.Org is the result of teamwork between the federal government (CIC), the Government of Ontario (through the Office of Francophone Affairs), the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI), not-for-profit organizations, and the private sector, with the ongoing support of users and clients.

A ONE-OF-A-KIND SITE

The information on Etablissement.Org is organized under headings that were identified in 1997 through consultation with newcomers, settlement workers, and Ontario language schools: Community & Recreation, Consumer Information, Education, Employment, Immigration & Citizenship, Health, Legal Services, and Reports and Tenders.

Etablissement.Org is the only site of its kind in Ontario and perhaps in Canada. In addition to the headings mentioned above, addressing the primary needs of Francophone immigrants, there are some other sections that provide more specific information:

• First Days in Ontario. This is a guide to the essential steps that Francophone newcomers have to take during their first two weeks in Ontario, such as finding temporary housing, applying for a social insurance card, applying for a health card, opening a bank account, finding the settlement agency closest to their home, and finding an English class.
• Close to Home helps Francophone newcomers find help near where they live and provides them with settlement news. Information on the cities of Hamilton, Ottawa, London, Sarnia, Toronto, Sudbury and Windsor can also be found in this section.
• Celebrate tells the stories of Francophone newcomers who have settled successfully in Ontario.
• Franco-Ontarian Lexicon: helps Francophone newcomers familiarize themselves with the Franco-Ontarian language and culture.
• ESL Corner: games and exercises to help newcomers improve their English.

The site is an indispensable and very valuable resource for newcomers to Ontario, as well as for those who work with them, not only because it contains so much information and reference material, but also because it is available 24 hours a day, it is easy to navigate, and responds to users’ needs.

ARTICLES ADDRESSING NEWCOMERS’ NEEDS

Etablissement.Org provides many settlement resources, including over 300 articles related to the main themes. The language of these articles has been adapted to newcomers. The articles were written by experts and settlement workers based on practical recommendations from prior research on immigrants. There are also links to other government sites. The primary concern of Francophone newcomers is to find stable employment, suitable housing, and to improve their written and spoken English, so that they can be more competitive in the Ontario and Canadian job markets.

All information published on the site is verified at the source. The statistics are generally provided by officially recognized statistics organizations. The site promoters are constantly looking to arrange quality interviews with resource persons who work in the Francophone community and are familiar with the major issues they face. To ensure that the site meets the needs of Francophone newcomers, the Etablissement.Org technical team works with users and settlement workers to find themes and subjects that are relevant and interesting to Francophone newcomers. Etablissement.Org hopes that more settlement workers and newcomers will use the site to better integrate into Ontario.

PROMOTION

In order to increase awareness and use of Etablissement.Org by its target audience, several promotional campaigns have been carried out. These include in-person orientation sessions for newcomers and settlement workers, public transit advertising campaigns in Greater Toronto and other major cities such as Ottawa, Hamilton, London, Sarnia, Windsor and Sudbury, distribution of promotional material to community organizations serving Francophones at conferences, seminars, and other Francophone forums, and two bimonthly online newsletters to update and encourage users to return to the site.

A NEW DEVELOPMENT FOR THE FUTURE OF THE SITE

To attract more traffic, the Etablissement.Org technical team is improving the navigation system to make it easier and more interactive for new users by:

• simplifying the questions and answers using keywords.
• making interactive tools available to users.
• encouraging users to participate in the forum where they can ask questions and see their answers posted on the site.

Etablissement.Org is becoming a very popular site visited by new Francophone immigrants, settlement workers, and the general public. The information posted on the site is diverse and comprehensive, focusing on users’ needs, which makes this site a one-of-a-kind resource in the settlement and immigration sector.

SNAP

Published by TESL Ontario, SNAP aims to inform readers about new initiatives and resources in the field of settlement services. SNAP will also have notices of upcoming conferences, workshops or other professional development opportunities.