In just three short years, the Library Settlement Partnership has made a difference in the lives of thousands of newcomers in Toronto and beyond - just ask Celia Cruz-Hew of CultureLink.
A library settlement worker at the Eatonville branch of the Toronto Public Library in Etobicoke, Cruz-Hew receives almost daily emails, phone calls and visits from the clients whose lives have been changed by the program. "It's a helping profession and you bear so many rewards, in terms of people coming back to you and saying, you know, I'm working now, I'm in school right now, I'm getting married, or I have kids now," she said. "A lot of good news comes back to me, and it's almost every day."Library Settlement Partnerships (LSPs) offer "unique and innovative" newcomer information services in 11 communities throughout Ontario, made possible through partnerships between public libraries, settlement sector agencies such as CultureLink, and Citizenship and Immigration Canada. LSP services include one-on-one settlement information and referral, group information sessions, and community outreach, with newcomer settlement workers like Cruz-Hew and her colleague Claudia Montoya working out of 49 public library branches in communities with high newcomer populations providing service in a variety of languages based on community needs.The goal? To facilitate the successful settlement and integration of newcomers in Ontario."We also have workshops on how to get a job, how to look for one, how to make a resume, basic computer skills. At Mimico, we have English conversation groups, drop-in programs, a Spanish senior group and a Polish senior group," Montoya said, noting that the Mimico Centennial library branch where she works currently serves upwards of 1,000 newcomers in such programs. "And all the programs are run by volunteers. I have 20 volunteers and it's beautiful, because so many people are engaged in the program."In Toronto, LSP programs are available at 19 public library branches across the city - five of which are located in Etobicoke: Albion, Centennial, Eatonville, Mimico Centennial and Richview libraries. The program also caters to many different language groups, offering services in 23 languages, including Arabic, Farsi, French, Gujarati, Hindi, Korean, Mandarin, Filipino, Polish, Punjabi, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Ukrainian, and Urdu.To celebrate three years of success, a Library Settlement Partnership Day 2011 event will take place on Saturday, Oct. 22 from noon to 4 p.m. at Richview library, 1806 Islington Ave., in the second floor art gallery. The event will feature information on employment, housing, language learning, schools and other topics, and is co-sponsored by Citizenship and Immigration Canada, the Rexdale Women's Centre, and the Toronto Public Library.