Introduction
The YWCA Halifax reports that in 2016 and 2017, nearly 10,000 individuals immigrated to Nova Scotia. The organization has collaborated with over 700 newcomer women and their families, observing a growing demand for both settlement and non-settlement services each year. Drawing from their experiences with newcomer women and families, YWCA Halifax identified the common use of informal communication networks and resource sharing among newcomers. This insight forms the foundation of the Newcomer Peer Leadership Model program, known as Experts by Experience (EX2).
EX2 presents an innovative opportunity for newcomer women to leverage their skills and motivation, offering crucial information to assist other newcomer women in starting their lives in Nova Scotia. The peer-led model not only enhances the delivery of existing services to newcomer women but also strengthens the capacity of the Newcomer Peer Leaders (NPL).
In 2018, the YWCA received funding from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to launch a three-year pilot of EX2. As part of the funding agreement, the YWCA was required to assess the project's effectiveness.
This report provides a comprehensive evaluation of the peer leader model of service delivery (EX2), determining whether the project achieved its goals and met its intended outcomes. The evaluation relies on interviews with the Project Coordinator, Program Manager, NPLs, and newcomer women who participated in the program.
Description
The primary goals of the project involve establishing a service delivery model centered on peer support to enhance settlement services for newcomer women and to bolster the capabilities of NPLs (Newcomer Peer Leaders) and newcomer women receiving these services. The project aims to assess whether a settlement service program model, developed and delivered by newcomer women to their peers, can improve the existing settlement programming available for newcomer women.
Through collaboration with newcomer women, the program introduces a service delivery model wherein newcomer women conduct educational workshops and provide individual guidance on settlement-related topics to support the well-being of other newcomer women. The program includes training sessions on financial literacy and pre-employment skills to facilitate the positive economic integration of newcomers, a crucial aspect of their well-being. Additional settlement topics covered encompass entrepreneurship, employment readiness, labor market entry, and financial literacy. Continuous adjustments are made based on feedback obtained through focus groups and surveys conducted with participants. These focus groups, led by NPLs, occur every three months, and participants are encouraged to complete a feedback survey after each workshop or one-on-one session.
Participant eligibility criteria are aligned with the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada's (IRCC) definition of a 'newcomer' outlined in the 2019 call for proposals. A newcomer, as per the IRCC, refers to an immigrant or refugee in the process of adapting to life in Canada. This definition does not specify a particular timeframe but acknowledges the ongoing adaptation process. According to the IRCC, once an individual obtains Canadian citizenship, they are no longer considered a newcomer.