On Tuesday October 27th, Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI) ran two focus groups for Somaili newcomers – one for men and one for women – at CultureLink. The groups were run by Sahra Hassan, RSW, BSW, SSW from York University with assistance from myself, a Somali-speaking Settlement Worker in Schools (SWIS). OCASI is conducting these focus groups to help find practical solutions for newcomers arriving from the Horn of Africa and speaking the four major languages of Amharic, Tigrinya, Oromiffa and Somali. Following the information collection phase, OCASI will develop fact sheets on topics of importance to these groups.
The focus group activity involved individuals in discussion, exploring questions about being a newcomer and the services they received upon arrival and through their settlement process. Some of them shared the struggles they had to endure as newcomers, what services worked for them and the support they received from organizations and individuals. Some benefits the participants received were the opportunity to connect with others who shared similar experiences, develop networks through social interaction and provide some guidance and support to one another. The group activity also allowed me, as a SWIS staff, to develop further knowledge and understanding of the needs of newcomers through their experiences, and from their own words.
Alasis Mohamed, School Settlement Worker