Settlement Workers in Schools (SWIS)
Newcomers’ youth sometimes have difficulty adapting to the specificities of the Canadian society, particularly for social and academic issues. In these cases, SWIS staff acts as a bridge between the school, the family and the community. The SWIS program has been funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) since 1999. It is designed to facilitate the integration of newcomers into the school environment and Canadian society. Through this program, newcomer students attending French-language schools can benefit from the support of SWIS staff.
Since November 2009, there are SWIS teams in several regions in Canada. Each SWIS program is steered by an advisory committee. This committee, which includes representatives from the school boards, settlement agencies, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), and the Francophone Provincial Coordinator, meet regularly to address program issues and plan new services. Each advisory committee adopts its own operational guidelines, and each program has its own name.
Workshops offered
The SWIS offers several workshops throughout the year for parents, teens and even teachers. Here are some of the topics covered:
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Bienvenue au Canada
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Le parcours d'un immigrant
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Le système scolaire en Ontario
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Les services d'urgences
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La recherche d’un emploi
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La préparation à l'école secondaire
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Le droit aux services en français
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Les bonnes manières
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Amour ou amitié
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La gestion de l'emploi du temps
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La bonne nutrition
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La boîte à diner
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La préparation pour la rentrée scolaire
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Les compétences culturelles
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Les médias sociaux / accès à l'internet
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La santé mentale
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L'Hygiène corporelle
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L'estime de soi...
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Etc.
The CCFWEK provides the Francophone public of Windsor-Essex-Kent with the SWIS (Settlement Workers in Schools) service in French for Francophone families in the Windsor-Essex-Kent area. Our settlement workers also speak various foreign languages of French-speaking countries to facilitate contact with newcomer families.
Rita Farah
Settlement Worker in Schools rita@ccfwek.orgRita has been a member of the CCFWEK SWIS team since October 2017. Canadian citizen since 2006, Rita was born and raised in Lebanon. She is married with three children, trilingual and has a degree in Business Administration Technology.
“My work is very rewarding at the human level. My goal is to empower newcomers and help them integrate into their new school and community environments.”
Spoken languages: French, English, Arabic
Christian Nkurunziza
Settlement Worker in Schools christian@ccfwek.orgCanadian originally from Burundi, Christian was still young when he arrived in Canada and like so many other new immigrants, he faced many difficulties integrating and adapting to Canada’s new educational system and culture. He received support from settlement workers, who helped him with his integration and to “find his way”. Today, Christian shares his 15 years of experience and know-how with newcomers (he worked at Globalive, Chrysler Canada, Hospice Windsor-Essex and Statistics Canada).
“My experiences in the workplace have taught me responsibility and leadership. I have always been committed to serving and helping those in need. As such, I occasionally volunteer with Hospice Windsor-Essex. I am delighted to be a settlement worker in Francophone schools, and I will do my best to facilitate the integration, fulfillment and academic success of newcomers.”
Spoken languages: French, English, Kirundi, Kinyarwanda, Swahili
Alexandrine Loiseau
Settlement Worker in Schools alexandrine@ccfwek.orgOriginally from Haiti, Alexandrine arrived in Canada with her family in 2007. She volunteered at W5 and worked at Collège Boréal in the Settlement department. After seeing all the challenges faced by new immigrants, Alexandrine decided to offer her help as a SWIS at the Windsor-Essex-Kent Francophone community centre (CCFWEK).
“If my personal experience can be used to help new immigrants in their integration process into our community, it would be a step in the right direction. My goal as a settlement worker in schools is to make the transition much easier for students and their parents by working with them and directing them to the resources available in our community.”
Spoken languages: French, English, Creole
Saida Hamami
Settlement Worker in Schools saida@ccfwek.orgSaïda, originally from Tunisia, arrived in Canada with her husband in 2012. She has a degree in accounting and finance and a college certificate in management and leadership. Having lived the experience of being a new immigrant to Canada, Saïda knows firsthand the challenges that one can face in this situation and especially the importance and the relief of having a personalized support.
“Today, as a settlement worker in schools, I find myself in a field that I am passionate about, where I can use the different languages I speak, and also my desire to help newly arrived families in Canada to succeed in their integration.”
Spoken languages: French, English, Arabic
Dondie Bilonda
Settlement Worker in Schools dondie@ccfwek.orgDondie Bilonda arrived in Canada at a young age and had to face some challenges integrating into a new culture. By the help she received, she managed to adapt and thrive in her new country. She then continued her education, and graduated as Social Worker after accumulating over 8 years of experience in the health and store management sector.
Now, Dondie finds great satisfaction in her work. Her goal is to make newcomers autonomous and to support them in their integration into their new community and school environment. With her personal and professional background, she is determined to offer her support to those who face the challenges of integration, helping them find their place and succeed in their new life.
Spoken languages: French, English, lingala, swahili
Useful links
