ISANS was host to the Teachers of English as a Second Language (TESL) Nova Scotia (NS) Fall Conference on Saturday, November 17. More than 100 EAL teachers and program administrators came together to network and share their knowledge and best practices for inclusive teaching. The conference included four keynote speakers, … Read more
Friday was a beautiful day to learn to camp! More than 60 newcomers in language classes at ISANS took part in the Parks Canada Learn to Camp program at Westmount Park on July 13. Learn to Camp teaches participants the knowledge and skills needed to plan and camp outdoors, giving … Read more
By: Aya Al-Hakim, CBC News April 28, 2018. Children from newcomer families are learning to read English letters and words faster by using a literacy app at Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia (ISANS) children’s centres. Squiggle Park is a reading game created by a Halifax start-up in 2015 to help accelerate kids’ reading skills in only 30 minutes of weekly play. The app has been used since February as part of a pilot program sponsored by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
ISANS is known for its extensive list of services for newcomers, including settlement services, language classes, employment counselling and job-readiness programs, support for immigrant business and much more. Our Early Childhood Education (ECE) team are some of the many staff working behind-the-scenes to make sure newcomers have access to these … Read more
By Crystal MacMillan, TESL NS Newsletter, 2 May 2017. With the small hands of toddlers grabbing at pencil and paper, a baby crying in the lap, and a senior family member in need of help, a young mother studying English at home certainly has her struggles. The learning environment is … Read more
By CMAS (Childminding Monitoring, Advisory and Support) All hands on deck: How one CNC program coped with the influx ISANS Care For Newcomer Children (CNC) Program is no stranger to welcoming newcomer families with open arms. When approximately 100 Syrian refugee families arrived within the same period, the staff had … Read more
By Moira Donovan, The Coast, 02 February 2017. The Mellis are just five out of thousands of Syrian refugees who came to Canada over the last year. The Melli family think about their journey in terms of routes. There are the one they took to flee their apartment in a … Read more
by Kristen Lipscombe, Nova Scotia Health Authority. All recent arrivals to Canada from countries including Ethiopia, Sudan and Syria, the curious students also got an inside look at the hospital’s emergency department, from triage to exam room. The tutorial and tour were part of October’s focus on health for Immigration … Read more
ISANS is thrilled to announce a new partnership with the J & W Murphy Foundation that will provide funding for the next three years to re-establish our very successful English as an Additional Language (EAL) Volunteer Tutor Program. The EAL Volunteer Tutor Program will link newcomers and volunteers, both within … Read more
News Release – March 9, 2016—Halifax, NS – Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister John McCallum today congratulated the Prince George Hotel as one of the winners of the 2016 Employer Awards for Refugee Employment for their outstanding efforts to help refugees settle in Canada by finding jobs and obtaining employment … Read more
by Dave Stephens, Light House Now, 9 December 2015. Most of us need no further convincing that it’s important for Nova Scotia to do its part to welcome refugees fleeing the disaster that Syria has become. Not everyone agrees with that. People worry that we’re bringing terrorists into our midst, … Read more
English in the Workplace, or EWP, was first offered by Halifax Immigrant Learning Centre (HILC) in 1993, with one instructor, Cathy Vaughn. Soon after, Darlene MacInnis and Joanna Wine joined the team. At the start, most of the classes were for basic English and many of the clients worked in … Read more