The NOW Club at Central Tech School makes it easier for newcomer students to adjust to their new school and Canadian society, by presenting workshops relevant to their needs throughout the school year. The topics are varied and are facilitated by their peers and teachers, community members and Settlement Workers in Schools (SWIS).

Recently, the SWIS workers in partnership with the CultureLink’s Children and Youth Centre ran a series of workshops on E-cigarettes and Vaping, Winter Crafts, Mindfulness, Games and Sports and Job search & Interview Skills.

The SWIS Workers also bring agencies together to provide different points of view and diverse information about a single topic. This multi-agency approach encourages collaboration, co-operation and resource sharing so that students have good information to base their decisions on. The next one of this kind is the upcoming March Break Workshop, where activities will be facilitated by three community agencies: Scaddingcourt, YMCA and CultureLink’s Children and Youth Centre. The information shared will ensure that the newcomer students are well informed and are encouraged to participate in a number of March Break activities across the city.

With ongoing assessment of the needs of the newcomer students and the delivery of these programs, participants are continually guided in paths which help them to succeed both academically and socially in Canada.