In the summer of 2016, the LSP program workers at Lillian Smith Library and Mimico Library were busy with community outreach and organizing group sessions.

At the Mimico Library, the LSP worker have been hosting two different groups of English conversation circles – a beginner’s intermediate group on Fridays and the advanced group on Tuesdays.  Newcomers attended these sessions and improved their knowledge about Canada, enhanced their English reading & conversation skills. They also connected and shared experiences with other newcomers and volunteer instructors.

The LSP worker has also been engaging numerous professional newcomers and assisting them with their job search at the Mimico Library. During the last month, four newcomers had received a job with the help of the LSP worker.

Here is an example of a success story:

A young couple recently arrived to Montreal about a year ago. The husband is from Pakistan, with a background in health sciences, and his wife is Greek with a background in finance and customer service. The couple arrived to their new country with hopes of finding job opportunities, but decided to relocate to Toronto for better job prospects.

They contacted the LSP worker and set up a consultation. The couple was then referred to Job Start Employment Center to tailor their resumes for Canadian employers. The couple was  also referred to Culturelink Mentorship Program. In addition, they also received information on housing and the worker was able to address any outstanding concerns they had.

During the consultation, the worker tried to encourage them in their job search and gave them some tips for interviews and the application process. Since employment were their biggest concerns, the LSP worker kept in touch with the couple by sending them several relevant job postings to apply to.

A week after speaking with the LSP worker and applying for jobs, the husband was offered a research position  at Mount Sinai Hospital, and two weeks later, his wife was offered a job with RBC as a customer service representative. Upon their success, the couple came to thank the LSP worker for the support they had received in their job search.

Over at the Lillian Smith Library, we had numerous (and occasionally fun) information sessions catering to a variety of community members:

– Safe Cycling in Toronto workshop where newcomers and community members learned more about the Ontario Highway Traffic Act and City of Toronto’s Cycling By-Laws, tips on safe cycling, and their rights as a cyclist.

– Understanding Your Credit Score & Report workshop where attendees learned more about how this 3-digit number can shape their financial future.

– Powers Of Attorney Mandarin Workshop in which participants learned more about the Powers of Attorney for property & personal care and the roles of the Public Guardian and Trustee Office.

–  Dental & Oral Health workshop, conducted by a  zesty Toronto Public Health nurse, highlighted common dental problems and the importance of daily oral care.

– The Learn To Camp workshop for those who are interested in car camping but are not sure where to start.