The Community Knowledge Program was a six-year initiative, funded by United Way Greater Toronto, the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC) and Wellesley Institute, aimed at encouraging collaborative research and knowledge sharing within the immigrant and refugee-serving sector in the Greater Toronto Area.
The program offered webinars, courses and resources for community groups, settlement service providers, academic researchers, policymakers and anyone else involved in research in support of newcomers.
With the conclusion of this program in March 2025, the resources that were developed were transitioned to a community of practice to keep the information sharing alive.
Past Events
Research in Action: Looking Back, Looking Forward
The Community Knowledge Program’s project lead Emily Mooney speaks with Vince Pietropaolo and Farishta Dinshaw about research and settlement work in the GTA.
Panelists:
Farishta Dinshaw, Community Engagement and Knowledge Mobilization Lead, COSTI Immigrant Services
Vince Pietropaolo, General Manager, COSTI Family and Mental Health Services
Research in Action: Research in Action Advanced digital technologies and settlement work
Panelists discussed their current projects in settlement work and how advanced digital technologies are currently being used to support newcomers to Canada.
Panelists:
Abdulla Daoud, Executive Director, The Refugee Centre
Aimee Holmes, VP, Data Strategy & Digital Solutions, ACCES Employment (slides)
Stein Monteiro, Lead Research Associate, The Conference Board of Canada (slides)
Research in Action: The Impacts of COVID-19 on Racialized Newcomers with Disabilities
This session, hosted on October 16, 2024, explores a recent research project about racialized newcomers with disabilities during COVID-19. Dr. Chavon Niles, Rana Hamdy and Jheannelle Anderson discussed their experiences and findings, and how their research can be used to support front-line workers.
Panelists:
Jheanelle Anderson, MSW, RSW, social worker and researcher, City of Toronto
Rana Hamdy, Master of Physical Therapy candidate and research assistant
Dr. Chavon Niles, Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, University of Toronto
Research in Action: Building and Sustaining Research Partnerships, Part 2
Webinar held on March 22, 2024 discusses how those in academia can maintain strong partnerships with community-based groups to improve research in migration and settlement.
Panelists
Alka Kumar, Mitacs Elevate Postdoctoral Fellow, CERC Migration, Toronto Metropolitan University
Joelleann Forbes, MSW, Registered Social Worker, Psychotherapist and Researcher
Research in Action: Supporting LGBTQIA+ Newcomers
Webinar held on February 28, 2024 that discusses the unique challenges LGBTQIA+ newcomers face when settling in Canada.
Panelists:
David J. Kinitz, Stanford University, School of Medicine
Ranjith Kulatilake, TNG Community Services
Research in Action: Reimagining Settlement Funding
Webinar held on November 6, 2023 that explores how settlement agencies are funded in Canada.
Panelists
Jennifer Chan, Department of Imaginary Affairs
Sharma Queiser, Social Planning Toronto
Alisha Griffith, Unified We Grow
Research in Action: Innovative Approaches to Knowledge Translation
Webinar held on March 29, 2023 that focused on innovative approaches to knowledge translation. From digital communication strategies, photovoice, and community engagement, learn how to share research findings and information in unique ways.
Research in Action: Building and Sustaining Research Partnerships, Part 1
Webinar held on February 8, 2023 that focused on building and maintaining strong partnerships among academia and community-based groups to improve research about migration, settlement, and integration in the GTA.
Research in Action: The Effects of Precarious Immigration Status on Health
This event held on November 1, 2022 examined how precarious status is understood as a social determinant of health and how precarious status impacts community health and/or an individual’s access to care.
Research in Action: Misinformation in Newcomer Communities
Newcomer communities must have accurate and reliable health information to reduce the spread of COVID-19, which has caused them disproportionate harm. This event was held on March 16, 2022 and explored tools and strategies for combating the spread of misinformation in newcomer communities in the GTA, and for drawing on the strengths within those communities to share accurate information in culturally sensitive ways. Panelists discussed how settlement and health practitioners can make sure that service seekers have access to information that can improve public health and save lives.
Research in Action: Knowledge Mobilization in the Immigrant and Refugee-Serving Sector
Making research accessible for people without a research background is crucial for front-line workers in the GTA’s immigrant and refugee-serving sector. This event was held on February 16, 2022 and focused on community-based approaches to mobilizing research and applying it to practice. Panelists discussed migrant resilience, community organizing, peer champions, and why data entry is key to front-line work and presented findings of recent studies.
Panelists:
Fatima Filippi, Executive Director of Rexdale Women’s Centre (Download slides)
October 22, 2021 – 2021 Virtual OCASI Professional Development Conference
The course that was developed, Research and Front-Line Work with Newcomers to Canada, is now offered through the Office of Health Equity at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).
Learn about the course
Research and Front-Line Work with Newcomers to Canada
If you’re a front-line worker or manager in the GTA, this course will build your knowledge and skills, allowing you to design, carry out, share research with policymakers and other practitioners, and apply research findings in your own practice. This can improve settlement services and healthcare for immigrants, refugees and people with precarious or no status in Canada.
Now offered through the Office of Health Equity at CAMH, this six-module course is meant for those with little experience in social research.
