Since 2018, YWCA has been working on several initiatives to support engagement and participation of Newcomers in our community and province.

LGBTQIA+ Newcomer Services

YWCA St. John’s offers programs and services for LGBTQIA+ immigrants and refugees, ages 18+:

• A peer support group;

• A mentorship program;

• and one-on-one support.

Read more about our LGBTQIA+ newcomer services here.

Funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, and the Office of Immigration and Multiculturalism (Government of Newfoundland and Labrador).

Workplace English Services

YWCA’s Workplace English Services are for women and gender-diverse immigrants over the age of 18 who are seeking language support to help them find and maintain a job.  If you are a newcomer woman or gender-diverse person in Newfoundland, this space can offer confidential and non-judgmental support and community connection.

The Workplace English Services include:

• 10-Week Workplace English Program (In-Person)

• 4-Week Workplace English Programs (Online)

• Conversation Circles (Weekly on Fridays)

• One-on-One English Language Support

Learn more about the program here.

Funded by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, from the Office of Immigration and Multiculturalism.

Past Projects

Research & Innovations in Childcare: Alternative Delivery Models to Address the Unique Needs of Newcomer Women in NL

This project focused on newcomer women’s experiences in accessing childcare and entrepreneurship-focused programming in Newfoundland and Labrador. The project explored ways in which services to support economic opportunities for newcomer women could be improved through an innovative approach to childcare design and delivery. We investigated a model of childcare delivery that is experiencing success in other areas and assessed its applicability for newcomer women in our province. The project also explored the role that mentoring and leadership play in supporting newcomer women within its innovative model, as well as the financial supports required for small business start-ups.

Funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

Immigrant Women’s Leadership & Employment Mentorship Project

Newcomer women were at the center of this work and applied the critical lens of lived-experience through which the findings were filtered, analyzed and presented. Newcomer women were engaged as peer researchers, participating in skill-development and capacity-building training sessions, and then conducting community-based research to inform the development of strategies supporting newcomer women’s economic self-sufficiency and successful labour market participation. YWCA formed a key partnership with Dr. Delores Mullings (Memorial University, School of Social Work) and together, coordinated with government, community, and industry partners to host ‘Opportunity Knocks’, a symposium focused on multicultural women in leadership. The event, held in March 2019, sought to identify ways to support and encourage women from diverse cultural backgrounds to make long-term attachments to employment in their communities by identifying the barriers and challenges faced in gaining economic self-sufficiency. This project contributed to local knowledge about the experiences of newcomer women in Newfoundland and Labrador, and created opportunities for newcomers to participate in identifying the challenges and barriers they face, as well as developing the solutions to increase their ability to participate equally and fully in the labour market.

Click here to download the full report.

Funded by The Office of Immigration and Multiculturalism, Department of Advanced Education, Skills, and Labour