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“A day of tribute to the Mirabal sisters, as well as global recognition of gender vio-lence”

http://www.un.org/womenwatch

On December 17, 1999, the United Na-tions General Assembly designated No-vember 25 (the anniversary of the day of the murder of the Mirabal sisters) as the annual date for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Wom-en in commemoration of the sisters. This day also marks the beginning of the 16 days of Activism against Gender Violence. The end of the 16 Days is December 10, In-ternational Human Rights Day.

Canada is a signatory to many UN conven-tions and is obligated to ensure persons fleeing persecution from their countries of origin are provided with safe environment to reside inside Canada. Amongst those conventions are the: 1951 Convention Re-lating to the Status of Refugees; 1966 In-ternational Covenant on Civil and Political Right; and the 1984 Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and De-

grading Treatment or Punishment. (http://www.irb.gc.ca). The Refugee Protection Division looks after refugee claims made within Canada, while Citizenship and Im-migration Canada (CIC) decides refugee protection claims made outside Canada, in Canadian embassies and consulates. ((http://www.irb.gc.ca).

HamiltonFace of Ontario's Future

Community Happenings

Page15

Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Honourable Dr. Eric Hoskins was in Hamil-ton August 17th to launch Diversity Works project, a new partnership venture involv-

ing the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, SISO and other community organizations. ‘Diversity Works’ was wisely chosen as the name of this new venture. Simply put, it facilitates the integration of Internation-ally Trained Individuals (ITIs) into the work-force.

Minister Hoskins, no new comer to Ham-ilton were he spent ten years of his life was all praises for this new initiative in Hamil-ton, more so as it will help new immigrants integrate and contribute meaningfully to the Canadian economy. No wonder he stated that ‘Hamilton represents the face of Ontario’s future’.

International Day for The Elimination of Violence Against Women - 25 November

Universal Children's Day (20 November)

Universal Children's Day is usually held on 20 November, the date on which the UN General Assembly adopted the Decla-ration of the Rights of the Child (1959) and the Convention of the Rights of the Child (1989). Some countries celebrate the Day on different dates. The Day was first rec-ommended by the General Assembly in 1954 when it was envisaged as a day of

worldwide fraternity and understanding between children and of active promotion of the welfare of the world's children.

Visit the UNICEF website for information on a vast array of initiatives for children and see the Dag Hammarskjold Library page on the Day..

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Refugee Protection DivisionHow fair are their decisions for refugee claimants?

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“Using the power of the pen to facilitate smooth integration for immigrants into the Canadian society.”

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ExchangesInternational Volunteer Opportunities with

Projects Abroad Projects Abroad sends vol-unteers ages 16+ to 24 countries to do vari-ous service projects and volunteer work. 62A Charles Street E. Suite 300, Toronto ON, M4Y 1T1 Canada 1 877 921 9666 www.projects-abroad.ca They list all of their projects by in-terest area http://www.projects-abroad.ca/projects/ Foreign Language Courses Abroad Projects Abroad offers the option of a month long intensive language course placement in the following languages and destinations: Arabic – Morocco French – Morocco and Sen-egal Portuguese – Brazil Russian - Moldova

Spanish – Argentina, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Mexico and Peru. These language place-ments include 60 hours of personal classes per month on a one-on-one basis. The les-sons are tailored to suit your ability and per-sonal requirements. You will normally study 15 hours per week from Monday to Friday, which will give you plenty of time to com-plete homework, spend time with your local host family, and practice your skills in your new surroundings.

Take part in a Two-way Exchange in Can-ada funded in part by Exchanges Canada Groups from different parts of the country are twinned according to their age and inter-ests, while playing an active role in planning the exchange. http://www.exchanges.gc.ca/Main.asp?Language=0

http://www.afs.org/afs_or/home AFS Inter-cultural Programs is one of the world's larg-est community-based volunteer ... Austria, Belgium Flanders, Belgium French, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada ... 11/3/2009 - Yucaipa student on AFS exchange in Belgium

http://www.twoworldsunited.org/canada.html Two Worlds United foreign exchange students will discover Canada's spectacu-lar scenery, limitless recreational activities, friendly people, safe towns, and the exciting cities of Toronto, Montréal, and Vancouver

http://www.destineducation.ca/edupro/annex-h1_e.htm A World to Study and Ex-plore In the world of education, the Web is a tremendous marketplace of ideas and con-tacts for educators, high-school guidance counselors, international student advisers, international educators, and study-abroad advisers looking for learning opportuni-ties either for their students or themselves.

Volunteer Oppurtunities

These organizations need help: Alterna-tives for Youth (905) 527-4469, The Victory Garden & Community Garden plots (905) 575-9439, Dundas Community Services (905) 627-5461, Heart and Stroke Foundation (905) 574-4105 Volunteer Visiting 522-0053, Meals on Wheels 522-1022, Good Beginnings 522-0053, Wellwood Resource Centre 527-4322 x 42150, Language Instruction for Newcom-ers 546-3444, Bob Kemp Hospice 387-2448, Wellwood 527-4322 x 42150, Ronald McDon-ald House (day) 521-9983, Juravinski Cancer Centre 575-9220 x 3116 SMART Seniors Exer-cise (9050 522-0053

Volunteering in Ancaster Information is located at Ancaster Information Services 905-648-6675 inf@ancinfo.on.ca or www.an-castercommunityservices.ca We do not have enough drivers to take people to their medi-cal appointments so if you can offer one or two hours per week please give them a call.

Volunteer Hamilton 2 King St. W., Unit 293 Hamilton 905 522 9933 info@volunteerham-ilton.on.ca or http://www.volunteerhamil-ton.on.ca/ Accessing our VH data base of volunteer jobs is quite simple ... go to our web site at www.volunteerhamilton.on.ca and click on the volunteer opportunities link. The data base can be accessed in a number of ways, by geographical location in the City (central, mountain etc); type of volunteer activity (seniors, animals, kids etc); or by the name of a particular agency (CNIB, Blood Services etc).

Volunteering in Hamilton area http://www.science.mcmaster.ca/scs/volunteering/v_hamilton.html

A new backgrounder on volunteering is available online, prepared by the Social Economy Centre of the University of Toronto. It is designed to give you information that could be of use in advising students partici-pating in Ontario’s Community Involvement Activities program. Available at: http://so-cialeconomy.utoronto.ca/english/pdfs/back-grounders/ocia_backgrounder.pdf

Jobs www.JobsPeopleDo.com: Jobs People Do has been designed to assist teens in mak-ing their career choices. Jobs People Do is an exciting, informative hands on look at many job options. Jobs People Do has an objective to inspire kids to think outside the box, define paths of exciting career options, instill confidence and empower teens to be-lieve in themselves. JobsPeopleDo.com is an interactive website featuring jobs, videos, post-secondary facilities volunteer informa-tion, campus life, articles, a book club, re-sume building, scholarships and much more. JobsPeopleDo is fresh, and updated weekly, constantly evolving, becoming bigger and better. We're building this site for both stu-dents and teachers, so please tell us how we can assist you: We're also designing a special area just for teachers, called the "Teachers Lounge" where you will be able to chat with other teachers across Canada. http://www.jobspeopledo.com/ info@jobspeopledo.com

Service Canada If you are seeking employ-ment, Service Canada can provide you with the information you need to prepare yourself for the job market.

http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/sub-jects/employment/index.shtml

Employment Hamilton 67+ 77 Victoria Av-enue South, Hamilton, Ontario, L8N 2S8 905-522-YOOT (9668) or 905-522-4902 Are you eligible to apply for jobs through the Sum-mer Jobs Service? Yes, if you are between the ages of 15 to 24 (or up to 29 for persons with disabilities) and returning to school this fall you qualify to apply for jobs through this ser-vice. Monday to Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Fridays - 9:00 a.m. to noon only. There is also the Hire a Student Centre (call 905-572-2131 for location and hours as it changes year to year) that has our Job Postings Bind-ers as well as other summer jobs opportuni-ties. If you would like us to contact you, just

send an email with your contact information to: getajob@yootworks.info http://www.em-ploymenthamilton.com/

Jan Lucas

...Continued from page 12 Our politicians and other people with

influence are also appealed to ensure the Refugee and Protection Division are not over-stepping their boundar-ies, but make decisions based on fair-ness, equity and good conscience, in order not to deny genuine claimants the rights they sought in this free and fair country, Canada. After all, as the case law explains that for “persecu-tion” to exist within the context of the definition, it is necessary for the subject to have been deprived of his freedom” Amayo v Canada 1982. If this is the case with many refugee claimants and their families, why are they being denied protection in Canada?

■ Veronica Chris-IkeImage Source (Page1): http://www.vosiz-

neias.com/64590/2010/09/20/canada-israeli-claiming-fear-of-terror-attacks-

in-israel-denied-refugee-status

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HAMILTONFace of Ontario's Future...Continued from page 1

This new venture that offer mentor-ship programs that match mentors with mentees is a very laudable one, he stated. Minister Hoskins also called for the recognition of world knowl-edge instead of requiring Canadian work experience from new comers to the job market. He pointed out that most of these new comers have the knowledge and experienced required to work efficiently on their fields in Canada.

MP Christopherson was also in atten-dance, and lauded the new initiative as symbolic of how Canada look at the world stage, that of inclusivity. He commended the government for what they are doing to integrate immigrants in our communities. He believed that for all success stories, there are some un-successful ones, like people going back home and would not recom-mend others to migrate to Canada. MP Christopherson believed Hamilton has

the demographics and resources and can do a lot for its citizens if all three levels of government work together with the private sector and NGO’s like SISO. He believed that if Hamilton en-sures that its international people are welcomed and have jobs to work to their full potential, it would be a big benefit for Hamilton.

Other important speakers who lauded the initiative and reiterated the importance of inclusivity in our work force are Mr. Richard Koroscil – President, Hamilton Chamber of Com-merce; Ted McMeekin, MPP Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale; Dr. Yaser M. Haddara, SISO Board member, and Mr. Joel Kaleu, project participant, ED. Kajotec Canada.

(Veronica Chris-Ike)