CCR Fall Consultation

29 November - 1 December 2012, Toronto

Hyatt Regency Hotel, 370 King Street West
 

2012 has been a year of big changes for refugees, immigrants and those people who work with them. Policymakers have had their say, but what is happening to refugee and immigrant families because of these new government policies?

Find out what refugee and immigrant families and their supporters are seeing and doing to work through these changes. Come to the Consultation and have your say in how, together, we can ensure a fair and honourable future for newcomers to our communities.

Register before 9 November to take advantage of the reduced fees!

Consultation program and registration

Consultation program (includes schedule)

Workshop descriptions

Online registration - see also note about registration fees. There is also a downloadable version of the registration form (but we prefer you to fill it out online, if you can).

Interested in issues affecting trafficked persons?

Come to the CCR's National Forum on Trafficking in Toronto the day before the Consultation (Wednesday 28 November).

For youth between 18 and 25 living in Ontario: Apply for a travel grant!

Thanks to the Ontario Office of the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth, the CCR can offer funding to assist selected youth (age 18-25) to participate in the Fall Consultation. Funding would cover the registration fee, air/train/bus fare to Toronto and accommodation (shared hotel room) from anywhere in Ontario. 

Applicants must fill in and submit the application form, together with a letter of support from an organization. For more information and to apply, see: http://ccrweb.ca/en/youth-funds-application and contact Chloé Raxlen, Youth Coordinator, at: craxlen@ccrweb.ca

About the Consultation

The Consultation will bring together over 300 people from across Canada and beyond and offer key opportunities for information exchange, networking, and strategy development. Participants include refugees, immigrants, representatives of NGOs, government, UNHCR, academics, community workers, youth advocates and international guests.

CCR consultations are designed to move from issues to action. Discussions will address issues that challenge refugees, immigrants, advocates and community workers.  In addition to larger plenary sessions, workshops and working sessions will produce strategies for further collaboration, specific actions and policy recommendations.

Funding for this consultation has been received from:

Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration

Spreading the word

Please help us to promote this Consultation by passing this invitation to people who might be interested in attending and by directing people to this webpage. We appreciate your help in making it a success!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about CCR Consultations:

Why is it called a 'Consultation' and not a conference?

CCR consultations are designed to move from issues to action:

• In the workshops, we learn about and discuss the realities, and begin to reflect on what to do.
• In the working groups, we strategize on next steps, what policies to adopt and what actions to take.
• At the concluding General Meeting, we adopt any new policy positions through resolutions and review key action items.

Why should I attend a CCR Consultation?

Here's what some people liked best about past Consultations:

"My clients face these issues and it's important for me to hear from other workers about possible solutions."

"Excellent insight into current and past issues, as well as opportunities to connect with people from organizations and groups across the country."

"I am new to the sector: This was a good place to orient myself to urgent issues. This is an opportunity to consult, offer feedback, identify barriers, make recommendations."

"CCR continues to impress with its diversity of representation and increasingly the involvement of a younger group of advocates and refugees."

"The conference truly broadened my knowledge base and allowed me to enhance my contacts within this realm of work."

This is my first time attending a CCR Consultation.  What do I need know?

We hope to have orientation sessions in a number of cities for registered participants before the Consultation.  These sessions will be an opportunity to share information about the CCR and to meet others who will be attending the Consultation, so that you can get the most out of your participation.

Details on time and location of local orientation sessions will be sent out to registered participants once available.

There will also be orientation sessions for new participants held at the Consultation. A youth orientation session will take place on the evening of Wednesday, November 28th. An orientation session for all Consultation participants will take place on Thursday, November 29th at 8:30 am.

You can also read the Brief Guide to the CCR Consultation. Alternatively, consult the Youth Network Orientation Guide.

Where do you recommend I stay in Toronto?

Can I record or take photos during Consultation sessions? (Policy on photography, filming and audio recording)

To protect the privacy of participants, we ask you to respect our policy restricting any forms of recording during CCR sessions. You may however take photos (or film or audio record) outside the CCR sessions (for example in the coffee area or lobbies, or before or after a workshop session), but ONLY after explaining the purpose and obtaining permission of each person photographed, filmed or recorded. The policy is available at http://ccrweb.ca/en/policy-recording

There will be CCR photographers taking pictures during some of the sessions, so that we can document the consultation. If you do not wish to be included in any of the photos, sit in the part of the room that is marked as photo-free. In certain circumstances, the CCR may grant exceptions to specific projects involving recording during a session. Applicants would need to make a request by Friday, November 9th. For more information, see http://ccrweb.ca/en/recording-request.

I'd like to reserve a display table for my organization.  How do I do this?