The goal of the Public Outreach Project is to draw on our data and research project findings to generate and distribute knowledge of immigrant employment trajectories and early settlement strategies that is relevant and useful for academics, newcomer communities, service delivery agency staff, advocacy organizations, policy-makers and the general public. In consultation with partners, we designed a model of public outreach that takes into account different institutional actors’ capacities, resources and networks, and the social context in which knowledge is produced, disseminated and used. To carry out the dissemination strategy we created two working groups that are representative of two different sectors: A) The community working group is comprised of frontline and community development workers from voluntary organizations that serve immigrants and refugees; and, B) The policy working group, which includes representation from grassroots advocacy organizations, researchers working in relevant voluntary sector organizations, and academic researchers who specialize in immigrant-related topics. The purpose of each working group is three-fold: (1) to identify an agenda of thematic priorities for the analysis and dissemination of research findings; (2) networking and exchanging information on issues of common interest; and, (3) to identify and help develop effective strategies for translating and disseminating findings, and identifying optimal strategies for reaching targeted audiences.
Last Modified: May 26, 2009.
This project is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).