Refugees: Syrian Refugees and Ottawa

refugees: The centre settlement manager said the OCCSC has widened its focus to helping all new Canadians since it was founded in 1971, but the influx of refugees from Syria deserves special attention, according to CBC. Ottawa hosts welcome party for Syrian refugees at Lansdowne Park Surge in Syrian refugees has school backpack program seeking donations "They need a lot of services because many of them have spent years in refugee camps where the kids didn't have any opportunity to go to school," said Rupert Yeung. "Among the newcomers they're a very high-needs group. The Ottawa Chinese Community Service Centre held a party at the Boys and Girls Club on McArthur Avenue in Ottawa Sunday afternoon to spread awareness of its new programs, which include language, job and technology workshops. This is why we wanted to do something about it." Rupert Yeung of the OCCSC says half the people in their language and job programs aren't from China. He said it helped around 100 Syrians who have been to one of its workshops so far. "The most important need for them is the language ... this is what we are trying to help them with," he said. "We've started offering them special workshops in computer literacy and smartphone applications literacy. English lessons important In June the centre moved Hassan Ezdahmad, an Arabic-speaking IT worker who they hired after he finished one of their job programs, to a new job as manager of its Syrian refugee services. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.