Research Projects
- Enhancing the Warmth of Welcome in the Communities of BC's Northern Region
- Women, Migration, Marriage
Enhancing the Warmth of Welcome in the Communities of British Columbia's Northern Region
The purpose of this multi-year study is to
examine the settlement, social and economic integration, and retention experiences
of immigrants and refugees in northern
British Columbia,
particularly those newcomers settling in the communities of
Prince
George, Quesnel, Williams Lake, Terrace,
Fort St.
John, Kitimat, Smithers, and Dawson Creek. The project is funded through the Community Development Institute (CDI) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
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Dawson Creek, June 2008
Photo: Laurel Van De Keere |
The goal of the first phase of the study (2007/2008) was to interview
immigrants and service providers in order to identify barriers and
opportunities for attracting and retaining newcomers, and to enable
service providers to increase their capacity to work with diverse
immigrant populations.
Following from these findings, the second stage of the
project was aimed at better understanding the experiences and the needs of
migrants who utilize immigrant and refugee services (including foreign brides,
skilled workers (low and high), and immigrants entering the region through faith
based networks) in the communities of Prince George, Fort St. John, Terrace,
Dawson Creek, and Smithers.
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Pine Pass, June 2008
Photo: Laurel Van De Keere |
Women, Migration, and Marriage
The goal of the current stage of the study (2008/2009) is to better understand the experiences and needs of foreign brides, skilled workers, and immigrants arriving to the region though faith-based networks. Working in partnership with the Immigrant & Multicultural Services Society (IMSS) of Prince George, the research team travelled to various communities to interview members of this population between June and October 2008.
As part of the second phase of this project, the research team embarked on a focused exploration of the marriage migration phenomenon, which brings many women to northern British Columbia outside of the regular family or labour migration channels. Subsequently, the goal of our current phase of research (2009) is to explore such hidden avenues of migration by providing migrant women, specifically women who have arrived as live-in caregivers, foreign brides, mail-order brides and/or internet brides, with the opportunity to express their experiences of marriage and migration, as well as their perception of living in a northern, rural, non-metropolitan environment, through photography, utilizing a community-based participatory research (CBPR) technique called Photovoice.
Photovoice is a community
based participatory research (CBPR) tool that allows participants to
give voice
to their experiences by taking photographs. Photography can be a very
valuable,
powerful method of obtaining qualitative information, experiences, and
most of
all, personal photographs allow the participants’ perspectives and
experiences
to be heard and recognized. Additionally, photographs can be used as a
catalyst
to engage participants (typically those with less power) and
policy-makers
(those typically with more power) in group dialogue for social change.
Therefore, this Photovoice project will provide a forum
for discussion amongst immigrant women and community members regarding
the participants' perceptions of the communities of Prince George, Fort
St. John, and Dawson Creek.
The research team is currently conducting fieldwork for the Photovoice project in
Prince George, Dawson Creek, and Fort St. John between the months of June and October
2009. If you would like more information about this stage of
study, or if you are interested in being interviewed, please take a
look at the 2009 Project Pamphlet.
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Research Team outside Fort St. John, June 2007
Photo: Katie McCallum |
