About SIAO
A non-profit community-based organization that is committed in addressing the immigration, integration, education, health, housing, social service, culture, and economic development needs of Somali Canadians and other immigrants in Canada through programs, service and advocacy.
Mission
Somali Immigrant Aid Organization (S.I.A.O) is a non-profit community-based organization that is committed in addressing the immigration, integration, education, health, housing, social service, culture, and economic development needs of Somali Canadians and other immigrants in Canada through programs, service and advocacy.
Vision & Goals
The goal of S.I.A.O is to ensure that all service users, regardless of race, gender, colour, country of origin, or length of residence in Canada have equal access to social services, education, employment, skills training and other relevant programs.
We meet the goal by providing individualized programs that are designed to meet the personal goal of the service user. These programs include: Settlement Counselling, Job Placement, English as a Second Language and literacy classes, Advocacy, Information and referral, and interpretation services for clients.
Somali Immigrant Aid Organization is dedicated to providing quality and inclusive settlement support services to newcomers.
Aims & Objectives
To provide education, counseling and other support services for immigrants and refugees in need, including language instructions, employment training, job search programs on Canadian Culture and life.
To establish, maintain and operate an employment-training center for unemployed individuals and low skilled workers.
To provide assistance to needy persons in drafting resumes, searching for employment and preparing for jobs and job interviews.
To provide counseling to individuals experiencing long-term unemployment.
To develop employment training and education programs
WE CREATE
LEADERSHIP
WE ARE PASSIONATE OF OUR
YOUTH
WE WORK CLOSELY WITH OUR
COMMUNITY
Integrity
Somali Immigrant Aid Organization provides youth between the ages of 15-29 with employment opportunities through partnerships with Canada Summer Jobs, Tropicana, and COSTI.
Honesty
Honesty is a facet of moral character that connotes positive and virtuous attributes such as integrity, truthfulness, including straightforwardness.
Diversity
An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.
Some programs and services
We are constantly challenging ourselves to make difference create ideas to operate efficiently and effectively. We meet the goal by providing individualized programs that are designed to meet the personal goal of the service.
Somali Immigrant Aid Organization’s Mental Health program provides clients with free support and implements different social assistance programs, and community services. We offer workshops and support groups in assisting clients in handling social and personal problems. Some of the services we provide include to support mental well-being:
- One-on-one, family and group counselling
- Crisis counselling
- Dealing with trauma, addiction, violence and anxiety
- Connecting to community resources
- Relationship difficulties and couples counseling
Somali Immigrant Aid Organization provides a lifeline of needed services for newcomer communities in the Greater Toronto Area. Settlement program is designed to assist immigrants and refugees in overcoming barriers specific to the newcomer, so that they can participate in social, cultural, civic and economic life in Canada.
The services strive to serve immigrants and refugees with information required to make informed decisions, language skills adequate to their settlement and integration goals and the support they need to build networks with their new communities.
In extension to our existing settlement program, SIAO has incorporated services directly targeted to newcomer youth aged 15-24 years old.
Programs are specifically tailored to assist immigrant youth with their settlement and integration process in Canada. Through this program, youth gain life skills, academic guidance, one-on-one counseling and youth centered activities that are interactive and culturally sensitive in a safe space.
Somali Immigrant Aid Organization provides youth between the ages of 15-29 with employment opportunities through partnerships with Canada Summer Jobs, Tropicana, and COSTI.
This program supports students in the opportunity to shadow staff in different program areas of immigration, mental health, employment and recreation to gain future career-related experiences. This allows for exchange of knowledge in areas of Community youth may not have explored on their own accord. We hope to encourage creative and innovative contributions from each individual student.