EXECUTIVE SUMMERY OF OCCA PROFILE

The Oromo Canadian Community Association (OCCA) is a nonprofit community association founded in September 1988 by Canadians of Oromo origin and new Oromo immigrants. The Association is committed to offering a range of activities that can be tailored to meet Immigrant Oromos’ needs. OCCA believes that Oromo community is rich in heritage culture, talent, creativity and drive and it is there to preserve and build upon that. At the same time OCCA provides more intensive service and assistance to help Oromos integrate with the Canadian Society and take advantage of the mainstream service.

The constitution of our community association is developed with founding visionaries that envisaged a well performing community association. The management offices and responsibilities listed are detail and rich in the types of services it promises to offer. According to constitution our community should have the functional units that are responsible for sponsorship & settlements, culture & art, youth & sport, social events & rally, heritage language & ESL, tutorial & after-school, career & placements, family & health education, literature, media production, human right group and outreach programs. Only few of these services are running at the moment contrary to the primary vision.

The OCCA has 11 member volunteer board which sets policy and guidelines for the operation of the Association. The board is elected from the membership of the Association at the Annual General Meeting. Decisions of the board are implemented by the executive committee of the board, the executive director and the staff of the OCCA.

COMMUNITY NEEDS ANALYSIS

The isolation of our members is the problems that our programs is intended to combat and its negative impact on family, women, children, youth, seniors and individuals with disabilities. The major component of our programs is thus, to bridge the gap between the community and mainstream services. Service will provide individuals who have found it difficult to be served by mainstream organization due to language and cultural barriers. These clients will fall within following target groups: new immigrant, visible minorities, women, youth (youth at risk) and social assistance recipients.

SERVICE MODEL

The Oromo Center is the contact point for individual assessment and referrals.

• Determining through individual counseling intervention availability in the community that clients need.
• Connecting and directing clients to appropriate employment community programs or services or interventions.
• Follow up clients’ circumstances and personal situations change and/or new intervention and services available.
• Ensure that clients implement and follow through on their action plans in collaboration with the mainstream organization.

MONITORING

· Individual cases information is recorded in clients’ file. Clients file could produce and maintained once individual counseling is conducted for further services and references.

· After each workshop participants will be asked their opinions how much they learn and their general evaluation.

· The program coordinator closely supervises and monitors all programs throughout the year.

COMUNICATION AND OUTREACH STRATAGE

Outreach will consist of, but not be limited to the following::

• Program flyer distributed to local worship places and ethnic stores.
• Distribute the multipurpose brochure that identifies the association services.
• Participation in community events such as job and information fairs.
• Information sharing with community services through community meeting and personal visits.
• Efforts will be made to work with other Toronto area community services and City of Toronto. Special attention will be given to clients who are isolated from mainstream services.