COSTI Immigrant Services in the spotlight

Credit to Author: Ramya Ramanathan| Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2022 01:06:09 +0000

Mario Calla, who has led the organization for 35 years, speaks about COSTI’s seven decades of helping newcomers make Canada home.

In 1952, a group of individuals came together with a dream – to provide newcomers to Canada with the basic necessities of life, and to help them become contributing members of Canadian society. The organization, initially known as the Italian Immigrant Aid Society, was founded by volunteers to help new Italian arrivals settle in Canada by connecting them with housing and jobs.

Mario Calla, COSTI’s recently retired Executive Director

From those humble beginnings, working out of a church basement, COSTI thrived as it adapted to shifts in immigration and to the needs of newcomers.

In the 1960s, this Italian organization expanded its programs to address the changing demographics of Canadian immigrants and shifting needs and has continued to do so over the decades.

“It is this adaptability and responsiveness that has seen COSTI grow over the past 70 years to an organization that employs close to 500 individuals who speak 68 different languages,” says Mario Calla, COSTI’s recently retired Executive Director, who has led the organization for 35 of those 70 years.

“Today’s services include settlement, housing, employment, English language training, refugee resettlement and mental health counselling, to name a few,” he says.

Calla came to Italy as a child and felt the difficulty of adjusting to his adopted country. He recounts how as a child he put his arm around the shoulder of a school friend only to be pushed away and be called a homophobic slur. This was hurtful and puzzling as in his culture the gesture was a common expression of friendship. He says that his first couple of years in grade school were no easier as he did not speak English and was often disciplined for trying to seek clarification of the teacher’s instructions from other Italian students.

It is through these personal experiences that Calla learned that even minor cultural differences can make newcomers feel uncertain and isolated. These experiences have stayed with him, and he has made it his personal mission to make the settlement journey for newcomers a painless and successful one.

Calla has led COSTI to adapt and offer services as immigration shifted away from Europe and towards Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. In fact, 60% of its leadership team are racialized.

The profile of immigrants is also changing. Increasingly, immigrants have post-secondary education and professional qualifications and in response, COSTI established a Centre for Internationally Trained Professionals and Tradespeople and offered bridging programs and mentoring.

As Canada’s refugee protection program expanded, COSTI established a refugee Reception Centre to house and resettle the new arrivals. This was tested when Operation Syrian Refugees required COSTI to resettle 2,200 refugees in a few months.

“This was a highlight in my career. I had to work around the clock to ensure resources were available and community supports were engaged to make the refugees’ resettlement a safe and successful one,” says Calla.

While there are many examples of successful services that COSTI has offered, Calla notes that his biggest contribution to COSTI was in sustaining a culture of service and compassion as it grew to 17 locations.

Calla contends that settlement services is all about “meeting newcomers from heart to heart, understanding their challenges and offering them solutions.”

He retires with mixed feelings. “I have found my work very fulfilling. I will especially miss the passion of my staff and the camaraderie with colleagues in the settlement field,” he says.

In 2021, COSTI joined Canadian Immigrant as a partner for the Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards. “Our holistic approach to services encourages newcomers to dream beyond their immediate needs and achieve their dreams, for both their children and themselves,” says Calla.

“COSTI is proud to be a partner of the 2022 Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards and to celebrate the achievements and success of newcomers who are the fabric of our country. In working together, we are building opportunities for Canada’s ongoing and future success today!”

The post COSTI Immigrant Services in the spotlight first appeared on Canadian Immigrant.
http://canadianimmigrant.ca/feed