We are conscious of the linguistic and cultural difficulties encountered by our clientele and of their need for technical and moral support. Thus, Casa C.A.F.I. offers a variety of means of intervention and services adapted to the specific needs of immigrants.

Reception and settlement services . Workshops Languages

Reception and settlement services:

• Receiving and helping clients in need of support.
  
  
• Accompanying of the client by the staff and volunteers of Casa C.A.F.I.
  
• Orienting and referring of the clients to resources, services and programs offered to the general public by public institutions specializing in each situation.
  
  
• Giving technical assistance in completing forms, translating of legal documents and interpreting documents coming from public institutions, government, etc.
  
• Providing phone mediation and interpretation to clarify or solve crisis situations of the clients.
  
  
• Informing clients regarding the legal aspects of immigration and protection of individual rights concerning the laws and procedures of immigrant status.
  
• Help in finding work and housing.
  

Workshops:

• Support groups for parents

  Weekly meetings are offered in Spanish to the parents in which they can discuss their preoccupations and difficulties related to the education of their children.
  A series of meetings between parents and specialists is also offered, during which a number of themes are tackled: culture shock, child development, the links between family and school, violence in schools, the phenomenon of "taxage", adolescent crisis, etc.

• Support in mathematics

  Together with participating schools and to prevent school drop out, Casa C.A.F.I. offers supplementary courses of primary and secondary school children needing help in mathematics.

• The link between parents, children and school

  Together with participating schools that have welcoming classes, Casa C.A.F.I. offers the services of a liaison officer to better the relationships between family, children, school and the community. These services allow parents to break their isolation regarding their knowledge of the school system and the education of their children. The services also facilitate the relations between professors, parents and children.
  A series of meetings between parents and specialists is also offered during the school year, during which a number of themes are tackled, including: the parental role in Quebec society, Quebec's school system and culture shock.

• The "Tout-Petits" program for children of the cultural communities

  Three times a year, Casa C.A.F.I. offers a series of 16 meetings of 3 hours each in Spanish. During these meetings with parents and children, a specialist presents a number of activities thought-out to stimulate emotionally, physically, intellectually, socially and cognitivelly children of 0 to 5 years of age. Parents' orientation is of great importance in this program.

• The Y'APP program (Y'a personne de parfait = Nobody is perfect)

  Casa C.A.F.I. presents a series of group meetings for Hispanic parents during which they can discuss topics such as: the body and health of children, child development and behaviour, the parental role and child security.

• The parental competency

  A series of group meetings for Hispanic parents with the purpose to better the communication between these parents and their teenagers. The workshops allow the parents to learn more about adolescence and the search of identity of immigrant youth. Their search for identity is often increased by their cultural duality. Moreover, this program's goal is to prevent intergenerational and intercultural conflicts that often burst out with immigration.

• The parental competency for youth and young parents
  of the cultural communities

  This series of group meetings for youth aged 15 to 29 years aims to develop effective tools of communication and methods of conflict resolution that will permit the participants to better the quality of their relations with their children and future children. Moreover, this program aims to counter the reproduction of pre-established relations between parents and children, thus preventing the clashes that tend to appear with adolescence.

• The Elderly

  A space of six hours a week is offered to help, motivate, inform and entertain the Hispanic elderly.
  

Languages:

• The linguistic and cultural exchange

  This group exchange brings Spanish speaking, French speaking and English speaking participants to establish friendship bonds and practice their knowledge of one or more of these three languages. The participants can learn about the immigrants' lives, while the newcomers can learn more about Québécois society. Thus, they can all share their mutual cultural wealth.