Vietnamese Community Service Coordination Project

by Ngoc Tran Pham, Coordinator of Vietnamese Services

May 1998 saw the completion of the Vietnamese Service Review Project, which addressed the effectiveness of community services available to Vietnamese-speaking clients in the Greater Vancouver area. This project identified areas of service need, gaps in service and recommendations for bridging these gaps. In particular, the project emphasized the importance of maximizing existing resources through a coordination of services.

Since the spring of this year, seven different committees, composed of approximately sixty community members and service-providers, have been meeting on a monthly basis in order to implement recommendations for the enhancement of services. These committees are responsible for addressing the most pressing issues in employment, ESL, health, family and youth services. The strength of the committees lies in the combined expertise of front-line workers, managers and funders working towards a common vision, that of providing a blue-print for a service-delivery model that best fits the needs and profiles of Vietnamese clients.

An important part of this coordination project involves examining settlement and integration services provided to Vietnamese youth. To this end, there is a committee of service-providers devoted to youth issues. In addition, a forum for Vietnamese youth is currently being organized for September 1999, with the purpose of celebrating the strengths and abilities of Vietnamese youth. It is also an opportunity for youth to meet one another, discuss issues that they are concerned about and generate possible solutions. The information gathered from the forum will be sent to the City of Vancouver and will influence the future direction of Vietnamese youth services.

The Vietnamese Youth Forum is organized by a committee of about a dozen bright, committed and inspiring Vietnamese youth, under the guidance of the Coordinator of Vietnamese Services. It is hoped that youth will gain from the organizing process and from participating in the forum an increased sense of social responsibility and of being an agent of change with regards to matters deeply affecting their lives.