Mount Allison students lend expertise to Halifax Refugee Clinic
2012-07-18 14:54:31
A Mount Allison University sociology class saw its hard work bear fruit last weekend when the Halifax Refugee Clinic opened a used clothing boutique, Section 96, in downtown Halifax.
The clinic was exploring the option of starting a social enterprise in its downtown Halifax storefront location at 1581 Grafton St. to provide a steady funding source. It also wanted to provide refugees with some Canadian work experience and create a drop-in and community advocacy centre for refugee rights.
San Patten, professor for the course Sociology of Non-Profit Organizations, decided to have her 13 students develop a business plan for the clinic as a group project for the course.
“The business plan was developed to provide the Halifax Refugee Clinic with a strategic plan for their social enterprise, including financial requirements, potential funding sources, and a proposed budget,” she says. “The students also looked at what equipment and space was required, did a market analysis, and examined human resources issues.”
Patten says the course is designed to give students an understanding of the role of social organizations in creating change. Among other things, it explores the management challenges in non-profits, their internal operations, strategic planning, relationships with the funding community, interactions with government, and the effective use of human resources.
“By doing the background work for this business plan, students had a first hand look at all these challenges,” she says. “I am really proud of their efforts and I know that the clinic was impressed by their work.”
Julie Champagne, the executive director of the Halifax Refugee Clinic, was happy with the results.
“The plan is excellent and has many ideas that were examined closely and thoroughly,” she says. “It will be very helpful to us and particularly to Laura, our co-ordinator, as she sets up the operation and applies for grants.”
The Halifax Refugee Clinic provides a diverse range of services to refugees including housing, employment, and medical and psychological support, often needed because of the physical and psychological scars inflicted from torture and other abuse. They are the only organization in Nova Scotia to offer these services to refugees.
The boutique’s name, Section 96, comes from the section in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act that defines a refugee. The act provides protection to persons who are displaced, persecuted, or in danger.
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