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Come From Afar
THE IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE
» Thursday 8 April 2010 | 5 pm
» The Bohemian Café, 524 Bernard Avenue
An informal afternoon hour showcasing ideas
and people in the Okanagan creative economy. Join us as experts from local organizations that serve immigrants examine the challenges they face and successes they've achieved integrating new people into Okanagan communities.
» $2 at the door. Refreshments are available at a modest cost.
» Seating is limited, please reserve yours HERE
Community Groups Discuss How Immigrants Integrate into Society
Despite all the best intentions, early Canada had a mixed record in accepting new immigrants. From the Komagatu Maru's 1914 closed door to a less-than-welcoming "none is too many" federal government attitude towards European Jewry in the 1930s, progress in this area was slow and frequently fiercely debated. Following World War Two, in response to the Hungarian Revolution, and during the more open decades after 1960, Canada has been increasingly accepting of newcomers. However, the Canadian mosaic is a constantly shifting creation and though we are all immigrants at some remove, the country still struggles with aspects of its evolving community.
Fortunately, local organizations, grassroots supporters, and the tolerance and vision of most Canadians have made this country a world model for successful assimilation of newcomers. Not that controversy and problems have evaporated, as only a casual review of the national debate discloses, but local efforts are doing many things right in an arena replete with challenge. And on the other side of the coin, Canadians are increasingly aware of the value added to this country by the cultural diversity, energy and plain hard work contributed by newcomers from all corners of the globe.
On Thursday, April 8th at 5 pm the ongoing weekly Okanagan Institute Express series at the Bohemian Café presents Come From Afar: The Immigrant Experience. Join us as experts from local organizations that serve immigrants examine the challenges they face and successes they've achieved integrating new people into Okanagan communities.
Coinciding with the federal government's recently announced revisions of the Immigration Act, the focus of this session is on challenges facing local agencies in this important area and on their key successes. Speakers from Kelowna Community Resources, Project Literacy and the Kelowna Immigrant Society will speak with authority of the Central Okanagan's successes and ongoing challenges in this important social area.
Kelowna Community Resources is a not-for-profit registered charity in operation since 1983. With two locations and 27 professional staff, it provides resources, services and products to foster self-reliance and diversity amongst its clientele. Operations include volunteer organization, crisis line, and community assistance in the areas of settlement, employment, translation, family services and adoption services. The presenters from KCR are Melanie Tijssen, who relocated from the Netherlands two years ago and is a settlement worker in the immigrant services department, and Latif Kacuri, who came to Canada ten years ago as a refuge from Kosovo. Latif has a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Kosovo and completed a Business Administration Accounting Diploma at Okanagan College. He is a Labour Market Specialist with Immigration Services.
Project Literacy Kelowna has seen its client base increase over the past five years by more than 300% due in large part to a vigorous campaign to raise the agency's profile and also as a result of a significant increase in new immigrants relocating to the Central Okanagan. Tutoring for English as a Second language has become an educational priority for the agency. Nine million Canadians aged 16 to 65 years (42%) have literacy skills below the level considered necessary to meet the demands of today's society. By 2031 that number will grow to 47% or 15 million. Project Literacy is an independent, grassroots organization working to alleviate this challenging issue one learner at a time. Volunteer tutors are needed at all times. Barb Hagan is passionate about communication and addicted to reading. One of her earliest memories is that of staking out her 'quiet corner' at a neighbourhood library in Montreal and losing herself in the written word. It is not surprising therefore that many years and books later, in 2003, she found herself volunteering as a tutor with Project Literacy. Barb was soon invited to join the staff to fill the newly created position of workplace literacy coordinator and in 2005 she accepted the board's offer to become the Executive Director. In addition to several years running her own professional technical writing business, Barb took on this challenging opportunity with an extensive background in adult education, career planning, communications, marketing, and broadcasting.
Kelowna Immigrant Society is an community service agency that assists immigrants in Kelowna and surrounding area by facilitating their inclusion and integration within the community while encouraging the maintenance of their cultural identity. The Kelowna Immigrant Society is a charitable organization operated solely by volunteers. It also strives to create public awareness on multiculturalism and cross cultural understanding through education, and participation in Canadian society.
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER ONLINE CLICK HERE
Come From Afar: The Immigrant Experience takes place at the Bohemian Café. This marks the 133rd event the Okanagan Institute has held since the Express series got underway in July 2007.
Express has played host to many Okanagan luminaries, including former deputy secretary general of Amnesty International Derek Evans, artists Lee Claremont and Gary Pearson, BC Book Award nominee Don Gayton, CBC Literary prize winner poet Harold Rhenisch, distinguished editor and author Jim Taylor, poet laureate and professor John Lent, animator and filmmaker Jim Cliffe, community activist Don Elzer, dancer David LaHay, architect Jim Meiklejohn, culinary artist and writer Heidi Noble, broadcaster Marion Barschel and many others from a wide range of creative fields.
The Okanagan Institute is a group of creative professionals that has gathered around the goal of providing events, publications and services of interest to enquiring minds in the Okanagan. We partner with individuals, organizations, institutions and businesses to achieve optimal creative and social impact.
Our mission is to ignite cultural transformation, catalyze collaborative action, build networks and foster sustainable creative enterprises. We invite the participation by all members of the creative community.
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