Latest news with #multicultural
CTV News
12 hours ago
- General
- CTV News
Multicultural centre in Timmins changes its name
The Northeastern Ontario Multicultural Centre is the new name of the former Timmins Multicultural Centre, which officially launched on Friday. The Northeastern Ontario Multicultural Centre, is the new name of the former Timmins Multicultural Centre. 'We decided that we would change the name to better reflect the scope of where we serve,' said Deborah Robertson, the centre's executive director. 'We also have itinerant services in Kirkland Lake, Parry Sound and Temiskaming Shores, so we felt that it better reflected the area that we have services.' Multiculture centre The Northeastern Ontario Multicultural Centre helps newcomers settle in Timmins and area. (Lydia Chubak/CTV News) The centre has also moved downtown into the El Mar Building. Anyone born outside of Canada is welcome to drop in to inquire about services. 'We support people one-on-one, family units, we have a service specific to school-age children -- the Settlement Worker in Schools Program, as well, which is relatively new for us here in Timmins,' Robertson said. 'We organize group events. We can help orient immigrants to the area and refer them to services to help support their settlement journey.' Even though there are fewer foreign students studying in northeastern Ontario, she said the agency as a whole sees around 300 newcomers a year and the number is steadily climbing. 'Not everyone accesses our services, so I think the number is much larger than we're aware of,' said Robertson. Timmins multicultural The Northeastern Ontario Multicultural Centre helps newcomers settle in Timmins and area. (Lydia Chubak/CTV News) The Timmins Local Immigration Partnership – or LIP – is housed in the same office. LIP works to strengthen a community's capacity to welcome newcomers and improve their integration into communities. 'Everyone has to be involved, not just the newcomers, but, you know, the residents and everyone,' said Chinelo Nnoli. 'So currently we've sent out our surveys and we are collecting feedback from everyone … this feedback will help us understand what the current needs are and the most pressing needs.' Nnoli said the information will be included in LIP's next three-year strategic plan.
SBS Australia
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- SBS Australia
SBS Filipino Radio Program, Wednesday 18 June 2025
Hear from Roberto Garcia, Multicultural Development Officer at Toowoomba Regional Council, as he shares the story of Toowoomba's vibrant multicultural communities. SBS Filipino also spoke with Feli Lacorte, President of the Filipino Australian Business, Industry and Communities Council of Queensland (FABICCQ), about how Filipino skilled migrants and international students are helping address labour shortages. Australia Day Cultural Awardee Maricris Bracamonte highlights the importance of culturally safe support services in regional areas, while Agnes Cabe, President of the Filipino Communities Council of Australia (FILCCA), emphasizes the role of cultural preservation. SBS Filipino 18/06/2025 46:43 📢 Where to Catch SBS Filipino
SBS Australia
5 days ago
- Politics
- SBS Australia
Refugee players score goals and build bridges
The beautiful game - known the world over for bringing people together. It has been helping Serhii Pohrebniak find his feet... in a foreign land. Because in Ukraine, football isn't just a sport. It's a way of life. "My hobby was a lot of sports, like street sports, football, soccer, yeah, because it's very popular in Ukraine. All children, after school, go to the street and play football.' When war broke out in Ukraine, Serhii was backpacking in Sri Lanka. He hasn't returned since. He says Australia was unfamiliar to him… and a little bit frightening. "My first memory was that I was scared of snakes... to not bite me. Because all information what I read about Australia, it's a lot of snakes and spiders." While Serhii has built a life here with his wife — the trauma of war lingers. Friends and family remain in a country still under siege. "You live like two different lives. Here and in Ukraine. Because a lot of times, my mind is in Ukraine — I speak with my friends, I read the news. And it's every time, I'm here, I'm in Ukraine, I'm here, I'm in Serhii is one of more than 11 and a half thousand Ukrainians granted a visa since Russia's invasion began in 2022 — though the Australian Government's temporary humanitarian visa offer has now expired. Anne Aly is the Minister for Multiculural Affairs: "We have a humanitarian settlement program and our humanitarian settlement program is for the first years in which someone from a refugee background comes to Australia, it provides them with necessary support to start a life here in Australia including trauma-informed support where that has been necessary." And Serhii's story is just one of many being shared at the Freedom Cup. The tournament has become Western Australia's largest celebration of refugee resilience and cultural pride. Twelve teams representing countries like Afghanistan, Syria, Myanmar, Ukraine and West Papua faced off. Ally Paolino is the acting Regional Director for the Department of Home Affairs "This is one of the best parts of the job — where we can come together. It's a real celebration and collaboration across all tiers of government, service providers and community." When Serhii arrived in Australia, all he had was a blue suitcase. Now — he has a place to call home, and a community standing beside him. "It doesn't matter which passport, doesn't matter which language — I believe this world is for all the people." In a world often divided by conflict and difference… this is a celebration of unity, pride and humanity.
CBS News
13-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
In changing Bensonhurst, Asian and Jewish communities find shared ground at "Shalom Dragon"
In Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, it's not unusual to find Chinese students baking challah alongside Jewish kids before Shabbat. Asian seniors attend a fitness class steps as Jewish teens throw punches in a boxing bootcamp. All of it happens under one roof—at the Marks Jewish Community House of Bensonhurst, a century-old institution that has become a model for multicultural coexistence as the demographics of the area evolve. "It's critical that we're able to assess the needs by running focus groups, by speaking to all of our community members, by doing market research," said Julia Linetskiy, Director of Program Services at the Marks JCH. Brooklyn Councilwoman Susan Zhuang knows firsthand what happens when cultures mix in close quarters. She remembers sending her daughter to a local preschool, where most of the children came from Russian Jewish families. "I said 'Why she doesn't speak?' And then I realize she speaks Russian. Not Chinese, not English, Russian only," Zhuang recalled, laughing. "It's a fantastic way ... to become a mosaic" In May, Zhuang joined Jewish community leaders to host the second annual "Shalom Dragon" street festival—a public celebration of both Jewish and Asian cultures aimed at showcasing traditions while building something new. "It's a fantastic way not to become a melting pot in a community, to become a mosaic, when each culture can be preserved," said Alex Budnitsky, CEO and Executive Director of the Marks JCH. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, Asian Americans are the fastest-growing population in the country. In Brooklyn alone, the Asian American population grew by over 100,000 people between 2010 and 2020. In Bensonhurst, the shift has been especially dramatic: 41% of the neighborhood now identifies as Asian, compared to just 23% in 2000, according to the NYU Furman Center. "Immigrants have different backgrounds, but the needs are very similar," said Zhuang. "They need to find a job when they come here and they need make sure they have food on the table." The JCH has adapted its programs to serve this increasingly diverse population, using data from quarterly surveys to guide its offerings. From workforce training to ESL classes, the center is responding to the evolving needs of its neighborhood. "Immigrants realize that language is a key to succeed in this country. Therefore, we, the J, became one of the largest providers of adult literacy classes and workforce development in South Brooklyn," said Budnitsky. Today, the center buzzes with activity—from art classes to gymnastics to swim lessons—serving as a place not just for support, but for connection. As the legacy of community building endures at this center, it's the spirit of welcome that's becoming its strongest tradition. Have a story idea or tip in Brooklyn? Email Hannah by CLICKING HERE.
CBC
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Meet us at the London Multicultural Festival and tell us your origin story
Social Sharing Newcomers to London contribute immensely to the rich tapestry that makes this city a vibrant place to live and work. CBC London is always looking for ways to tell their stories. Below you'll find some of the articles that we've done so far. Does your family have an interesting origin story? How do you incorporate your culture into your life in London? We're interested in hearing about it. Join the CBC London team at the London Multicultural Festival on July 13 for a family-friendly event showcasing our community's diversity. We're setting up an interactive storytelling booth and we'd love to meet you there. We've also got exclusive CBC items (while supplies last, so come early). Check out this collection of stories to get a glimpse into the journeys of those who now call London home. Every day, the number on the sign outside Alireza Azizi's London, Ont., home goes up by one digit. The number represents the number of days he says he's been waiting for his Iranian parents' visitor visa applications to trudge their way through Canada's backlogged immigration system. London's Cross Cultural Learner Centre (CCLC) is hoping to start work this summer on a new apartment building in Old East Village that will be geared to newcomers. The 247-unit complex is earmarked to be built on the current site at 763-773 Dundas St., between Hewitt and Rectory streets, next to the Aeolian Hall. How a circle of London women are finding healing through this traditional Palestinian art Stitch by stitch, a woman carefully sews a deep magenta thread onto a tapestry, slowly revealing an intricate geometric design. There is chatting, and there is mint tea. But at the centre, a circle of women are gathering together to learn the traditional Palestinian art of tatreez. With affordability falling, is it time to rethink home ownership? Owning his own home is a key part of Vishal Joshi's Canadian dream. But despite his efforts to pursue higher education, save up a down payment and work hard at his career, the economics keep moving the goalposts farther away. Newly married and 31, Joshi considers London, Ont., home but had to move to Brampton to get a job as a quality control manager for a manufacturer of sinks and faucets. London's immigrants are more self-made than in other Ontario cities, report says. Meet two of them. In 2018, Ozgun Papan Kasik and her husband left behind their stable jobs, sold almost all their belongings, and embarked on an over 8,000 kilometre journey from their home country of Turkey. Now, in 2024, Kasik is one of many immigrant entrepreneurs who have earned London the distinction of having the highest proportion of self-employed immigrants of any major Ontario city. When some Canadian newcomers arrive in London, they seek out a piece of home from community groups and cultural clubs. But one newcomer family of 15 already has a sense of community by living under the same roof in their new Pond Mills home. As newcomers to London region increase, so does demand for ESL classes As Canada continues to accept thousands of newcomers every year and many make their way to the London region, the demand for English-language classes is also increasing, with a waitlist for some classes as educators struggle to keep up with demand. "I want to learn English to improve my skills, to communicate with people," said Sabna Altahir Osman Yousif, who is from Sudan and currently taking classes at the G.A. Wheable Centre. "I learn reading, writing, listening and speaking. I want to go to university to complete my studies." He came to London, Ont., as a refugee. 38 years later, he's an Order of Canada appointee A household name in London's music scene and the founder of the city's annual Sunfest music festival is among 78 recipients who have been given an appointment to the Order of Canada by Gov. General Mary Simon. Alfredo Caxaj, 64, is being recognized for his contributions to arts and culture, and for promoting and celebrating diversity, inclusion and multiculturalism in Canada. When the last drop of paint hits the bricks, David Strauzz's mural will depict a young couple side by side as they look ahead to a life together in a new country filled with hope and uncertainty. The portraits in spray paint are inspired by Strauzz's parents, who had to flee an oppressive communist regime in Czechoslovakia in 1973. At the time, David wasn't yet born and his mother was pregnant with his sister. Some businesses owners and customers are referring to London Ont.'s Argyle neighbourhood as the city's "Little India." Surrounding Fanshawe College, the east London community has become a one-stop shop for new immigrant families, along with international students.
