For the past thirty years, The Immigrant Welcome Center has been around to welcome newcomers to the Island.
They help settle people, find jobs, make friends, and learn about the local culture.
They also help people learn English.
Being able to talk to folks is one of the crucial skills needed to succeed in BC.
The Immigrant Centre’s LINC Classes (Language Instructions for Newcomers to Canada) are starting this September, and it’s time to get your registration in! Let your friends know too!
Classes can be taken online or in person, and are a great way to make friends, practice English and learn about your community.
In addition to their English courses, The Immigrant Centre will also host two community forums in September.
One on the 14th for Campbell River and one on the 15th for Comox Valley.
These forums aim to facilitate discussion on how our communities can be made more welcoming for all.
Liz Wootton of Human Nature Development will facilitate both forums using a tool called “Ketso.”
She’ll be asking participants key questions, and their answers will be written on “leaves” that will be placed on a felt tree to create clusters of ideas.
Ketso ensures everyone’s voice is heard, encourages dialogue between different groups of people, and makes it easy to analyze event outcomes.
They’ll examine topics such as language barriers, isolation, cultural sensitivity, and workplace inclusion.
If you’d like to be a part of either the classes, or the forums, or learn more about the Center’s services, you can head to their website or reach out directly.
Campbell River, 250-830-0171, 9 AM to 5 PM
Courtenay, 250-338-6359, 9 AM to 5 PM
North Island, 1-855-805-0171, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM
They can also help you access other government and community services, understand your rights in Canada, become a Canadian citizen and more.
