By Anil Varughese, Graduate Supervisor of the MPNL program.
In a new series of stories from PANL Perspectives, called “Leadership in Working with Newcomers and Youth” (below), we focus on a handful of outstanding nonprofit organizations in Canada who serve newcomers, refugees and racialized youth.
In 2023, Canada welcomed more than 470,000 permanent residents and more than 800,000 non-permanent residents (international students, temporary workers and asylum seekers). A large majority of these happen to be from racialized communities.
The nonprofit organizations featured in our series share several common themes in their vision and work. They treat newcomers as persons and not merely as claimants, clients, beneficiaries or applicants. As a result, they focus on providing holistic support and ultimately newcomer/youth empowerment. Romero House, for example, primarily provides transitional housing for refugee claimants, but also offers a range of services that go beyond shelter to include accompaniment, emotional support, community integration, legal assistance, language training, and employment assistance. Other organizations provide training and access to resources related to education, entrepreneurship, employment and social innovation, but they also dig into promoting social, cultural, emotional and psychological well-being.
These organizations adopt a community-centred approach to empowerment and well-being, offering deeply immersive support systems that help newcomers and refugees to integrate more smoothly into Canadian society. They cater their support services to the realities of marginalized communities, contextualizing tools and strategies to reflect the cultural and social environments of newcomers. For example, CEE Centre for Young Black Professionals employs a personalized, trauma-informed approach to employment training, recognizing the unique challenges Black youth face. The curriculum, tailored to Black identity, helps young people navigate the workforce while addressing barriers specific to their experience.
All organizations are also involved in advocacy. Romero House participates in policy work along with other stakeholders to push for systemic improvements in refugee support services, while Empowerment Squared focuses on long-term consistency in nonprofit funding, rather than short-term crisis aid, and the CEE Centre advocates for better integration of Black youth into the labour market and Canadian economy.
Overall, these nonprofits use a blend of community-based approaches, long-term engagement, and culturally relevant programming to develop enduring connections, skills and support. In the process, they foster a deeper sense of belonging among newcomers and marginalized youth, ensuring their long-term success and integration into Canadian society.
The first batch of stories are listed below. Please visit this page for more in the next few months.
