It makes me proud to be a Canadian. There are about 20 sponsorship groups in Peterborough (population ~ 177,000) and another 20 in the surrounding area. They had a meeting at Trent University to share notes, talk about issues, collaborate and learn from one another. Over 400 people attended. They launched a website to share resources, to make sponsoring groups more self-sufficient and ultimately ensure the successful transition of refugees. The
website is here.
Not all Syrian refugees want to come to our strange land, but there are many with relatives already here. What was amazing is that one family, newly arrived Tuesday, asked to speak to the large group to thank them and talk about their journey. All this despite struggling with English. It bodes well for those who choose to come to Canada to find refuge.
Positive to see.
ReplyDeleteI am proud to say I am Peterborough born and bred. My entire life, we had refugees of some sort in our town. At elementary school, we had Hungarian folks. In highschool and college we had the Vietnamese boat people. Peterborough is a town that proudly helps the newcomers to succeed.
ReplyDeleteI think the majority refugees who've chosen to come to Canada will do very well here. They've made a hard choice as Canada is so different from Syria but they want to succeed and so most will.
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