Together Project
Blog
Photo: Sarah Bodri

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Newcomers and volunteers working together to build more welcoming communities.

Interview with Brittany Lavery – Welcome Group Volunteer

“It can feel very overwhelming when you hear negative news,” said Welcome Group volunteer Brittany Lavery.

“It’s easy to think you can’t do anything about it. But you can do small things and small things can make big changes. Thinking globally and acting locally is, I think, the best way that people can make change. This is definitely the best thing that I’ve ever done.”

For more of Brittany’s experience as a volunteer, click below!

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Interview with Mohammed Ahmed – Welcome Group Volunteer

“Within my community and at work, I encourage people to volunteer to help newcomers settle and integrate,” said Welcome Group volunteer Mohammed Ahmed.

“I talk about how rewarding my volunteer work has been and I try to inspire others to welcome newcomers to Canada. My advice is to see the whole experience as a learning opportunity.

When people come from another part of the world, they have something to share with you. You can learn a lot from them. You will need to be patient, learn to be a good listener and a problem solver. There is nothing to lose by making this effort to welcome someone to Canada but there is a lot to gain.”

For more of Mohammed’s story, click the link below!

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Together Project at International Conference of Best Practices in Refugee Protection

Did you know that Turkey currently hosts 4 million refugees– the highest number of refugees in any country worldwide?

Last week, locally-based community organizations gathered in Ankara, Turkey at “Meet, Share, Inspire: International Conference of Good Practices on Refugee Protection.”

Together Project Co-Director, Anna Hill, shared our approach to fostering social connections to support refugee integration.

Learn more here.

Zein Hindawi on Volunteering with a Together Project Welcome Group

“During my time with the Welcome Group, I started off thinking about the impact I hoped to make on the lives of this newcomer family,” said volunteer Zein Hindawi.

“What I did not expect was how my life was about to be transformed after getting to know this incredibly intelligent, brave and compassionate family in return.

This has been one of the most inspirational experiences I have ever been a part of. I truly encourage everyone to volunteer their time because if you come into it with an open heart and an open mind, you will truly receive as much as you give.”

For more of Zein’s story, click the link below!

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Together Project Receives a Vital Ideas and Leadership grant from the Toronto Foundation

Together Project is honoured to receive a Vital Ideas and Leadership grant from the Toronto Foundation.

Our Refugee Social Capital Accelerator initiative will allow us to deepen the impact of our Welcome Group model through further social capital research, building off of the Toronto Foundation’s Toronto Social Capital Study 2018.

As well, we will develop and formalize relevant curriculum for volunteer training, and strengthen our evaluation and reporting mechanisms.

Welcome Group Program Selected as a “Promising Practice” by Pathways to Prosperity

Together Project’s Welcome Group Program has been selected as a “Promising Practice” by the Pathways to Prosperity Project.

To learn more about the program, download the Welcome Group brief and check out the video interview with Together Project’s co-directors here.