We’re proud to feature our first Together Project #RefugeeCityBuilders: Sedra and Shahd of Elegant Art!

At just 15 and 13 years old, Sedra and Shahd are two remarkable Syrian teens in the Greater Toronto Area who have dedicated their art to helping fellow Syrian refugees.

“We know what it feels like to have to face the dark side of the world at such a young age, so we don’t want any more pain to fall upon innocent kids back home,” said Sedra. “This is where our passion comes from for our initiative, Elegant Art.”

Learn more about them here!

Why would a Welcome Group decide to extend their match past six months?

When 20-year-old Manuela learned about Together Project, little did she know that this would lead to a nine months of social connections with four volunteers who would help her settle into her new life, show her around Toronto, and become some of her first friends in Canada.

For more about this Welcome Group, check out this interview with Manuela and two of her Welcome Group members, Hanna and Jessica!

For National Volunteer Week, we’re celebrating Marwa Abboud, an Arabic interpreter in our Welcome Group Program!

When Marwa began volunteering at Together Project, she used her language skills to help refugee newcomers as an Arabic interpreter and Welcome Group volunteer.

In this video, she talks about her background as an immigrant and her personal inspirations to volunteer.

For more about Marwa, click here!

Through the support of TELUS Friendly Future Foundation, Together Project is proud to announce that we’ll be able to reach more refugee newcomer youth in Toronto, Mississauga, Ottawa, and Surrey, BC.

And to help these youth arriving to their new communities, we’re seeking more youth to volunteer with us!

Learn more about our Welcome Group Program by checking out our interviews with university students Ida, a current volunteer, and Aya, an immigrant youth!

Check out the video here!

Aya moved to Canada from China where she was a refugee after the Syrian war started. She’s a student advocate, speaker, artist, and a past refugee newcomer participant in our Welcome Group Program. Together Project matched her with a group of young women who helped her based on the priorities that she wanted to focus on.

Check out her video here!

Together Project was proud to support BAM Collective’s “Bridging the Gap Between Newcomers, Refugees, and Indigenous People” event. From the performances to the teachings to the speakers, it was a wonderful day for newcomers, refugees, Indigenous leaders, and community partners to come together!

To watch our video of the day, click here!