May 2010

WWWELCOMINGELCOMINGELCOMING CCCOMMUNITYOMMUNITYOMMUNITY NNNEWSEWSEWS Volume 1, Issue 7

CultureLink HOST

Volunteer Appreciation

Inside this issue:

Volunteer Appreciation 1-3

Leadership training 4

Community Champions 5

Contact us 6

to acquire our desired out-come. I felt I belonged and could now be an active participant in my commu-nity, helping it grow and unite. My special family and I have not only worked hard together and strengthened our relationship but also met our challenge. This has been an experience that neither of us will forget. We have gone beyond wel-coming each other, we have learned to communi-cate with one another, un-derstand, help, confide in and respect each other.

The theme of this year’s national

volunteer week was “volunteers build

communities.” Here at CultureLink,

our volunteers are playing a vital role

in the community by helping to give a

kind and warm welcome to many

newcomers who arrive in this city

every year.

So let us say, on behalf of everybody

at CultureLink: thank you so much!

We would not be able to do it without

you.

But perhaps the best way to show our

appreciation is to leave you with the

words of one of our volunteers who

delivered a fine speech at our April

volunteer appreciation event.

“Good evening everyone, It’s a pleasure being amongst people who under-stand the meaning, value and power of sincere friend-ship and sharing. – Friend-

ships that grow and be-come inspiring and liberat-ing. Through Eman, my Host Program Worker, Culture-Link was the first to open its arms and embrace me as a “returning Canadian”. Eman, then, with her tran-quil but gravitating aura and simile introduced me to a family which she envi-sioned me growing with. Here, my special family and I were given the opportu-nity to engage in a shared commitment. We defined our goal and sought to-gether through mutual respect and understanding

There is one thing I do know, I will continue to grow with my “special fam-ily” and this “special organi-zation” because I aspire to sustain the vision and mis-sion CultureLink has paved for this community. I whole-heartedly thank everyone at CultureLink for organizing this pleasant eve-ning in honour of its volun-teers. I wish you all a de-lightful evening. With respect, compassion and commitment to your vision. “ Amalia Koutakos Host Volunteer

Adam Grabowski

Page 2 Volume 1, Issue 7

Maureen Macleod (Picture 3) has been volunteering with CultureLink since 2005.

Her efforts in supporting the newcomers were great. Her patience, kindness, and

support to our participants was a very important stepping stone for them.

Dianna James (Picture 4) has been volunteering with CultureLink since 2002. She

has helped lots of newcomers (11 families), either at the ECC or in one- on- one

help. Her dedication has always amazed us. Dianna has worked with almost our

entire Host worker team volunteering at many ECCs. Her support to the newcom-

ers always comes from her heart and simply hearing her talking about her new-

comer matches as if they are part of her family, makes you feel it.

Vicki McCuddin (Picture 8) has been volunteering with us since February 2003.

Her dedication and support to the newcomers stands out. From preparing and fa-

cilitating workshops to creating materials for the English Converstation Circle, she

has helped many newcomers overcome some of their problems. She always takes

initiative and demonstrates strong leadership.

Nicole McKenzie (Picture 9) A dedicated, thoughtful and compassionate volunteer,

Nicole joined CultureLink in October 2009. During the short six months period, she

volunteered for the English Conversation Circle and has been matched twice. The

participants in the group and in the match speak highly of her.

Valerie Taylor (Picture 1) has been volunteering with us since April 2005. Val is a

dedicated volunteer who became a friend and part of a family to some of our Host

newcomers. She went a step ahead to help with career choices, linking newcomers

to their new jobs and empowering them to continue with their education.

Outstanding volunteers:

from top down to left 1. Valerie Taylor , 2. Dobrivoje Cvetinovich, 3. Mau-

reen Macleod , 4. Dianna James, 5. Cai Hua , 6. Amelia Koutakos, 7. Jo-

hanne McCreath, 8. Vicki McCuddin and 9. Nicole McKenzie

Volunteer Special Recognition…. Cheri DiNovo, MPP Parkdale-High Park and CultureLink Welcoming Community Champion presents recognition certificate to Host outstanding volunteers.

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Volunteer Appreciation ….. PicturesVolunteer Appreciation ….. Pictures 1. MPP Cheri DiNovo with Rubeen Chauhan the MC of the evening from Host Program,

2. & 3. Polish Music Group ‘ Male Harnasie’ 4 . Refreshments, 5. From left Val Taylor , Host volun-

teer, Dolora Leka, Host Program Counsellor and Fei Tang, Host Manager, 6. Yao Futian ,Pianist

Page 3 Volume 1, Issue 7

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Photos by Adam Grabowski

Page 4 Volume 1, Issue 7

with the workshops. Here’s what

some participates say about the

training:

“organized, informative, en-

gaging, comfortable space and

humor...very useful as the whole

workshop (series) is thematic” “All

were interesting modules filled

with good info”; “Keep up the

good work”

Participants also identified

that they would like to have more

time, explore more hands-on ap-

proaches and would like the work-

shops to reflect more of settle-

ment workers’ perspective.

April 19, 2010 a work-shop on Community Leader-

ship has wrapped up our first Change Agent for Welcoming Communities (CAWC) train-

ing series. 20 Host Volunteers

and staff members from com-munity partner agencies have completed all three CAWC workshops. The workshops

are Principles of Building Wel-coming Communities, Com-munication Across Differences

and Leadership for Commu-nity Building, listed according to the sequence of the training

series.

This is a very dynamic

group of which close to 70% par-

ticipants who are currently work-

ing as service providers to new-

comers. These participants have

dedicated nine after-work hours

and a lot of enthusiasm into this

co-learning and knowledge shar-

ing experiences. A certificate for

completion is given to them to

acknowledge their participation.

We hope their readiness to make

more positive social changes have

been improved by this training

series.

In the final anonymous

evaluation, almost all participant

reported positive experiences

Our first Agents of Change graduated… By Fei Tang

Volume 1, Issue 7 Page 5

Introducing CultureLink’s New Welcoming Community Champions

Prior to immigrating to Canada in 2004,

Sandeep Dhiman had a successful career

as a Marketing manager for a Global

Chemicals manufacturer. He moved to

Canada with his wife to pursue his MBA

at the Richard Ivey School of Business in

London Ontario.

Absorbing a new culture, convincing the

world of ‘pre-Canada’ qualifications, and

the gruelling journey of carving a success-

ful career all over again – all of these

were the hurdles Sandeep had to over-

come in his initial years in Canada.

Today Sandeep Dhiman is a Senior Man-

ager with one of Canada’s major banks

and wants to share some of his experi-

ences with those new immigrants who

are seeking guidance on the transition to

Canada.

To learn more about Sandeep Dhiman,

visit http://ca.linkedin.com/in/

sandeepdhiman

Dr. Usha George is the Dean in the Faculty of

Community Services at Ryerson University

and the former Associate Dean and faculty

member in the Faculty of Social Work at the

University of Toronto. She holds a Ph.D. in

Sociology from Ahmadu Bello University in

Nigeria, an M.A. in Sociology from Loyola Uni-

versity of Chicago, and an M.A. in Sociology, a

B.Sc. in Chemistry, and a B.Ed. from the Uni-

versity of Kerala, India.

Dr. George was instrumental in developing

the Anti-racism, Multiculturalism and Native

Issues (AMNI) Initiative at the Faculty of Social

Work at U of T, which is a comprehensive

approach to embracing diversity in the organ-

izational functioning of the Faculty.

She works in partnership with several commu-

nity agencies on research and knowledge

transfer activities, and has worked closely with

a number of government agencies.

To learn more about Dr. Usha George visit

http://www.ryerson.ca/fcs/about/directory/

george.html

Sandeep Dhiman Dr. Usha George

Fei Tang

Host Program Manager, Newsletter Supervisor

Barbora Gomezova

Host Program Counsellor, Newsletter Coordinator

Marie Margis

Host Program Outreach Worker, Newsletter Editor

Eman El Atawy

Host Program Counsellor, Case and Volunteer Management

Rakesh Bhardwaj

Community Engagement and Resource Specialist

Amalia Koutakos

Host Volunteer

http://www.culturelink.net

CultureLink

2340 Dundas Street West, Suite 301

Toronto, ON M6P 4A9

Phone: 416-588-6288

Fax: 416-588-2435

CultureLink HOST CultureLink is a settlement agency located at Bloor

and Dundas West in downtown Toronto. For

twenty-one years, we have upheld our mission:

CultureLink is dedicated to facilitating the inde-

pendence and full participation of newcomers in

Toronto’s diverse community. CultureLink works

within an anti-discriminatory framework to ensure

a respectful, safe and inclusive environment.

We hope you have enjoyed our CultureLink Host

Newsletter!

Know someone who wants to join

Culturelink’s Host Community?

Have them sign up!

Volunteers, Newcomers

Fill out our online Regis-

tration form, at:

CONTRIBUTORS

HOST Program

is funded by:

Special thanks to Adam Grabowski for his

photographic coverage of CultureLink Host

Volunteer Appreciation