Friday, March 06, 2009

It takes a great deal of courage and hope to come to a new country and make a life: My Thoughts on ‘Immigration’ on my Call back day: Somayya Kasani


‘Believe in yourself. Get as much information as possible. The information will empower you. Seek out an agency that will empower you. Get out and network with as many different kinds of people as you can’ says my supervisor Mr. Schmuhl to his clients.

I work in ‘Welcome Centre for New Immigrants’ in Edmonton, Canada. This centre is a perfect place to welcome newcomers and celebrate diversity. The newcomers have left all they know behind for the distant hope of a bright future.

To succeed, we must make the system work better; it is not enough to have people come to our country. Equally important, we need them to be successful once they are here – to ensure that both immigrants and Canada fully benefit from the skills and talents newcomers bring. Immigrants bring with them a wealth of expertise and education and contribute enormously to Canadian society and economic well-being.

Learning to adapt to a new culture, climate and language requires a great deal of learning, and new comers fare better if they are exposed to information about Canada in multiple ways, through various sources and at different times.

My motto in life is to keep learning; because through knowledge, our lives can only get better. We should treasure what is best in our cultures because we have a lot to contribute to Canada.

It is an agency that empowers ‘New Immigrants’ by offering general settlement assistance including information, orientation, English as a second language assessments and training, interpretation or translation, and employment and referral services.

Since so much of identity comes from our work, it is important for our emotional, psychological and spiritual well-being that we choose work that excites and energizes us.

The Great Vision of the Welcome Centre For Immigrants is that every human being is unique and complex; worthy of respect and recognition - as individuals, as members of families, as members of community- and each person has the right to be treated justly and to make choices and live in safety without discrimination. Mr. Derrick Schmuhl also says that diversity is an asset for a strong and healthy society.