Canada is the country where multicultural immigrant people have helped to build the country. In Canada, there are various cultural group and culture people who live and work. According to 2018 annual report of Canada, Canada has offered residency to more than 286000 newcomers in year 2017 and they are planning to reach to 340000 by 2020 (Hussen, 2018, p.44). Canadian government and other organizations help immigrants and refugees with languages training program, information about of Canadian health care and community program, refugee services, services for senior and employment services etc. There are many organizations which provide services to immigrants and refugees of Canada such as COSTI, Skill for Change, Arab Community services, African Community services, Cross-Cultural Community services Association, Ottawa Community Immigrants Services Organization (OCISO), Newcomer Centre of Peel, Polyculture Immigrant & Community Services etc. This paper will discuss about one of the articles of African Community Services of peel’s services/initiatives, how it related to Canadian rights, Act and how it relates to cultural identity.
About African Community Services of Peel Organization
The institution is non-profitable which help to settle newcomer African people in Canada. The agendas are to improve the life quality of newcomer by providing support and services. The organization was started in 1993 by community members and 1994 it was turned into non charity community organization where all services provide to newcomer are free (African Community services of Peel, 2018). They have helped newcomers in settlement process, employment, overcome language barrier, healthcare and other Canadian systems.
Services/ initiatives
The African Community Services of Peel Institution help newcomers and refugees in settling and engage into Canadian societies. They have provided different services such as settlement services, language services, senior program, youth program, social and economic services, employment services and refugee services, sponsoring group program etc.
Immigrants settlement program: the institution helps newcomers by providing specific information and education about settlement in Canada. They also helped with government application and requirements by providing appropriate knowledge about culture, language, environment. They provide information regarding accommodation, about employment, language courses, and community services and other programs.
Education and Employment support: by providing services like helping in making resume, help to look for job, and help to improve employment skills. For education, they help student in enrol in school or college, help with application process etc.
Community development program: this program helps to promote general wellbeing in African Canadian community, help to engage in activity which help to improve their health and wellness in community, help to access community information to engage in other communities and programs.
Violence Prevention: this program helps to bring down the rate of crime in African Canadian community by providing education, workshop regarding crime prevention, counselling, participation in volunteer activities, by providing employment services.
Mental Health and wellness: this program provide awareness and education about client who are experiencing anxiety, depression. This program helps to reduce those experience by providing the information about the causes and preventive measures like providing services to newcomer, education, employment and involvement in cultural activities.
Senior support Program: the program help senior to improve physical, mental, emotional health by proving information and service which help them to involve in community programme. This will enhance the wellbeing and health in senior African Canadian population.
Other Services: other services like language programme to overcome the language barrier, helping women and children by providing information to settle, education, employment, community programme, workshop on women health and social skill, child development workshop, youth development programme such as young African achiever club, youth art and heritage programme, youth leadership programme, summer activities, Christmas activities, cultural event programme etc.
African community service of Peel helps African people to get the just and equal Canada according to Charter Rights and Freedom, Ontario Human Right Code and Multiculturalism Act. African community services of Peel help to follow their religion and belief, they also help to get freedom in thoughts, put their ideas into world and share in social media. This institution helps their people to give equal rights in participate in voting system, help them to get status in Canada in any province and help with legal rights such as help in security of person. The African Community services of Peel help to get equal status and rights according to Charter of rights and freedom. About language, African community services of Peel help people to learn English so they get equal rights and privileges in community, help to get right for their children get their education in English or French language, protect the right of women and families through activities and information, help in employment offences, help to reduce racism other crime relate to ethnic. They are providing help to get accommodation and job which include in Ontario Human Right Code.
The African community service of Peel provide equal treatment according to Ontario Human Right Code. They are giving equal services and facilities such as employment facilities, help to settle newcomers, help with disability people and senior people to get just and equal rights. The institution helps women and children against violence and abuse, help to follow their religion and beliefs.
According to the Multiculturalism Act of Canada, every person can protect their cultural value, belief and heritage and follow their religion in Canadian society, participate in any other culture, religious activities and belief, receive equal treatment and protection under law and respect culture diversity. According to Act it helps to build social, economical, by respecting multiculturalism, communication an interaction with other culture people, use and preserve official languages English and French, equal opportunity in employment, activities and program which in respect to multiculturalism of Canada (Canadian Multiculturalism Act, 2020). The African community services of Peel help to get to those rights to make equal and just right Canada. As this institution guide people to follow their religious, belief and respect others cultural value and belief through various a programs and activities, by providing help in learning official languages, help to participate in other cultural activities, help to get status in workplace so they get involve in Canadian societies and make equal and just right multicultural Canada.
To Round it off, with their Services and initiative African community service of Peel institution help to make just and equal Canada through flowing the rights and codes of Multiculturalism Act, Ontario Human Rights, Charters Rights and Freedom.
Impact African community services of Peel on culture and cultural identity of African people
Culture is everything that we make our lifestyle to our societies. Culture is not something we possess it something that we are immersed in and continue follow it. Culture include religion, belief, food, clothing, symbols, values, language etc. Culture Identity is the way we define and see ourselves. The different elements of cultural identity are nationality, ethnicity, gender, class, cast which help to identify ourselves. The cultural identity which is shaped by someone’ culture. By having a same language use to communicate in group shows cultural identity, by following similar cultural belief and values show a group as a culture. So, Cultural identity help to reflect our own culture and identity has a huge impact on culture.
As a personal example, we follow a religion called Hindu which have its own value and belief, tradition etc. This characteristic of religion will not change in different parts of worlds and that shows our identity as Hindu. Another example would be language as we speak Hindi language as a main language which show our cultural identity that impact on our culture. Some other example would be nationality and ethnicity, clothing, food etc. These cultural identities which have high influence on our culture.
The services/imitative which is provided by African community services of Peel have impacts on their culture and cultural identity. As this organization help support African people in multicultural country and help to server their cultural identify and they help to follow their cultural value and belief in other country. They encourage to speak their language in their culture community to show their cultural identify, protect cultural heritages. By arranging cultural programme and activity help to follow their cultural identify. By providing community information and chances in volunteer community program, social work, community gardening activities help to keep their cultural identity alive in other country. By engaging children and youth in their cultural activity help to understand the importance of cultural and their identities such programme are Youth and community engagement activities, mentoring program, summer camp, History month event etc.
In summary, African community services of Peel serves people to improve their quality of life by providing information and support to settle in Canada. This organization help their community to follow and maintain cultural values, beliefs and identify in Multicultural Canada and help to make just and equal Canada.