Zoreen volunteers with United Way Avenues of Change in Surrey.
The purpose of the camp was to bring immigrant and refugee children into a classroom setting to help them transition into school life and give them an opportunity to connect with other children. The camp incorporated activities like art, drama, cooking, sports and time at the playground. Children also got some English language tutoring to help build their confidence. “Highlights for the kids were definitely making new friends, being involved in a new activity such as yoga, and our field trip to Science World,” said Program Coordinator Aman Burm. At a graduation party, students received special participation certificates and T-shirts they designed themselves. Meantime, parents of younger children in Surrey are learning about early childhood literacy and health from a team of volunteers trained by United Way Avenues of Change in Surrey. “Peer ambassadors” meet with harder to reach families, like refugees and immigrants. The volunteers are multilingual. A unique aspect of the program is that the volunteers go out to meet the families where they already are, like parks, places of worship and libraries. The team has already met with 70 families to talk to them about healthy eating, physical activity, and how to engage young children in early chilldhood activities. Volunteers like Zoreen who is also an immigrant and knows what it’s like first settling in Canada. She likes to volunteer and to give back to her community. She has now met about 14 to 15 families. DIVERSECITY Community Resources Society is a partner on the project as is Fraser Health and Surrey Libraries. “Community development happens at the grassroots level with people who are committed to improving their community,” said Jessica Forster, DIVERSECity Community Resources Society, a partner in the Peer Ambassador program. “The volunteer Peer Ambassadors are perfect models of this.” United Way British Columbia has a long history of helping refugee and immigrant families settle in the Lower Mainland. A fundraising appeal, United for Refugees, was launched late last year and helped fund the summer camp, among other programs.
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