United Way’s Hi Neighbour initiative brought people together at an intercultural dinner
In 2020, celebrating multiculturalism is more important than ever.
Here at United Way British Columbia, we work every day to honour, discover and appreciate our multicultural communities. In celebration of Multiculturalism Day, we’re sharing how some of our friends and neighbours across the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley are making our world a better place for everyone.
“We are proud to celebrate all cultures that bring Canadian society to life,” says Kim Winchell, Senior Director, Strategy & Operations, Community Impact & Investment at United Way British Columbia.
“By connecting with community members and our partners in organizations across the region through initiatives like Hi Neighbour and our Local Love Food Hubs, we’re working to build places where people feel welcomed and cared for, a part of something bigger. By working together, sharing, creating and helping one another, especially during these challenging times, we’re building bonds of friendship and love making the fabric of our communities and neighbourhoods stronger, more vibrant and inclusive.”
Here are a few of the places you can find acts of local love happening as part of our response to COVID-19.
- Collingwood Neighbourhood House provides relief from isolation and hunger thanks to the United Way managed Safe Seniors, Strong Communities and our Local Love Food Hub. Before COVID-19, the street outside Collingwood Neighbourhood House was bustling. Inside, the space was alive with language: Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish, Tagalog, Hindi, Punjabi, Vietnamese and Japanese. During the COVID-19 crisis, it transformed into a community support space when food and loneliness both became critical issues.
- Hundreds of free meals are being delivered to people who live and work on the street overnight. Through partnership with Indigenous-owned Cedar Feast House Catering, WISH Drop-In Centre Society’s Mobile Access Project (Map) Van, the City of Vancouver and UWBC Local Love Food Hubs, we ensure everyone has access to the food they need during this health crisis.
Lil’ Geese or ḵ’émḵ’emay at the Squamish Nation’s North Vancouver Canoe Club
Our Hi Neighbour initiative is another way we express our vision for a healthy, caring and inclusive community. Take a look at what some of your friends and neighbours are doing:
- The Lil’ Geese or ḵ’émḵ’emay war canoeing program promotes a healthy lifestyle for children and youth, fosters physical and emotional strength, and teaches a powerful component of First Nations culture to the next generation.
- Sharing intercultural dinners in the Fraser Valley.
- Supporting a free, drop-in soccer program for all children at Burke Mountain’s Victoria Park.
- Connecting cultures by knitting community together in North Vancouver.
Robert Birungi coaches kids at Burke Mountains’s Victoria Park
You can celebrate Multiculturalism Day every day by being a good neighbour to everyone in your community. Here are some suggestions on how to do this during COVID-19:
- Take our Local Love Challenge (and adapt any Act of Local Love to fit within BC’s COVID-19 guidelines)
- Share your skills
- Spread kindness
- Host an intercultural dinner on zoom – complete with multicultural recipe exchange
- Check on your neighbours (you can leave a note in their mailbox)
- Attend a virtual Multiculturalism Day event
- See what’s going on across the country and share social media stories with #MulticulturalismDay
- Learn about Canada’s history and the cultural diversity; The Canadian Encyclopedia is a great place to start
June 27 is Canadian Multiculturalism Day.