It is a Wrap!

By Gloria Makafui Dovoh, 2nd year MDP student

It is a wrap and I can safely say I have completed a big chunk of my principal deliverables for my field placement and it feels so exciting to see the light at the end of the tunnel- firstly, for my placement and secondly for the entire Masters in Development Practice program. I have looked for funding opportunities for the Ethnocultural Council of Manitoba-Stronger Together Incorporated (ECCM-ST Inc.) and written at least four grant applications.

Anti-racism campaign poster

I have also assisted with the planning of event(s), participated in several virtual meetings with different partner organizations including Social Planning Council of Winnipeg, Immigration Partnership Winnipeg (IPW), ECCM-ST Inc, Manitoba Association of Rights and Liberties, Elmwood Community Resource Centre and various anti-racism sector tables made up of representatives from not-for-profit organizations, government and academic institutions. I have also participated in other duties including; developing a debunking racist COVID-19 myths & misconceptions sheet and promoting and attending IPW’s anti-racism summer lunch and learn held at various locations.

Through my placement with IPW and ECCM-ST Inc., I have built relationships and networks that I believe will assist me on my career path. It has also provided me with exposure to know and deeply understand issues of integration and social inclusion. I can confidently say that even under this global health crisis, my placement has been excellent and the opportunities I have been privileged to receive have been tremendous. Concerning best practices and lessons learnt, I will continue to be grateful for the process and opportunities I have and look forward with a positive mind-set both professionally and personally.

Participants at a Summer Lunch & Learn event

Learning the second time

By Gloria Makafui Dovoh, 2nd year MDP student

Home office

My placement(s) have been nothing short of interesting, for which I am thankful. For my (local) second field placement, I have the opportunity of working with Immigration Partnership Winnipeg (IPW) hosted by the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg.

IPW brings collaborations at the community-level, to newcomer settlement and integration. The IPW, in turn, hosts the Ethnocultural Council of Manitoba-Stronger Together Inc. (ECCM) which is the second organization I work with. ECCM is a place where various Ethnocultural, refugee and immigrant communities' in Manitoba meet to generate collective knowledge, ideas, information, resources, strategies and inspiration to create communities where all people are valued and welcomed.

Some of my roles with both organizations have been to: 

• Apply to two major grants accruing to $53,750.
• Collaborate to plan the Multiculturalism Day Celebration on June 27, 2020. 
• Work as part of various working groups including anti-racism campaign working group for which I developed a tip sheet on the facts and myths about COVID-19 and collaboratively managed a social media campaign on Facebook and Instagram called Don’t Discriminate Manitoba (social media handle @don’tdiscriminatemb).
• Host virtual meetings and take notes.
• Volunteer to take up other roles when they come up.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I have gone through various activities; you name a fun activity…. I have attempted it (social media challenges, dance videos, dressing up to go nowhere, cooking food that I never had time to cook, sitting outside and relaxing just because there’s nowhere to go).

I would say being open-minded and thankful for the learning opportunities even in these difficult times and not always complaining have helped me a lot in these past months. As I come to the end of my studies in fulfilment of a Master’s in Development Practice-Indigenous Development, I am very grateful for growth, exposure, knowledge and opportunities that I have obtained.

Gloria at the Multiculturalism Celebration Day

The journey is long but every step counts!

By Aliraza Alidina

My placement at the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg has officially ended but the project I am working on will take a while to get completed. 

Following up on the report published by the Immigration Partnership Winnipeg in April 2015 titled “Creating inter-cultural understanding: Relationship between Urban Indigenous Communities and Immigrant and Refugee Newcomers in Winnipeg’s inner-city” authored by Muuxi Adam, I am working on a report that will outline different organizations in the settlement sector who are engaged in initiatives regarding Newcomer Indigenous relations. I am interested to know how the initiatives have been designed, what elements have been incorporated, the expected goals, challenges faced, next steps and the way forward. 

The report by Muuxi Adam – which was based on focus groups of about 88 participants from each of the Indigenous and Newcomer communities and facilitated by Jackie Hogue – included important recommendations such as the following:

• Indigenous leaders should be given a role in the orientation of newcomers, specifically in the welcoming process

• There needs to be more programs and workshops that can stimulate awareness about the cultures of both communities

• There needs to be partnerships between Indigenous serving organizations and Newcomer serving organizations

• There is a necessity to create programs that specifically cater to the youth segment

An interesting theme that has subtly emerged – though not extensively at all – from the literature on ‘Newcomer Indigenous relations’ is on the role that ‘cultural brokers’ can play in smoothly bridging relationships particularly for the youth. I first heard about this term from Dr. Jan Stewart of the Faculty of Education at the University of Winnipeg. Cultural brokers include a wide range of activities that not only facilitate interaction between different groups, but also create greater understanding. In many cases, these brokers can produce an effective change. The cultural brokers that have shown to be very effective in different parts of the world are sports and creative arts (drawings, photography, digital projects, cultural exhibitions, etc.). Through these activities youth develop self-esteem, self-advocacy skills and most importantly understanding and relating to each other in an often intimate and experiential way. 

This is an important area which I think is very relevant to the project that I am working on. In my opinion, this has not received enough attention in the literature on Newcomer/Indigenous relations. In fact, some of the good initiatives in Winnipeg do include cultural brokers (though often not acknowledged as such); however the use of cultural brokers is not much mentioned in policy recommendations. There is also some indication that some of these cultural brokers can play an important role in the healing process from an Indigenous perspective. Giving importance to ceremonies, circle talks, and interactive dialogues has a lot of potential.

There is much more that I would have loved to engage in, but it’s beyond the scope of this project. Maybe for another time! I can mention a few areas here though: international student’s orientation, citizenship tests, citizenship oath, language tests, country guide, and overseas orientation initiatives.

There is certainly a long way to go. For that reason, the conversation has to carry on.

Indigenous and Newcomer Relations: a good start!

Bi Aliraza Alidina, 1st year MDP student

Globalization, immigration, war, displacement, economic struggles … these are words that define the world we live in. There is a chain of interconnected factors – from history to contemporary politics – that have shaped what is today Canada. Interestingly, one could ask: what is it to be a Canadian? What is the essence of Canadian-ness? Just like a big chunk of the modern globe, Canada is a new country. The country is new, but the land is not. Land and its native inhabitants have always remained. The rest is a result of colonialism, settlement, and immigration. History cannot be changed. There is room to make future better, so that there is a positive trend in the history seen from the near future. For that, we will have to focus on the ‘now’! 

Winnipeg is a city with different dynamics amongst which are a large urban Aboriginal population and an ever growing newcomer population. The two communities share a lot in common: history, culture, traditions, socioeconomic challenges, etc. There lies however many barriers and misconceptions between the two. Without going into details on the reasons behind it – something I am working on in my placement project – the primary reason behind it is the lack of dialogue, positive interaction and communication. Community organizations, settlement service providers and grassroots groups can play a leading role in this regards. Through these platforms, a safe space for dialogue can be created. In this safe space, exchange can happen on diverse areas: history, culture, identity, experiences, views, beliefs and so on. These exchanges – if done in a framework of respect and understanding – can produce good results. Do such initiatives exist in Winnipeg? For sure, they do!

Event poster

I attended one such initiative titled Indigenous and Newcomer Relations which took place on June 20th, the World Refugee Day. Interestingly, the following day represented Aboriginal National Day. The event was organized by 13 Fires Winnipeg in partnership with Social Planning Council of Winnipeg, Manitoba Moon Voices, World University Service of Canada, and the Spence Neighbourhood Association.

The main component of the event – besides from the talks given by different speakers – was the relations-building activity. The attendants were made into different groups with a good mixture of newcomer, mainstream population and Indigenous. The activity consisted in engaging in serious discussions on several questions such as racism, similarities, inclusion, etc.

Group members shared their personal experiences and observations on different aspects such as stereotypes that they have been hearing about Indigenous peoples. It was interesting to hear people share about commonalities in terms of spirituality, culture, language and history.