In Summer / Fall 2023, NewToBC hosted a series of Community Dialogues that brought together newcomers and representatives from public libraries, settlement service provider organizations, and broader communities to learn about community-specific demographic information based on Census 2021 data, to showcase the lived experiences of newcomers, and to discuss barriers, gaps, opportunities, and promising practices in settlement service delivery in British Columbia communities. In total, over 800 people registered to attend thirteen dialogues that were hosted by public libraries in the Mainland / Southwest region of British Columbia and in the Central Okanagan. In evaluations, 96% of attendees indicated that the dialogues helped them gain a better understanding of current newcomer demographics and 91% indicated that they had an increased understanding of the current settlement issues facing newcomers in their communities. Downloadable PDF versions for the Community Immigrant Demographic Profiles that were highlighted at the dialogues can be found on the Immigrant Demographics by Community page on the NewToBC website.
NewToBC will plan and deliver Community Dialogues in 2026 and in 2028. Please watch this page for information on upcoming dialogues.
Emergence, Adaptation and Resilience
In February and March 2022, NewToBC organized and led nine community dialogues entitled: Emergence, Adaptation and Resilience. These were attended by nearly 400 newcomers, library representatives and community service providers. Attendees gathered to network and provide input to current immigrant settlement and integration issues, and to share and discuss service delivery innovations resulting from the COVID 19 pandemic.
Below you will find a summary of the observations, ideas, and perspectives shared by participants at each of the dialogues. The input collected at all of the dialogues has also been compiled, summarized and themed into a summary report. The information held within these summaries will be useful references for those involved in program and project planning and delivery.