What can we do to connect cultures and communities?
1. Guide & Toolkit
Download and use the full Connecting Cultures & Communities – Guide & Toolkit!
2. Videos
Watch the videos featuring stories and tips from newcomers, employers, and community leaders the Pembina Valley.
3. Workshops
As part of the ongoing work of building welcoming and inclusive communities, PVLIP & Regional Connections Immigrant Services offer community and employer workshops to develop awareness, build knowledge, and grow competence. We have developed three workshops from the toolkit content which are available to organizations in the Pembina Valley. These workshops will soon be available in video format.
4. Apply Your Knowledge
- Become an ally for someone who needs your support to overcome discrimination in the community or at work.
- Embrace the changes you see around you at work, at the grocery store, in restaurants, in the community.
- Share your new awareness, understanding, and appreciation for a multicultural society that values diverse cultures, ethnicities, and faiths.
- Volunteer to help a newcomer individual or family – when you get to know someone new and hear about their journey you begin to care about their experience and the experience of others.
5. Share
Show-off the “good stuff” in your community!
6. Spread the Word
Tell your friends, family, co-workers, and neighbours about this Guide & Toolkit and video series!
7. Window Decal
Contact us for a window decal to display in your business, on your car window, etc., to show your commitment to participating in building communities where everyone has a sense of belonging.
8. Social Media
Keep up with the latest tips from PVLIP by following us on social media:
9. Access Community Resources
Take advantage of the many useful resources available throughout the community to help newcomers connect with settlement services and build a welcoming and inclusive community.
10. Cultural Competence
Commit to cultural competence as an organization, individual, and community:
● Provide workplace bias/intercultural training.
● Ensure proper compensation that is based on experience.
● Invest in meaningful cross-cultural relationships.
● Be willing to listen.
● Evaluate where you stand.
● Create a psychologically safe environment.
● Prioritize cultural competence learning and work on your leadership team.
● Have an ethical hiring process that ensures opportunities are readily available to all.
● Learn about yourself – explore your own historical roots, beliefs, and values; discover the role culture plays in your life.
● Learn about different cultures.
● Learn a different language.
● Interact with diverse groups; create a diverse group if one is not available.
● Attend diversity-focused workshops, conferences, etc.
● Ask for training/exposure at work (or school).
● Share your knowledge, such as gardening and preserving practices, access to community gardens, etc.
a) Ensure that community services are accessible by all, considering barriers such as language and transportation.
b) Provide culturally relevant and appropriate foods at grocery stores and food banks:
● Halal (Muslim)
● Kosher (Jewish)
● Vegan
● Accessibility of oils and spices
● Accessibility of starches (pasta, rice, potatoes)
c) Provide accessible Community Centres & supports:
● Affordable fees
● Nonpartisan/non-religious/open to all
● Increased availability of faith-based places of worship