Since its inception, the Surrey Immigrant Advisory Roundtable (IAR) has defied all the stereotypes we might have about Advisory Committees. The group was formed in 2015 to represent ‘authentic newcomer voices” in the work of Surrey Local Immigration Partnership but instead of being an ‘advisory body’ that represents different cultures, the IAR speaks to us through the language of true community engagement.

Congratulations to the Surrey Refugee Youth Team and Fraser Region Aboriginal Friendship Centre Association (FRAFCA) Indigenous Youth Group for winning a Social Innovation Award for their “innovation in youth”.

Both youth groups were recognized for their work in building solidarity between Indigenous and refugee communities through the Indigenous and Refugee Youth Intercultural Dialogues Project. The award was presented during a special reception, as part of the City of Surrey’s 4th Annual Social Innovation Summit.

Press Release:

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada released its multi-year Immigration Levels Plan on November 1, 2017. Canada will welcome:

• 310,00 new permanent residents in 2018,
• 330,00 in 2019, and,
• 340,00 in 2020.

Outlined in this plan are targets for refugee and protected person arrivals to Canada:

Category
2018
2019
2020

Protected Persons in Canada and Dependents Abroad
16,000
16,500
17,000

Government-Assisted Refugees
7,500
8,500
10,000

The Surrey Refugee Youth Team (SRYT) is expanding its membership. We are looking for volunteers to join our team.

The SRYT was established in 2017. It is a leadership group comprised on youth living in Surrey who came to Canada as refugees. It is co-chaired by four youth, who work closely with the Surrey LIP Project Team and SRYT to plan and conduct youth engagement activities and support refugee youth engagement in the Surrey LIP. For more information, visit our webpage.

Are you looking to gain volunteer work experience? Or to give back to your community? Many organizations in Surrey rely on volunteers to bring their programs and events to life. Browse through the lists below of our partners to see what opportunities they have for you! 

To find out more about these opportunities, contact each organization directly. 

(Lists are categorized by "Mainstream Organizations," "Community Services," and "Universities and Professional Organizations," with individuals organizations listed alphabetically within those categories.)

What was intended as a project to bring together Indigenous and refugee youth for intercultural exchange, celebration and community building grew into even more.

Through a series of dialogues – two dialogue circles and a traditional longhouse ceremony with Kwantlen First Nation – youth were able to safely share their individual journeys and find common ground with respect to experiences of displacement, trauma, and colonization.

These have been interesting times for the diversity debates. Last week James Damore—the former Google engineer who mapped a path to infamy via a memo to his bosses about their diversity policies, and the nature of women folks’ brains—filed a class-action suit against Google.

Options Refugee Youth Literacy Project is more than just an English class - students get to learn new vocabulary and essential skills through themes they can relate to. One of these themes is ‘Online Bullying and Peer Pressure.' With the help of RCMP Diversity Coordinator Yousef Nasimi, the Youth Literacy Project recently held a presentation and discussion on how to deal with bullies and peer pressure both online and offline.

Alexandra Neighbourhood House’s vision is a vibrant, inclusive, and caring community. We acknowledge that we live, work, and play on the unceded, occupied, ancestral and traditional lands of the Coast Salish peoples; locally the Semiahmoo First Nation.