Renfrew-Collingwood Community News

News stories from the Renfrew-Collingwood community in East Vancouver

Category Archives: People


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Windermere students visit Ottawa with Don Davies, MP

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MP Don Davies with Windermere students Gaelan Emo (left) and June Lam in the House of Commons. Photo by Alicia Tiffin

Two Windermere students, June Lam and Gaelan Emo, were the lucky recipients of an all-expense paid trip to Ottawa from May 28 to 30, hosted by Don Davies, MP for Vancouver Kingsway. June and Gaelan won the opportunity to participate in Canada’s Parliament through the 2017 Create Your Canada contest.

Started by Don Davies in 2009, this annual contest is open to all Vancouver Kingsway students taking Grade 11 or 12 classes. Create Your Canada challenges students to propose ideas that they feel will make a better Canada, or a better world.

The winning idea is submitted by Davies to Parliament where it is drafted into federal legislation in the form of a Private Members Bill. Davies then flies the students to Ottawa to watch as he formally introduces their bill in the House of Commons.

June and Gaelan are both senior students in Windermere’s Leadership program and have been actively involved in their community. They were selected for their idea to create a tax incentive that will encourage food producers, suppliers and retailers to donate perishable food to charities.

“We both became interested in food security through Windermere’s Organic Garden, which produces food for our school cafeteria and the community,” said June.

“We discovered that 31 million pounds of food is wasted in Canada every year, but there are still many Canadians who don’t have enough to eat,” added Gaelan. “We wanted to find a way to solve both of those problems.”

The winners were treated to a jam-packed two-day tour of Parliament Hill where they visited the House of Commons, Senate, Peace Tower, Library of Parliament and Sir John A. MacDonald’s office, and attended Question Period. They also had time to tour the Supreme Court of Canada and the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec.

“I think this is an engaging and fun introduction to Parliament and a great way for youth to share their vision for our country,” said Davies. “I am proud to bring the voice of youth to our debates.”

Honourable mentions for the 2017 Create Your Canada Contest go to:

  • Nika Asgari and Ana Brinkerhoff from Sir Charles Tupper Secondary for their idea to amend the Safe Drinking Water for First Nations Act.
  • Karen Caslib and Natasha Fahbod from Windermere Secondary for their idea to ban the production and use of plastic bags.

Davies personally funds the Create Your Canada program, and no taxpayer dollars are involved.

Copyright (c) 2017 Renfrew-Collingwood Community News


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MOSAIC moves to Collingwood

MOSAIC moves to Collingwood

MOSAIC staff provide programs that address the needs of immigrants and refugees. Photo courtesy of MOSAIC

Julie had arrived from South Korea and was in Canada for a few years before connecting with MOSAIC.

Because Julie had some local connections and strong work experience from her home country, and was conversationally fluent in English, she did not initially seek out assistance from any settlement agencies.

After a couple of years spent adapting to her new community and establishing Canadian work experience via her own network within the South Korean community, Julie began seeking work in the mainstream community. She found that her qualifications earned her many interviews, but none of these resulted in a job or even a follow-up interview. Julie had lost her confidence and, in her own words, was “a little bit depressed.”

At this point, she contacted MOSAIC. At one of its group workshops, she learned successful interview strategies and tips, practised her new-found techniques with the group and received constructive feedback.

Just one week after the workshop, Julie had an interview and applied what she’d learned. She was offered a job in her desired field.

Through MOSAIC, newcomers like Julie can seek out help to find work, learn English, navigate in their new communities, and learn about Canadian culture and other factors that assist with settlement and integration to Vancouver.

The organization’s vision is to empower newcomers to fully participate in Canadian society. Their dedicated staff work with clients, volunteers, community partners and funders to provide a wide variety of programs that address the needs of immigrants and refugees.

And it’s not just newcomers like Julie that MOSAIC can help with employment-related assistance – the organization also operates the Vancouver Northeast Employment Services Centre – the Work BC office for Renfrew-Collingwood – which serves all citizens in B.C. and not just newcomers.

And now MOSAIC’s headquarters has relocated to the Collingwood community, taking up residence in the amenity space at the Wall Centre – Central Park complex (near Kingsway and Boundary) that was granted by the City of Vancouver.

“It’s a beautiful space and we’re excited to be in Collingwood, a community that has great diversity and a wonderful, family-friendly vibe,” says Dianna Lee, MOSAIC’s manager of marketing and communications.

MOSAIC was founded in 1976 to help Vancouver’s many non-English-speaking immigrants navigate the challenges they found in the city.

Since then, the organization has grown to more than 350 staff and 400 volunteers at 28 different sites across Metro Vancouver. The organization also has a thriving social enterprise, MOSAIC Interpretations and Translations Services, which is one of Canada’s leading providers in this sector.

MOSAIC offers more than 40 programs that cover every area of life, including settlement, employment, counselling and language learning, with services available in more than 30 languages. Although many of the programs are directed towards newcomers, MOSAIC’s services include conversation circles, mother’s circles, youth clubs and seniors’ programs that immigrants or citizens can participate in.

MOSAIC also provides services for temporary foreign workers and the LGBT community.

“No matter where you’re from, how old you are or what language you speak, MOSAIC can help you find what you need to live, work and become part of the community here,” says Lee. “MOSAIC will help newcomers to find the support they need.”

Copyright (c) 2017 Renfrew-Collingwood Community News


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Study Buddy Mentors needed for Big Sisters of BC Lower Mainland

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Big Sister Anna (right) attended Little Sister Olimpia’s high school graduation. The two were matched for four years and Olimpia credits her Big Sister for helping her attend post-secondary education. Photo courtesy of Big Sisters BCLM.

Big Sisters of BC Lower Mainland (Big Sisters BCLM) is in need of Study Buddy volunteers throughout the Lower Mainland, especially in Burnaby and the Tri-Cities.

The Study Buddy program is a weekly one-to-one mentoring relationship that focuses on school work. Little Sisters in this program not only improve their academics but also report a higher level of self-esteem. Take for instance, Study Buddy Anna and Little Sister Olimpia, who were matched when Olimpia was in Grade 9 and was, as she describes it, a “rebellious teenager.”

“I dropped bombs on Anna, testing her to see if she would stick around,” said Olimpia about their first year as a match. Anna stayed by her side.

“At the end of the day, Olimpia had self-perceptions that weren’t true,” said Anna. “Olimpia’s teachers and some of the other adults in her life were not supportive, viewing Olimpia as a problem kid on her way to dropping out of high school. But as I got to know her, she began to see otherwise.”

Now, Olimpia is in her first year at Langara College and is hoping to complete her degree in psychology or social work at the University of British Columbia.

“Without Anna’s influence in my life, I probably wouldn’t be going to college,” said Olimpia.

A study conducted by the Boston Consulting Group supports Olimpia’s statement, showing that adults who had a mentor as a child are more likely to volunteer, donate, complete post-secondary education and feel confident.

“Mentoring has a powerful impact,” said Brenda Gershkovitch, executive director of Big Sisters BCLM. “Research shows that students who meet regularly with their mentors are 52% less likely than their peers to skip a day of school and 37% less likely to skip a class. Plus, girls with a mentor are four times less likely than their peers to bully, fight, lie or lose their temper.”

In 2016, Big Sisters BCLM matched 775 girls in the Lower Mainland. There are currently 141 girls ready to be matched.

“We expect the number of Little Sister referrals to grow once school starts up in September,” said Gershkovitch. “Get your application in now, so we can give these girls positive mentors when they need it most.”

For more information on how to become a Study Buddy volunteer, visit www.bigsister.bc.ca/study-buddy.

Copyright (c) 2017 Renfrew-Collingwood Community News