Grey skies and a little bit of drizzle on Thursday was not going to put a damper on the second annual SWIS Community Day Celebration in Barrie's north end.
Members of the YMCA of Simcoe Muskoka Settlement Worker In School (SWIS) team hosted the event, designed to cater specifically to new immigrants, celebrate diversity and promote community integration, outside the East Bayfield Community Centre on Aug. 24.
Organizers anticipated the event — which featured a variety of different community organizations, ranging from Dress for Success and the Barrie Public Library to Barrie Transit and local emergency services — would draw upwards of 300 people.
While at the Livingstone Street East facility, visitors had the opportunity to participate in a variety of games, attend informative sessions that offered valuable insights into local resources, programs and services to assist them in their settlement journey, as well as to meet fellow newcomers and community leaders.
Naina Sharma, who's a case manager for SWIS, said the day was an event "by the community for the community.”
“When newcomers come to Simcoe County, it’s very hard for them to figure out the different services," she told BarrieToday. "Today, we brought all the services to one location, so they know what to look for when they first join the community and to raise their children here in Simcoe County. It’s a one-stop shop for everything a newcomer needs when they first walk in.
“When we are meeting different newcomers, they are coming with all different kinds of traumas," Sharma added. "Some people have traumas with the police officers back home, so this is bringing the friendly side of police. Not every country operates the same way, so we are just showing them the way Canada works."
Carolina Majalhaes and her five-year-old daughter, Alice, came to Canada two years ago from Brazil, first landing in Sudbury for her husband’s work before making Barrie their home last year.
Although Majalhaes says she was lucky enough to have help navigating the ins and outs of her new country, thanks to her husband’s company, not everyone has that available to them. So an event like the one held Thursday can go a long way in building a newcomer’s confidence, she added.
“You do not know the traffic — how to get from one point to another point, the health (care), and especially for events and places to go (with) kids in my case. It’s so important to know what the city has to offer," Majalhaes told BarrieToday.
Sharma said trying to get your bearings in a new country, and city, can be overwhelming for many people. An event like the one held Thursday can help piece together that "puzzle" about what services are available in the community. It can also be less intimidating in this kind of fun and low-key environment.
"The idea behind starting this event last year was to bring the services to one spot," she added. "When (newcomers) come to our offices and we guide them, it sometimes just doesn’t make sense. So we bring them all together and it’s easier on them to find the services."
