By Kimberly Vance-Lundsbye
Over the past year, the Immigrant Settlement Services team at Cariboo-Chilcotin Partners for Literacy (CCPL) has worked with people from all over the world.
Folks from Germany, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, South Africa, China, Australia, the Philippines and United States connected with our free local services funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
Some highlights this year included a surprise tour by the owner of Desert Hills Ranch in Ashcroft for the English as a Second Language group.
I had the opportunity to work with a group of young professionals who are working hard to make the South Cariboo a permanent home this past year. There are many local businesses owned and operated by people who have come from all over the world to share their talents and inspirations with our community. Our impressive resort repertoire in the area attests to that.
Many local residents manage their health with the help of doctors or dentists who have either immigrated to Canada or are working here under a Temporary Foreign Worker permit or under the Provincial Nominee Program.
One thing all immigrants to the South Cariboo have in common is they have undergone an extensive application process to find their way here. Filling out government forms is never easy.
Understanding the terms and stipulations required is a real challenge for those with even the highest literacy skills. As many immigrants to our area speak English as a second or third language, these forms can be even more challenging.
The purpose behind the free settlement services offered through CCPL is to make this process of immigration and settlement easier for newcomers to Canada, and to deliver these services on a local level.
For Reach a Reader Day 2015 today (Jan. 29), consider those readers of multiple languages. Refer a friend or neighbour, who is new to Canada, to our programs and buy a Free Press to support and celebrate Family Literacy Week and local literacy programs.
Kimberly Vance-Lundsbye helps newcomers to Canada settle in the South Cariboo.