Today is a very special day as it marks an important milestone in our organization’s history. As a grassroots community-based initiative, today, I am delighted to announce that we are officially an incorporated non-for-profit organization. While our status has changed, our work continues to be led by our community-centred vision, and driven by the needs of our community. We will continue to rely on our community members to shape and co-design the next exciting chapter of our work.
Since 2016 we have collaborated with a range of partners to deliver diverse programming. We will continue to collaborate with other like-minded agencies, to deliver impactful programs to our members. A brief note recounting our journey so far: We have organized and hosted conferences, workshops, and public forums that focused on engaging our community members on current critical issues, building their leadership capacity, and enhancing their civic participation.
We have so far successfully engaged more than 3000 immigrant and refugee students as well as other community members in our programs and activities. In 2020, our team led a transformational expansion of the organization, and moved us from being a campus-based student group initiative into being a national grassroots organization that supports immigrant and refugee students in postsecondary institutions across Canada. We launcheded the Immigrant Women National Network that aims to amplify the voices of black and racialized immigrant and refugee women, and advances their leadership capacity. Most recently, we launched the Centre for Immigrants’ Civic Engagement with the objective of mobilizing and activating the participation of newcomer and immigrant communities in civic and democratic life. We have a bold vision to educate, inspire and galvanize immigrant communities to take action for social change and impact, as well as to support them in building their capacity for self-advocacy. The centre will foster connections and promote safe spaces for inclusive dialogue, and will prioritize immigrants’ inclusion and advancement in the Canadian civic and political landscape.
In line with our vision, and our values, we will continue to tirelessly work at the intersection of migration, education, and social justice; we are committed to function as a platform to promote inclusion, equity, and racial justice for post-secondary newcomer, immigrant, and refugee students. We are dedicated to supporting and empowering this segment in their cultural transitioning, and in their social and economic integration, and civic engagement in Canadian post-secondary institutions as well as in the broader society. Our mandate continues to be the same, to provide a safe space to empower newcomer, immigrant, and refugee students to build fellowship, capacity and community through their shared lived experiences.
Sara Asalya
Founder & Executive Director
Newcomer Students’ Association
NEWCOMER STUDENTS' ASSOCIATION 