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Welcoming new Delta residents through art

New exhibit celebrates diversity and inclusiveness
Welcoming Communities
Mariam Arif, Delta Welcoming Communities Program coordinator, said the three upcoming events are about promoting diversity and welcoming newcomers to the community.

A trio of events slated for different venues in Delta is aimed at promoting and celebrating art and diversity.

The Delta Welcoming Communities Program is inviting all residents to an exhibition that combines art, inspiring stories and diversity all under one roof.

The event is designed to explore the diversity in Delta, celebrate culture, belonging to the land, the immigration experience and the idea of welcoming newcomers to the community - all through art.

The Delta Welcoming Communities Program is managed by Progressive Intercultural Community Services in partnership with Deltassist and other locally based agencies.

The goal of the program is to help Delta's newcomers get to know their new home and feel like they are part of their community, and to provide feedback for employers and service providers to better understand what newcomers face when they arrive. Coordinator Mariam Arif says the program, which started in March and is funded by both the provincial and federal governments, strives to promote inclusiveness, community and diversity as well as create a welcoming environment for immigrants and newcomers to support their successful integration in their new communities.

"The program has had great response from the community," she says, adding both newcomers and established residents have embraced the initiative.

"We believe that immigrants not only benefit from, but also give a very important contribution to the communities they settle in. As a result, newcomers' settlement process should be a two-way integration - it is not solely the responsibilities of immigrants to adapt to a new country. Receiving communities too have a role in facilitate the transition to life in Canada," she says.

"As part of our program, we are promoting a dialogue with the general public about what it means to be a welcoming community, what role do each one of us have and what does it mean to respect and celebrate different cultures in our community."

Since its inception earlier this year, the program, which is offered in many other municipalities in the province, has held events aimed at bringing new and long-term residents together to socialize and learn more about the community.

The first Delta Welcoming Communities Art Exhibition is set for this Saturday at the North Delta Fire Hall Centre for the Arts, 11489-84th Ave., from 6 to 8 p.m. The free event includes live entertainment and refreshments.

Two more art exhibits are scheduled for Ladner and Tsawwassen next month.

One will be at the Ladner Pioneer Library from Sept. 17 to 22 with an opening reception on Sept. 19 from 6 to 8 p.m. It will then move to the Tsawwassen Library from Sept. 30 until Oct. 5. There will be a reception for the Tsawwassen exhibit on Oct. 3 from 6 to 8 p.m. The group is still looking for artists to display their work as part of the exhibit. Works should explore the themes of diversity, inclusion, welcoming to newcomers and co-existence of diverse cultures.

For more information, or to submit a piece of art, contact Gurpreet Kaur at 604-594-3455 gurpreet.kaur@pics.bc.ca.