Ignite hosts the first-ever ‘Newcomer Summit’
So, you’ve found your new home in New Brunswick’s Capital Region. Now what?
In the last five years, more than 30,000 newcomers, not including international students, immigrant entrepreneurs, and temporary workers have settled in New Brunswick. This also excludes Canadians moving from other provinces. Whether you’re new to the country or new to the province, you may be one of those thousands of newcomers trying to navigate settling into your new home.
Ignite is aiming to make this transition as seamless and stress-free as possible with our first annual Newcomer Summit. This exciting event will gather together newcomers, government agencies, and support organizations in one room to foster connections and present information.
“[The summit] is something I’m very proud of and we should all be very proud of it as a region, as it will be very helpful for newcomers to settle and integrate into the community,” said Doyin Somorin, Manager of Integration and Retention at Ignite.
Somorin, along with the Workforce Development team, understand the complexities and excitements of building a new home away from home; planning the ‘Newcomer Summit’ will engage immigrants, stakeholders, and government in networking opportunities, tradeshows, and live success stories from newcomers that have previously navigated similar pathways and overcoming obstacles that attendees might relate to.
The Summit will take place on August 10th, at the Fredericton Convention Center from 3:30 pm to 7 pm. It will provide an opportunity for newcomers in the Capital and Western Valley region to be introduced to various resources and support organizations to help them successfully navigate their journey. Some of those organizations include Opportunities NB, the Multicultural Association of Fredericton, post-secondary institutions, and many other entities. All gathered to contribute to the discussion on how to keep supporting newcomers in the region.
“We intend to bring the services closer to newcomers, helping them understand the support systems available and feel integrated into the new community they call home,” said Nausheen Ali, Director of the Workforce Development team at Ignite.
Ali recalls her experiences with newcomers throughout her career; and the hardships she has witnessed them go through due to the inaccessibility of information and resources. With the ‘Newcomer Summit’, she expects to address the information gaps and mitigate the initial challenges newcomers face when attempting to settle in a new community.
If you are a newcomer in the Capital and Western Valley region, don’t hesitate to attend Ignite’s ‘Newcomer Summit’. This event will introduce you to all the necessary tools and connections to succeed in the Capital Region. Don’t miss this opportunity, register today!