Page 16 - Newcomer Centre 2025

16 Report to the Community 2024/2025
ADVOCACY AND
A TRAUMA-INFORMED
APPROACH
Advocacy and Community
Capacity Building
Many immigrants join familiar groups to find their
footing in an unfamiliar environment. For this, they
seek out homogeneous and ethnocultural groups
that vary from registered or unregistered non-profits,
grassroots organizations and youth cohorts.
Though limited in capacity, these groups offer
remarkable and intimate support services which
enhance the settlement process for newcomers. The
Newcomer Centre strengthens these organizations
through mentorship, fiscal management, operational
excellence, corporate governance and community-
based initiatives to empower communities to take
control of their own development.
At the recent Edmonton Heritage Festival we
facilitated the Myanmar community for their first
time engagement in one of the biggest multi-
cultural events in Edmonton. Our support included
planning, logistics, liaison between the Edmonton
Heritage Festival Association and other partners.
We actively engage with the Ethnocultural
Capacity Building Collaborative (ECB Collaborative)
to advocate for the needs of ethnocultural
communities and increase community programs
through other organizations such as Edmonton
Chamber of Voluntary Organization (ECVO),
REACH Edmonton, Edmonton Multicultural
Coalition (EMC) and more.
Not all newcomers walk through our doors, we
meet and serve many newcomers through allied
partnerships.