CBC Mainstreet guests offer simple ways to be more welcoming to newcomers
Join CBC Radio's Diane Paquette for 'Beyond Hello' at the Keshen Goodman Library on March 8 at 7 p.m.
There is no doubt the people of Nova Scotia are friendly, but are they truly welcoming?
Immigrants "often have difficulty gaining a foothold in the province," in part because of barriers that stem from "negative attitudes and even racism when it comes to welcoming new people into our communities and hiring people 'from away,'" according to the Ivany report.
On March 8, CBC Radio's Mainstreet will be at the Keshen Goodman Library in Clayton Park for Beyond Hello — a community conversation about how Nova Scotians can be more welcoming to newcomers.
Here are three ways to be more welcoming to newcomers courtesy of CBC Mainstreet guests.
Community conversations
"We're friendly but we're not welcoming."
That's according to a fact sheet released by Nova Scotia's Office of Immigration. It's a conclusion the government came to after holding a series of community conversations across the province.
If you want to prove them wrong and are looking for ways to welcome newcomers, but aren't sure how to go about it, here are a few suggestions from CBC Mainstreet guests.
Just say hello
Sometimes just a single word can mean so much. Gerry Mills, the director of operations at the Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia thinks this word is a good place to start: Marhabaan!
Marhabaan (pronounced Mar-ha-ban) is a casual way to say hello in Arabic
"Can you just imagine standing at the grocery lineup, and somebody's in front of you, or somebody's in behind you, and you just turn around and say 'Marhabaan'?" Gillis said.
"That doesn't just mean you know a word in Arabic, it means, I've taken the time to actually learn this, and I'm going to say to you that you're welcome here."
Exercise in Empathy
"Imagine you have to leave everything that's familiar, and imagine what it would be like to face a hostile host population."
Author Anita Rau Badami says truly welcoming newcomers to the province begins with an exercise in empathy — particularly in the case of refugees, such as the ones coming from Syria, who have been the subject of suspicion in some western counties.
"When I came to Canada, I was fortunate that I had language, I knew English," she said. "In addition to just fitting in, language is power."
Badami is the author of The Hero's Walk, one of the books competing in this year's Canada Reads — this year's theme is Starting Over.
"But if I had been coming as a refugee because I was obliged to leave my land for political or economic reasons or a war ... people need to approach these newcomers with empathy and understanding," she said.
Discover their needs
Michael Li, an international student from China, advises engaging newcomers right away so you can find out what they really need.
"Four years ago, I didn't know how to help those international students even though I'm an international student," he said.
Li is the founder of the V-Care International Student Success Society — an organization that gets international students out volunteering at events in Halifax.
"I think that's the challenge for people from local communities who really want to help. But for students, they have pressure on their study and so busy.They don't know how to express their needs," he said.
Li says there is a bit of a misunderstanding between the two groups.
"For the Nova Scotia side, people trying to deliver services for them, I will say they are the greatest services but [they may not] match the real needs."