Giving newcomers a voice.
Stories from Newcomers to Canada’s forthcoming book, Geographies of the Heart brings together newcomer stories from around the province in an edited volume which will be of interest to Adult Educators, settlement practitioners, newcomers, and the general public.
The voices that have created this book and project come from many different walks of life. They came to Canada as privately sponsored refugees, government-assisted refugees, refugee claimants, international students, and economic immigrants.
These stories challenge us all to think differently and more deeply about the contemporary Canadian immigration landscape. Bringing together a diverse array of newcomer voices, each narrative shares compelling, first-hand experiences of coming to and living in Canada.
The writing component of this project began in February, 2020. We had two meetings before Covid-19 hit in March, and we moved online. As a result, most of the writing process has taken place remotely via zoom, and the community has met regularly over this platform throughout the year.
The stories from this community of newcomers represent the multiplicity and complexity of experiences that are often ignored in narratives of immigration and forced migration to Canada. Understanding a range of experiences is especially important in a media landscape which continues to struggle against presenting one single narrative as “the” story of immigration. They challenge narratives around what it means to be Canadian and a newcomer, and what diversity means today.