Tuesday, 13 July 2010 19:00 | 
Written by New to the Sault
Growth Still Needed to Create a Welcoming Community in SSM
In response to the unfortunate events which occurred on June 18, 2010 involving two Algoma University Students, Robert Totime and Travis Syrette, NEW TO THE SAULT wishes to express their support to both students, in hopes they receive the closure from the incident they are looking for.
As a program of the Sault Community Career Centre, NEW TO THE SAULT delivers settlement services to Newcomers and Immigrants to Sault Ste. Marie. NEW TO THE SAULT works closely with the International Student Department at Algoma University, providing orientation sessions to new international students as well as being a community liaison for Algoma University’s WUSC (World University Service of Canada) Student Refugee Program.
The staff of the Sault Community Career Centre are committed to creating and participating in initiatives that support inclusion and anti-racism within the community. Sault Ste. Marie will continue to adapt, learn and grow into being a fully inclusive, welcoming community.
Multicultural events, training and other initiatives that are organized locally assist our community by increasing cultural awareness and celebrate the diverse cultures present in Sault Ste. Marie. There are numerous newcomers who on countless occasions have commented on how welcoming the people of Sault St. Marie have been.
It was only this past Spring, where training aimed at “Creating a Welcoming Community and Workplace Diversity” was provided to internal staff and employment service providers in the community. The Sault Community Career Centre arranged for Anti-Oppression and Cross-Cultural trainers to come to Sault Ste. Marie and facilitate various workshops for front-line staff. The workshops focused on issues of discrimination and racism in working with the public, as well as strategies to affect change.
The training, the first of its kind to be provided to front-line non-profit service providers, may serve to benefit staff within other areas of social services in the community.
In response to the recent events, Unity and Diversity Sault Ste. Marie in partnership with NEW TO THE SAULT and Algoma Multicultural Centre, wishes to launch a letter writing campaign to garner the community’s response to the unfortunate incident that occurred. We are inviting all individuals to send a letter with their thoughts on the events to Unity and Diversity Sault Ste. Marie along with any supportive suggestions to engage our community in celebrating each person’s uniqueness and accept our differences as gifts to our community. More details to follow.
Totime and Syrette CBC News Interview - Click Here.
To learn more about the profiles of many countries around the world, including things like family life, food and spirituality, view the Cultural Profiles Project.