Hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving weekend. We hope to see you at our AGM in a few days. Take a moment and watch the leafs fall and learn about what's happening at CultureLink. And please, forward this newsletter to your contacts as you feel appropriate. 

Culturelink's AGM 2015-2016: A  Colourful event. by Abdi Yousuf 
Culturelink has organized its 2015-2016 Annual General Meeting with a splash; hundreds of community members including Federal and Provincial politicians were on hand to deliver a message of hope, recognizing that for newcomers, navigating through the Canadian education system can be a challenge. CultureLink continues to remain relevant and responsive to the needs of the community as we align with our mission and mandate to facilitate the independence and full participation of newcomers in Toronto's diverse community. Dressed in traditional clothing, Culturelink staff and volunteers showcased favourite music, dance and food from all parts of the globe, thus earning the title "We are the World". Culturelink continues to be passionate about providing innovative services to newcomers, working tirelessly to create new programs that best respond to and address our clients' specific needs.  Learn More


Heartbreaking Choices  Worthy of a Song ! by Paul St. Clair
A mother and her son came to my office to ask what they should do because the son had lost his immigration identification.  They were already accepted by the Refugee Board and were waiting for Permanent Residence.  I informed them that first they have to report the loss to the police and then, with a police confirmation of the loss, they could contact the Immigration Department and request replacement identification. 
But this was not their main problem. The son started to ask various questions about returning to his country of origins; how could he withdraw his Convention Refugee status and return to Slovakia.  Learn More  
Recap of Recent events 
The Royal Ontario Museum invited CultureLink to join a panel at the recent OMA Conference held at the Novotel in Mississauga. The Conference this year was focused on "Diversity and Inclusion" and CultureLink's Lisa Randall joined a panel
Soulpepper, one of Canada's largest urban theatre companies, is located in the Young Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto's Distillery District. 
History of CultureLink's partnership with Soulpepper:
-       2012 - CultureLink connects with Soulpepper
A worry-free retreat at a breathtakingly beautiful lake resort, precious family and community time by the campfire, quality music education and engaging activities provided on site for your children....
WINTEGRATION: (WinterAction and SnOw much fun!)
Under the NEATwalks, CultureLink's mentorship program also organizes FREE or low cost winter activities every year generally from December to April (weather and budget permitting).  
Bike Host, CultureLink's trailblazing cycling mentorship program for newcomers to Canada, has wrapped up another successful season. 55 newcomer participants and 22 mentors were enrolled in 2016, mainly in East York and Scarborough.  learn More  
In August 2007, Central Tech was chosen as one of six high schools in Toronto that piloted the Newcomer Orientation Week (NOW) program. Twelve years later the program has evolved and now runs in two parts with an 
Fund What You Can Campaign. by Lisa Randall
CultureLink is so pleased to share the Fund What You Can Campaign. We joined with the Theatre Centre and exceeded our target of $6,000.00 reaching $6,208.00!!! These funds are exclusively for hiring a Syrian Café Assistant. Thanks so much to everyone who rallied and donated. Please share this information and if you have any questions email Zoe@theatrecentre.org. Some candidates may need assistance preparing a short resume. It's a great opportunity for one of our clients to be welcomed into a motivated Theatre community that we are working in partnership with. For more information on the campaign https://fwyc.ca/campaigns/newcomer-initiative
 Learn More 
Multicultural Club Visits the ROM.  By: Lynda Young
The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is a  museum of art, world culture and natural history in Toronto, Canada. It is one of the largest museums in North America, the largest in Canada, and attracts more than one million visitors every year. Thanks to Kids Up Front, a group of newcomer youth from Bishop Marrocco/Thomas Merton Catholic Secondary School's Multicultural Club visited the ROM and spent a wonderful afternoon there!  Learn More