PVLIP connects cultures and communities during annual celebration

The region's ever-increasing diversity was celebrated Thursday at PVLIP'S annual Connecting Cultures & Communities event, held for the first time in Altona. The Local Immigration Partnership connects the voices of the Pembina Valley to identify and reduce barriers facing newcomers and to create communities where everyone can feel welcomed and belong.

Attendees enjoyed an array of music by newcomers to the area and feasted on a Filipino buffet supper. The evening was also a chance for program coordinator, Elaine Burton-Saindon, to share a few highlights from the past year. The biggest of which, she noted, were diversity workshops that focused on their Connecting Cultures & Communities Guide and Toolkit, also released in the last year.

Local band, Alter Limits, performed at the celebration

"That process helped us get more exposure in the community and get more awareness around what we need to do to help us, I guess, interact better. Some people just maybe don't know how to talk to somebody who has English as a second language," said Burton-Saindon. "That was one main feature of our year that kind of caught us by surprise. We didn't expect it get as busy as it did. We did almost 70 workshops, so we were really surprised as how busy that became."

2023 also saw the non-profit organization finally set up a permanent office in Altona, located at The Exchange. Burton-Saindon says having part-time staffer open the office three days a week has made a huge difference in how PVLIP can continue to engage with the local audience. 

"We can certainly be an opportunity to connect people to resources if they are newcomers. We don't do direct services to newcomers, but we can at least hear their story and understand their journey and then see what they might need or where we can refer them to others," said Burton-Saindon. "But at the same time, they can also join us as a volunteer and help us understand what their opinion might be to help us share that with our community leaders. Then, we can implement change when we get all those voices together."

Thursday's celebration was also a chance to unveil PVLIP's new set of five-year priorities, and have attendees offer their thoughts on how to fulfil them. Those priorities are to improve belonging for newcomers, seek out newcomer voices, foster inclusion and improve access to services. 

"This year, we're going to start accessing communities, introducing the concepts to them and then establish action teams who can then work on a strategy that works best for them," noted Burton-Saindon. 

PVLIP serves 15 municipalities in the Pembina Valley with a population of over 62,000 people. As well, 147 countries and 64 mother tongues are represented within that catchment.