Adjusting to life in Jasper as a new immigrant can be difficult.
To help make the transition easier, Community and Family Services recently signed a three-year funding agreement to create a new position that will advocate for newcomers and help foster a welcoming and inclusive community.
Known as a Local Immigration Partnership (LIP), the position does not deliver services directly to newcomers. Instead the new position will support community-level research and strategic planning as well as improve accessibility and coordinate services to help immigrants settle and integrate into the community.
鈥淭he local immigration partnership is similar to the collaborative action team that brings stakeholders in the community together to address challenges to welcome newcomers to Canada,鈥� said Kathleen Waxer, director of Community and Family Services.
She said the goal is to make sure newcomers don鈥檛 become 鈥渋nvisible鈥� and that their needs are kept at the forefront of any community decisions.
鈥淚鈥檓 really happy and proud that will have this new position because it鈥檚 a project I鈥檝e been working on for three or four years,鈥� Waxer said, adding it鈥檚 another step towards fostering a welcoming and inclusive community.
The position officially begins on April 1 and will be located in the Community Outreach Services office located at 627 Patricia Street. For more information call 780-852-2100.
Paul Clarke
[email protected]
