New Brunswickers who move from elsewhere in the province to the capital region may find it temporarily inconvenient to familiarize themselves with the goods, services, and opportunities available to them in a new region.
But for those new to Canada, for whom English and French are not first languages, the prospect of settling in here can be downright daunting.
Thatâs why the Anglophone West School District (ASD-W) joined other regional organizations on Wednesday, Aug. 10, to participate in Ignite Frederictonâs first Capital Region Newcomer Summit.
The summit, held at the Fredericton Convention Centre, was created to connect newcomers with local programs and services that will help them succeed in the Fredericton area, and in Canada in general.
âAn economy is stronger when itâs diverse,â said Ignite Fredericton Marketing & Communications Manager Paula Lehr. âIf organizations and associations make the effort to be welcoming and help those new to our communities navigate the landscape and access the services offered, we will see higher retention and growth.â
ASD-W was one of several educational organizations in attendance to familiarize newcomers with educational services.
âWe saw this as an opportunity to connect with families, other partners, and to learn firsthand some of the challenges and opportunities experienced by those moving to Fredericton,â said ASD-W Director of Curriculum & Instruction Dianne Kay. âIt was an opportunity to share information about ASD-W, the ASD-W Newcomer Support Centre, and the resources and services available.â
The ASD-W Newcomer Support Centre aims to help transition newcomers and international families to school in our district.
Said Tegan Taylor, K-12 EAL Subject Coordinator & International Student Liaison: âSomething I’m proud ofâand have worked a lot on this past yearâhas been our on-site registrations with MCAF [Multicultural Association of Fredericton].â
âOur Admissions Officer works with MCAF SWIS [Settlement Workers in Schools] to arrange the registrations, and they’re all on-site either at MCAF or the Days Inn,â Taylor said.
This arrangement has been good logistically âsince the families don’t need to find transportation to the welcome center and we can meet some of our highest-needs students face to face,â she said.
The number of newcomer students justifies the districtâs efforts. International student registrations jumped to 1080 in the 2022-2023 school year, after increasing steadily from 534 in 2017, the year the Newcomer Support Centre opened.
âThe event was a win-win,â said Kay. âAn opportunity for newcomers to network with us, and for us as a partner group to also network and learn from newcomers.â
In addition to representatives from ASD-W and various other local agencies and organizations, summit participants heard from both local officials and newcomers who have found success in the region.
Ignite Frederictonâs Manager of Immigration & Retention, Doyin Somorin, arrived in the region in 2016 from Nigeria: âI got the right integration advice such as workforce support, settlement information, skills training, and professional networking opportunitiesâfrom Ignite, MCAF, WorkingNB, and other immigrant-serving agenciesâto ease my integration journey, which helped me to quickly find my footing and contribute positively to my new community.â
“I must commend the Ignite team for making the summit happen,” said Saa Andrew Gbongbor, Chief Creative Officer of Battle of the Arts NB, a Fredericton-based arts organization.
Gbongbor arrived in Fredericton 19 years ago as a refugee from this native Sierra Leone. “Transitioning was not easy, so we must keep creating and amplifying initiatives that support the well-being of newcomers to grow educationally, economically, and socially, as we all now call NB Home,” he said.
The City of Fredericton is committed to doing just that, Fredericton Mayor Kate Rogers told the audience. âWe will do whatever we can to make you feel supported and part of this community.â