Frempon Bafi-Yeboa   Recreation and Community Development Officer | City of Ottawa

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“We had the opportunity to visit 50 Syrian families at the apartment complex where they lived. It was to inform them about programs offered the city. I remember pulling into the parking lot and thinking that I moved to Canada 27 years ago and now I have the opportunity to help newcomers to Canada.  It was a great feeling.

I still get emotional about it.

The City has so many programs to offer, such as: soccer, swimming and dance. Fortunately, I had someone on staff that spoke Arabic, and we brought translated enrollment forms with us. This made the process easier for the parents. We registered over 50 participants in programs that day.  It was a very rewarding experience for all of us.

When the children started participating in the programs; the language barrier became very apparent. The Catholic Centre for Immigrants helped us find a young man, also a Syrian newcomer, who spoke English and Arabic who was able act as a translator. He later participated in the ‘I Love to Mentor Program’ and became one of our paid program leaders.  A few months later, CCI mentioned to me, that the young man had just received his first paycheque. To me that was a significant moment. This was a Syrian newcomer who had recently come to Canada and who had already obtained his first job as a result of our collective effort. He’s helping people from his own community and helping Canadians in general. I still get emotional about it.”

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The “I Love To…” program of the City of Ottawa’s Parks and Recreational Service provided free recreational programming for children who would otherwise not have access to organized activities such as soccer, swimming, and dance.