Nicholas Doiron  | Volunteer with the Economic and Social Council of Ottawa-Carleton (CÉSOC)
University of Ottawa student

—

“I contacted the Economic and Social Council of Ottawa-Carleton (CÉSOC ) in September 2016 thinking I’d like to help French-speaking people, but they told me that they mostly needed help with the Syrian community. So, I was matched with a family with three teenage children, close to my age.

At first, I was a bit nervous but quickly saw that they were very warm. Every week, I see them and we have discussions in English. We talk about Canadian society, I help the children with their homework and we go on family outings around the city. We talk often and we are very close, they see me as one of their sons. I learned a lot about Syria, its geography, its culture… I also learned a few words of Arabic and tried some of their traditional dishes. It’s wonderful to help, but to learn as well.

Welcoming refugees is one thing, accepting and supporting them to foster their integration is another. In Canada, we do this well.

This experience made me realise all the things that are needed for Syrians to integrate properly. We often think that the only actors are the refugees, the government and sometimes religious groups helping to set up the sponsorship. But for this adventure to be a success you need the whole community — people to help youth learn English, doctors who can speak Arabic and understand their psychological suffering and citizens who understand why refugees came here. Welcoming refugees is one thing, accepting and supporting them to foster their integration is another one. In Canada, we do this well. We must realise that we all need to make an effort for the Syrian community to truly become part of the Canadian cultural mosaic.”

—

CESOC’s Matching and/or Mentoring Service specializes in serving Ottawa’s Francophone newcomers. For more Ottawa settlement organizations that may have volunteer opportunities, visit the Refugee 613 volunteer page here. You can also find more information on volunteering with newcomers at Volunteer Ottawa.