Reception House Partnership with Collège Boréal to Deliver French Language Services to Newly Arrived Francophone Refugees
January, 2024 – Waterloo
Reception House Waterloo Region and Collège Boréal signed a Memorandum of Understanding to deliver French language services to newly arrived Francophone refugees. Collaboration between the two organizations enhances existing services such as needs assessment, orientation and information sharing, case management and employment services. Both organizations acknowledge the financial support of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
“This marks a significant milestone in Reception House’s long history of providing services to Government Assisted Refugees. Today, we are taking a further step in becoming a bilingual organization. As we continue to welcome refugees into our community, we aim to ensure that all our resettlement and settlement services are available in both official languages. Together, we are building an inclusive, diverse, and welcoming community,” said Babur Mawladin, CEO of Reception House Waterloo Region.
Collège Boréal’s immigration program was expanded to Waterloo Region in 2020 to help fill a gap in services for immigrants, particularly French-speaking newcomers. Since then, Collège Boréal has provided settlement services to Francophone newcomers and offered French language training (CLIC) to interested refugees and permanent residents.
Abdoulaye Sako, Regional Manager of Collège Boréal stated that they are pleased to formalize this partnership. “The spirit of this agreement is to enable both parties to fulfill their respective mandates as agencies serving newcomer refugees in the Waterloo Region. The common goal is for French-speaking refugees newly arrived in Waterloo Region to have a sense of belonging to their new community.”
“Reception House is pleased to enter this agreement with Collège Boréal as it will allow us to better serve French-speaking newcomers and provide all newcomer refugees with a greater ability to resettle in French, should they choose,” said Emma Jennings, Manager of Resettlement and Housing.
Bashir Shahbaz, Manager of Settlement, and Integration Programs adds that, “This vital partnership will provide both organizations with the opportunity to work collaboratively, share best practices and deliver quality settlement support to Francophone refugees.”
For those interested in settling in French-speaking communities in Canada, we encourage you to explore the resources available on the IRCC website, including information about immigrating to Francophone communities outside Quebec. For more information kindly check IRCC website: Immigrating to a Francophone Community Outside Quebec – Canada.ca. You can also check College Boreal website: https://collegeboreal.ca/en/service/immigration-and-integration-services/
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