Welcoming New Canadians, The Mission Experience from Ian Low on Vimeo.
Mission Community Services Society (MCSS) has embarked on a Welcoming Communities project funded by the provincial and federal governments, to explore the perceptions of immigrants settling in Mission.One in seven people living in Mission is from another country.MCSS produced a comprehensive information package, complete with a 12-minute film featuring interviews with new Mission residents from around the world who talked about their experiences and how Mission can be more welcoming to immigrants.Two hundred and fifty packages titled "Welcoming New Canadians: The Mission Experience" are now being distributed to businesses, schools, service clubs and stakeholder groups to create awareness on the state of local immigration."Awareness of Mission programs is key to making the settlement transition as smooth as possible for newcomers," said Rick Rake, coordinator for the Mission Welcoming Communities initiative."With this information package, if someone asks influencers in the community about settlement programs in Mission, we want to ensure the answer: 'I don't know' won't be necessary," said Rake.Work on a new, federally funded Welcoming Communities project is expected to be launched in 2014 at MCSS in an effort to continue the drive to create awareness and inspire others to make Mission's immigration experience "the best it's ever been."