New Westminster is getting prepared to put out the welcome mat to Syrian refugees who will soon be making the Royal City their home.
A standing-room-only crowd of more than 200 people gathered at a Nov. 29 townhall meeting to brainstorm on how to welcome Syrian refugees to the Royal City. MLA Judy Darcy and MP Peter Julian organized the event in response to the large number of people coming forward to offer money or household items or to volunteer their time or services.
“New Westminster is a remarkably welcoming community,” Julian said in a press release. “I was not surprised at all by the huge turnout for our townhall, and by the strong support for the refugees in our community.”
Attendees included representatives from business organizations, dental associations, the school district, the City of New Westminster, churches, immigrants’ services organizations, trade unions, the Islamic community and many individuals. One of the most poignant moments of the meeting came when a New Westminster Secondary School student spoke about his experience of being a refugee from Syria.
“There were several electrical moments that really brought everybody together. One of them was this student standing up and speaking about his own experience and what it felt like to be welcomed in New Westminster,” Darcy told the Record.“The overwhelming feeling is this is a welcoming community where we support people.”
Hearing first-hand stories fuelled people’s desire to help the Syrian refugees who will soon be arriving in the Lower Mainland, Darcy said.
“It was an amazing outpouring of support,” she said. “The meeting was so people who say they want to support refugees could find out how they could do that. There was a lot of sharing of information and people making commitments about what they are prepared to do.”
When refugees begin arriving in New West, the organizations helping them settle in the city will have a list of services they can access.
According to Darcy, some people pointed out that the refugees’ needs underline some of the challenges with supporting people in need in the community. These include finding affordable housing and providing support for ESL students and children with special needs.
“The meeting also helped us identify gaps and where we need to advocate to strengthen supports for families,” she said.
