Charlottetown newcomers group promoting friendship walks

The PEI Association forNewcomers to Canada is using two feet and a heartbeat to make new immigrants feel welcomed in the community.

Every Friday until the weather turns too cold, they are hosting what they call a friendship walk in Charlottetown,explainedNancyClement, the community outreach coordinator.

"It's kind of an extension of something we did through the winter, which was Friday friendship hour, and that was at different restaurants around town, we kind of rotated between different restaurants," Clement explained.

"Basically anyone was invited, but the focus was to get newcomers, fairly recent to the Islandtogether with established Islanders, and that was really successful and we figured, well for the spring, summer, fall, let's take that idea outdoors."

Clement saidit`s more about the friendship than the walking, because building a sense of community is a key part of getting newcomers to stay where they land.

"It's easy to meet somebody and just say hello on the street as you pass," she said. "Islanders tend to be very friendly and do that a lot, which is great, but to actually have a more in-depth conversation."

The numbers Friday night were low, but Clement saidthey are growing,often having more thana dozen people join in.

Connections being made

They have been going on for the past three weeks, and she said she has seen real and important connections forming.

"Someone who lived in Stratford and was on one of these walks, and I just asked him if he liked gardening," Clement said. "Now he's got a community plot out in Stratford and he invited a neighbour of his to the community garden so there's a bit of a trickle down effect.

"Another example is someone who is in the same field as another newcomer and she ended up contacting her with information about a potential job opportunity."

Newcomer Ali Saidat experienced the same thing.He has made a few friends in the program, which he explained helps bridge a tough gap.

"I think for most immigrants it's like that," he said "They probably come here with a family, it could be two or three people or maybe four or sometimes they are alone and they don't know anyone here at first, so I think this program is really nice.

It's not just beneficial to the newcomers, Saidat pointedout.

Islanders benefit too

"It's a good opportunity for them, for Islanders to become familiar about immigrants," he said. "Where they're coming from, what they used to do in their homeland, and why they come here, why they moved to P.E.I.

"I think it's a good communication, I think it's a good opportunity to stay involved with Islanders and Islanders with newcomers and make a better community here together."

Clement saidthat`s a big part of the idea of the program.

"We're just trying to let people have that perspective of people joining our society and enriching it," he said.

The walks start at 5 p.m. each Friday at the Victoria Park boardwalk in front of Government House.

They may eventually take on some out-of-town walks too, so Clement is asking participantsto give hercontact information.

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