Why helping newcomers embrace winter is a key piece of welcoming them to Canada

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Regina teacher Dennie Fornwald has no problem getting her elementary school students ready to head outside to enjoy winter, but their parents are sometimes more skeptical. Many of them have recently arrived from warmer climates.

"Some families are concerned about their kids being outside in cold weather," said Dennie Fornwald, a Regina teacher. "I wanted to reassure them that it is a good idea for kids to play outside, even in winter."

Is there evidence to help Fornwald make her plea more convincing?

"My question is, how can I prove that it's good for kids to play outside in winter?" she asked the new CBC podcast Good Question, Saskatchewan.

Matt Kwan, Canada Research Chair in youth mental health and performance at Brock University, said there is ample evidence that being outside is good for you, even in winter.

"At the end of the day, I think in Canada we need to really embrace the seasonality that we have and the variations in weather," he said.

Kwan suggested finding activities that you enjoy in winter like skiing, skating, or tobogganing can make it feel worth it to get outside and move.

It's not always easy. Cynthia Hernandez moved to Saskatoon from Mexico 10 years ago and remembers how difficult it was to adapt to the new temperatures. She remembers asking herself what she was doing here.

"I didn't know how to get outside," Hernandez said.

"I remember I used to cry waiting for the bus the first couple of years."

WATCH|How a Sask. newcomer learned to embrace the winter weather:

How a Sask. newcomer learned to embrace the winter weather

10 months ago

Duration 2:40

Cynthia Hernandez moved to Saskatoon from Mexico 10 years ago and remembers how difficult it was to adapt to the new temperatures. Now she loves snowshoeing, cycling and cross-country skiing. Hernandez is one of the many voices in the CBC podcast Good Question, Saskatchewan. The podcast takes on the question 'how do I prove to people it's good to be outside in winter?' in its latest episode.

An estimated 30,000 people moved to Saskatchewan last year. A lot came from warmer climates like India, the Philippines and Nigeria. Some were fleeing conflicts in Afghanistan and Syria.

Victoria Flores, communications manager for Regina Open Door Society, an organization that helps newcomers settle, said it's hard no matter which country you move from, but it's even harder if you didn't choose to come to Saskatchewan.

"The weather plays such a huge part in our lives for half the year," she said.

Making people feel welcome and helping them adapt to their new climate can make the transition to Saskatchewan easier, she said.

Flores said Open Door tries to make sure newcomers, especially those without big families or communities, have people who can show them the winter ropes.

LISTEN|How do I prove to people it's good to be outside in winter?

14:25How do I prove to people its good to be outside in winter?

If you grew up where its hot year round, getting used to winter can be tough. We get some tips from a Mexican-Canadian who has found minus temperatures are really a plus.

Kwan said more research is needed on how to support families that arrive from warmer climates.

"We're currently working on and trying to develop programs that can better develop their physical literacy, and hopefully from that be able to be, again, more capable to try out different outdoor winter activities."

Flores, who is originally from Bolivia, has come to love the colder months. She said she makes sure to get out for a bike ride every single day.

Hernandez also found a way to appreciate winter, and spreads her love of snowshoeing, cycling and cross-country skiing with anyone who expresses an interest in the outdoors.

She knows how much patience and empathy it takes to support people who have just arrived.

"I always want to be Mexican, but at the same time I want to embrace where I am," Hernandez said. "It becomes a nice balance between the two things."

Both Flores and Hernandez said getting outside when it's cold has made all the difference in their mental health and overall wellbeing.

"It can take you out of the winter blues," said Flores. "It gives you a different perspective of the weather in the winter.

"It wasn't like that when I first moved here. It was definitely not like that."

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