Happy City St. John's holds second annual Neighbourhood Summit
For those who want to get more involved with their community and build a stronger neighborhood, it's sometimes difficult to know where to start.
That's why Happy City St. John's is hoping their Neighborhood Summit will help to make more welcoming and inclusive neighbourhoods for all.
Jen Crowe, the chair of the not-for-profit group that focuses on civic engagement, says the experience of moving to a new neighbourhood can be daunting for anyone.
"We want to acknowledge that a lot of those constraints and challenges that folks face, are the same no matter where they're coming from," Crowe said.
"It's trying to engage and be a part of what is often a really insular community here in St. John's."
The summit, now in its second year, took place at the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing and Homelessness Network in St. John's and held panel discussions on topics like how to hold neighbourhood events and how to with the city and province to get permits.
But welcoming newcomers was a theme that ran through all the topics discussed at the summit. A panel titled, Welcoming and Including Newcomers dealt with it directly.
Tilak Chawan was one of the speakers on that panel. Chawan is an honoree of the Royal Bank of Canada Top 25 Immigrants Award. Chawan spent 20 years as a refugee in other countries before becoming a permanent resident of Canada.
He now considers Canada his home, and knows how important it is to feel like you belong. Now, he's helping fellow immigrants through his work with the Association for New Canadians.
Chawan says building a better community is a worthy goal, but it takes passion and commitment.
"It doesn't come with a little effort, it has to be through the passion they have," Chawan said. "How passionate they are to support newcomers to their community."
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