On Friday, January 8, 2016 from 7 – 9 p.m., the Refugee Sponsorship Committee hosted a neighbourhood meeting to learn more about our family, Syrian and Kurdish culture, the geography of the area and the current situation in Syria. We are preparing to welcome our Kurdish family of four from Al Qamishli in the northeast part of Syria: mom and dad, both teachers and their two little girls – 4 months and 2 1/2 years old to our False Creek Community.
More than 100 people attended the event, including many friends and neighbours who are volunteering and contributing to this project in large and small ways. Our guest speaker was Mustafa Ahman, Settlement Worker at MOSAIC. With him were John Dubé, MOSAIC Senior Manager Settlement Programs, Tala Khoshkalam and Serwa Fathulla from Kurdish House, and Andara Ahmad, a Youth Settlement Worker from the Vancouver School Board.
As participants entered the room, they were asked to share their origins on flipcharts. Here are the results demonstrating our widespread ancestry: WHERE IS YOUR FAMILY FROM.
Attendees write their country of origin on flipcharts
Participants were then divided into two groups and while one group worked in pairs on the hopes and dreams for the refugee family, the other group worked in pairs on the hopes and concerns of our community. Hopes and Fears Activity shows some of the results of these discussions.
Our guests presented a slideshow on Kurdish history, geography and culture, and told stories of their own experiences: Kurdish Culture PowerPoint Slides.
We learn about Kurdish culture
There followed a Question and Answer session where attendees asked about the presentation and brought their questions about the family and their arrival: FCSNA-Syria-101-QA.
To close the evening, Christopher Levenson read a very moving poem entitled ‘Home’: Home
Thanks to our wonderful guests and all the volunteers who helped to make the evening such a success!