MOSAIC’s award-winning Moving Ahead program held its annual open house on November 9th. Approximately 90 people were in attendance and guests included stakeholders, clients, and others from the community, including Peter Julian, MP for Burnaby New Westminster who spoke about the value of MOSAIC’s work with newcomers.
Clients of Moving Ahead assisted with the event by preparing various kinds of delightful multicultural snacks. A very special Ethiopian/Eritrean Coffee Ceremony was held and it was demonstrated by one of the clients from that culture.
The Moving Ahead program uses collaborative case management and community service approaches to deliver comprehensive, holistic and client- centered programming to immigrants and refugees who face multiple barriers in their settlement. Clients learn to deal with challenges, gain life skills, learn about Canadian culture and access to community support and services through the program.
It began as a pilot project (called Stepping Ahead) in 2007, and has provided intensive case-management services for approximately 1,760 newcomers since its inception. The program received recognition from the federal immigration ministry as a “best practice for settlement services”, and the combination of one-to-one assistance, customized workshops and group sessions earned the Soma Ganesian Spirit of Hope Award in 2012. The federal government adopted the program in 2014, renamed it as Moving Ahead and began funding it nationally across the country.
For more information about our Moving Ahead program, please visit mosaicbc.org/moving-ahead.
