By rdnewsNOW Staff

Public Awareness Campaign

RDLIP Participates in #RefugeesWelcomeHere Campaign

Dec 17, 2021 | 2:28 PM

Red Deer Local Immigration Partnership (RDLIP) is one of several organizations across Alberta in leading the Refugees Welcome Here Campaign.

It’s described as a public awareness campaign to encourage Albertans and Red Deerians to welcome refugees. The principles of equity and non-discrimination are said to be at the heart of human rights and at the heart of this campaign.

Officials say the campaign aims to help create a welcoming and inclusive community for the arrival of Afghan refugees.

Recently, Calgary has been chosen to be the second port of entry for Afghan refugees, with about 5,000 refugees arriving in the coming months. Toronto was the first port of entry in Canada and has been receiving Afghan refugees since September of this year.

Smaller cities such as Red Deer have also started welcoming Afghan refugees into their communities in the last month.

Prevention, Access, Recovery, and Coordination

Safe Harbour officially hands over shelter keys, establishes accessible navigation hub

17h ago

lacombe and sylvan lake

December 2025 (un)employment data released for Alberta sub-regions

19h ago

21 years with WCPS

Darcy Blum appointed principal of Lacombe Outreach School

20h ago

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates there are 2.2 million Afghan refugees living in countries neighbouring Afghanistan with another 2.9 million internally displaced. Canada has pledged to resettle 40,000 Afghans.

“This campaign is a great way to build better understanding of the plight of refugees”, says Ezgi Sarioglu, Program Manager for the Red Deer Local Immigration Partnership. “This is the time to show how much of a warm and welcoming Red Deer truly is. This is also a great tie-in to our own local anti-racism campaign coming up in January of 2022.”, continued Sarioglu.

Officials describe the RDLIP as a community-based partnership aiming to create a community which openly receives newcomers (immigrants and refugees); embraces cultural diversity; strives to understand the needs of newcomers to provide access to a full range of services and participation in all aspects of society; and works to strengthen the understanding of two-way responsibility & benefit for newcomers and the broader community.