(CARE for Newcomers)

By Alessia Proietti and Sheldon Spackman

10 a.m. - 3 p.m.: Red Deer Museum

CARE for Newcomers hosting interactive event June 24 celebrating World Refugee Day

Jun 22, 2022 | 3:30 PM

In honor of World Refugee Day that took place on Monday, June 20, 2022, CARE for Newcomers will be hosting an event this Friday at the Red Deer Museum + Art Gallery.

“I have received so many requests from different schools, from the teachers and students. What they like to hear is how do refugees come to Canada and when they come to Canada in Red Deer, what happens? Who supports them,” said Blerta Llupi, Coordinator for Public Awareness in schools at CARE.

The organization, previously known as the Central Alberta Refugee Effort, helping immigrants and refugees in the area since 1980, says they chose not to host an event on June 20 as many of their staff were supporting Red Deer’s annual Waskasoo Seepee Traditional Pow Wow for National Indigenous People’s Day.

Instead, on June 24 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., CARE will be hosting a free walk-in event, in collaboration with Catholic Social Services (CSS) and Central Alberta Immigrant Women’s Association (CAIWA), with an overarching theme of the “right to safety: Whoever. Wherever. Whenever.”

Three rooms will be utilized in the museum for the event.

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The first room, Llupi says, will share stories of refugees and their journeys of how they came to a place of safety.

The second room will consist of short presentations by the three collaborating members and a period for questions on what services are offered to refugees. CSS are the first to welcome and accommodate refugees, helping to find housing. CAIWA works with families, particularly women and children. CARE will be discussing their work with youth in schools and English courses.

The third room will be set like a theatre with what Llupi calls a “human library”. Eight refugees, rotating in groups of four, will gather to answer questions about their experience coming to Canada. Llupi says each story is unique, some coming as refugees from Colombia, others are high school students.

Llupi says that over the last three weeks, refugees coming to Red Deer include those from Afghanistan, Jordan, and Syria, with some moving to various different refugee camps before landing in Canada.

Despite the Russian-Ukrainian war, she says most Ukrainians coming to Canada are not registered as refugees but rather as “politically displaced persons”. This title, she says, does not provide them with the same help that refugees receive in Canada and has caused some confusion among organizations as to what they are allowed to provide them with.

Coming as an immigrant herself but not a refugee, Llupi hopes the event will provide a space for people to gain insight from those going through this journey first-hand and understanding their experience.

“I would like to break a little bit the barrier that you can ask questions if someone looks different or has an accent,” she said.

The organization also posted on their social media pages the films created by Reuben Tschetter, in association with CARE, from the 2016 live performances of “Journeys of Hope”, depicting the stories of multiple refugees.

On June 23 from 6 – 8 p.m., individuals can view a public showing of the films and meet those refugees in the Maple Room at CARE for Newcomers (202 – 5000 Gaetz Ave). Free refreshments will be available.