Welcoming and Inclusive New West

Between 2006 and 2011, increases to the immigrant population comprised 61.3% of the total population growth in New Westminster. 

As New Westminster becomes increasingly diverse, the value of being at the forefront of inclusivity grows exponentially.  The primary goal of Welcoming and Inclusive New Westminster (New West WINs) is to work towards communities where racism is eliminated, cultural diversity is valued and celebrated, and immigrants can realize their full potential.

There are three areas that New West WINs is focusing on to achieve these goals: welcoming spaces, inclusive workplaces, and receptive communities.  Each of these focus areas serves a unique purpose and has specific objectives: 

	Objectives
Welcoming spaces	Enhance access to government and community spaces for new immigrants Foster intercultural interaction and mutual trust
Inclusive workplaces	Change attitudes and reduce systemic barriers to employment
Receptive communities	Increase community awareness and understanding of immigrant integration issues Support the development of intercultural relations and mutual trust

New West WINs is currently conducting research to find the best ways to accomplish these objectives.  If you are a recent immigrant we would like to hear from you.  Find out how you can get involved by contacting Janet Goosney, the New West WINs coordinator at janet.goosney@purposesociety.org

Check out who’s involved:

City of New Westminster: City Council, John Stark, Andréa Khan
Douglas College: Lois Taylor, Peter Wilkins
Family Services of Greater Vancouver: Maylen Crespo, Lisa Whittaker, Tulia Castellanos
Immigrant Services Society of BC : Andrea Solnes, Chris Stephenson
Lower Mainland Purpose Society: Eman Elmasri, Dawn Embree, Janet Goosney
MOSAIC: Sherman Chan, Astarte Sands
New Westminster Chamber of Commerce: Cori Lynn Germiquet
School District #40: Betina Ali
S.U.C.C.E.S.S.: Ling Chu
United Way of the Lower Mainland: Chinu Das