NEWCOMER WOMAN’S SERVICES TORONTO (NEW) PARTNERS WITH YORK UNIVERSITY AND THE COMMUNITY MUSIC SCHOOLS OF TORONTO TO DELIVER ART-BASED PROGRAMS
TORONTO (ONTARIO) October 24, 2022 - Newcomer Women’s Services Toronto (NEW) partners with York University Singing Our Stories Project and Community Music Schools of Toronto (expanding from Regent Park School of Music) to create an inclusive space for newcomer children and youth to engage with music.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with York University and the Community Music Schools of Toronto to deliver such impactful programs that will support the well-being of many refugee children and youth” - Sara Asalya, NEW Executive Director
With the leadership of Dr. Andrea Emberly and funding from SSHRC RGDI (Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada Race, Gender, and Diversity Initiative) and the Helen Carswell Chair in Community Engaged Music at York University, Singing our Stories aims to deliver culturally relevant community music programs and expressive arts for wellbeing.
“We hope to support children and young people from newcomer communities to tell their own stories, in their own voices, and in their own ways. By telling their own stories, children and young people help to shape the future of our communities” - Andrea Emberly, Associate Professor Children, Childhood & Youth Program, Department of Humanities at York University
Refugee children and youth face substantial discriminatory assumptions about their experiences and lives that can serve as systemic barriers to their settlement and well-being.
This project mobilizes music to address systemic barriers for refugee children and youth. The project will amplify the voices of refugee and newcomer children and young people experiencing displacement, migration, and settlement by working in close collaboration with children and young people who are reclaiming and telling their own stories as a way to share insights into their experiences through processes of forced migration.
“By offering accessible programs with diverse newcomer facilitators, we create a welcoming environment for children and youth to learn, grow and thrive.” - Bryna Tallman, NEW Manager Programs and Special Projects.
Through the Singing Our Stories project, children and young people will build connections with their peers and confidence in their abilities. Newcomer musicians and artists will facilitate programming and offer mentorship to the participants. This collaboration between NEW, York University, and communities across the GTA takes a unique arts-empowerment approach that gives children and youth agency in their education by supporting them to engage with creative arts in their own ways to tell their own stories. NEW endeavors to achieve the focus of this project in supporting community-based music programs for equity-deserving young people from marginalized communities through creative arts- and music-based programming and networking.
About Newcomer Women’s Services Toronto
The Newcomer Women’s Services Toronto (NEW) is an award-winning not-for-profit charity organization that was founded by a group of Latin American refugees in 1983 with a vision of strong women building strong communities. A multi-service agency with operations in two Toronto locations serving 800+ Immigrants and Refugees annually. The agency was awarded a Non-profit Employer of Choice Award in 2020! The Canadian Non-profit Employer of Choice™ Awards (NEOC) recognizes organizations across Canada that have committed themselves to better business management practices to achieve their mission. With almost 40 years of operations, NEW has been providing settlement, employment, youth programs, and services, as well as English language training for newcomers and immigrants. NEW also delivers special programs focused on immigrant women empowerment, leadership and skills development, and mentorship and career advancement for immigrant and refugee women.
Press Contact:
Sara Asalya, Executive Director
Newcomer Women’s Services Toronto