Cultural Exchange and Support Initiative
NMC-CESI is a passionate group of Toronto students who’ve created a vibrant downtown hub for young newcomers. Our mission is to cultivate a positive, laid-back environment for newcomers in Canada to meet people, make connections, and spark new opportunities.
The backbone of NMC-CESI is our Language & Cultural Exchange Workshop. This weekly program uses NMC’s unique linguistic & cultural resources to help newcomer youth improve their English, connect to Canadian society, and familiarize themselves with Canadian classroom culture—all while helping Canadian students improve their Arabic skills!
Language & culture are intertwined and go together, hand in hand—and as such, we believe that meaningful exchanges extend beyond the scope of language training.
That’s why we organize cultural awareness events on a regular basis: to enable newcomers to share Canadian cultural experiences alongside our volunteers. These field trips and activities have ranged from indigenous eco-tours, to regional landmarks, theatre performances, and museum tours at both the Aga Khan and the ROM.
Continue reading “Cultural events”We are also passionate about raising ongoing awareness about the crisis in Syria and the Middle East, as well as understanding the global reaction to these issues. And as such, we organize public facing events do discuss with leading scholars, researchers and the community some of the most pressing issues!
Continue reading “Public events”Remembering Mohamad Elyasi: A dear friend and dedicated volunteer
The NMC-CESI family is heartbroken to learn of the death of our beloved friend Mohamad Elyasi in the crash of Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752, near Tehran. A longtime member of our community and a dedicated volunteer, Mohamad will always be remembered for his indescribable kindness, warmth and sincerity; for always helping people however he could. There will be a moment of silence held for Mohamad and the other 176 passengers at our event on Saturday January 11th at The Cat’s Eye (Victoria College)- University of Toronto. Our deepest condolences to his family and friends during this difficult time.
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