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”Even after the holiday season, winter is a time when families are often together in a warm, cozy place, comfortable and secure. Outside of Canada, however, there are many who at this very moment lack the most basic necessities of life. We here at CESI are launching a fundraiser to help these families, and to bring some of our warmth and comfort to them, delivered by Syrians who are working on the ground daily through the freezing storms of a frigid winter. In addition to online donations, we will be hosting an event on the 2nd of March 2019 to support this humanitarian crisis, featuring live music and a night of food and entertainment.
Continue reading “Fundraising to Support Syrian Camps”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”