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Over 140 community members attended the Peterborough Partnership on Immigrant Integration's (PPCII) second ‘Together we Prosper’ Conference on November 17th at the Holiday Inn in Peterborough. Click here to see the conference program.
Click here for a review of the conference on CBC radio (the piece on the conference starts about 2/3 of the way through the podcast)
Click here for a description of the conference in the Peterborough Examiner.
Click here for a glimpse of the conference as captured by CHEX Television.
Here are the proceedings from the conference.
WELCOMING REMARKS
Jenn Harrington, Chair of the PPCII introduced the Mayor and Deputy Warden
Daryl Bennett, Mayor of the City of Peterborough welcomed attendees.
Barry Rand, Deputy Warden of the County of Peterborough commended the work of this community and the PPCII.
KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Naser Miftari- a member of the New Canadians Centre's Speakers Bureau- delivered a powerful keynote address on the immigrant identity and the struggles and potentials of newcomers.
PLENARY SESSION-- DIVERSITY, CREATIVITY, AND THE ECONOMY
Bonnie Kennedy, Executive Director of the Canadian Association for Prior Learning Assessment, helped attendees understand how to Identify and Unleash the Hidden Talents of Newcomers.
Dan Taylor, CEO of the Greater Peterborough Area Economic Development Corporation (GPAEDC) reminded the audience that a diverse economy is a creative economy, and a creative economy is a prosperous one.
Dr. Asaf Zohar, Associate Professor and Chair of the Buisness Administration Program Trent Universty engaged the audience in a practical exercise that highlighted the Business Case for Immigration and Sustainable Communities
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IN THE WORKPLACE
John C. Dorland, Senior Associate from Graybridge Malkam, helped the audience to become more aware of Diversity and Inclusion
Anthony Anirud, Managing Director of Equalities Consulting Group, emphasized the importance of Desiging and Instituting Diiversity Training toward Building and Sustaining an Inclusive Workplace Culture
Becky Rogers, Manager of Peterborough's Arts, Culture and Heritage Division explained why Diversity is an Essential Component of the City's Municipal Cultural Plan.
NEWCOMER MENTAL HEALTH
Dr. Rosana Pellizzari, Medical Officer of Health for the Peterborough County City Health Unit (PCCHU) discussed the Experience of Immigration from a Woman's Perspective.
Biljana Vasilevska, Research Coordinator, Social Equity and Health Research Unit at CAMH spoke about Promoting Refugee and Newcomer Resilience in the Settlement Sector and in the Community
Mehrangiz Monsef: President, Active Minds, Trent University gave a presentation entitled Crossroads: Negotiating the values of the West and the traditions of the East
Hana Mohamed: Trent University graduate, presented on How mothers from war torn countries learn to cope in their new environment
IMMIGRANT INTEGRATION BEST PRACTICES
Scott Clerk, Project Manager, Kingston Immigration Partnership shared his expereinces from Building Multiculturalism in Kingston ON
Iain W. Reeve, PhD. Candidate Queens University explored the Decentralization of Immigrant Selection and Settlement Policy in British Columbia
karolyn givogue, Coordinator, Community and Race Relations Committee of Peterborough discussed strategies for Building Welcoming Communities and develoing a Holistic Approach to Immigrant Inclusion
ENGAGING NEWCOMER YOUTH IN PETERBOROUGH
Steve Ross, SWIS Worker at the New Canadians Centre Peterborough Settlement Workers in the Schools presented his ideas on The Integration of Immigrant Youth in Peterborough.
Bernadette Peters and Trevor Digby, Teachers, Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board engaged the auidence with a presentation on Challenging Barriers; Creating a Welcoming Canada
Chen Rao, University of Western Ontario Student gave a presentation entitled Immigrant Youth in Peterborough
DINNER SPEECH
Muhammad S Shaikh, Founder and President, Islamic Education and Information Exchange (IEIE) ended the evening with a series of delightful stories from his own experience highlighting his Contributions to Canadian Scoiety.
The evening closed with a series of performances from around the world.
Thank to all of our presenters, volunteers and attendees for making this years conference such a success!
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Are you passionate about the PPCII Integration Strategy? Do you get a kick out of conference planning? Is Marketing your thing? Do you see the big picture and wish to take part in the overall governance of the PPCII? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this is your lucky day! The following PPCII committees need your time and talent: Executive Committee, Marketing Committee, Training & Capacity Building Committee and the Integration Strategy Committee. 
The map and list of all of the multicultural organizations in Peterborough are tools and easy reference materials for newcomers and residents of Peterborough to find the multicultural group that represents them. Also of interest is the Guide in how to form your own multicultural group. If it turns out that your ethnic background is not represented in Peterborough and you want to create one the guide is for you. The guide provides easy steps and contacts for anyone that desires to make their own cultural group. These three resources aim to point out these wonderful groups so that clients of the New Canadians Centre and residents of Peterborough are able to access, create and contact the organization that represents their background.