PPCII - Peterborough Partnership Council on Immigrant Integration

Over 140 community members attended the Peterborough Partnership on Immigrant Integration's (PPCII) second ‘Together we Prosper’ Conference on November 17^th 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!