Youth Action Gathering, Vancouver, 3-4 October 2015
The Youth Action Gathering (YAG) is quickly approaching. This year, it will take place in Vancouver, on October 3-4. The YAG brings together young refugees and immigrants to share, learn and network on common challenges and strategies to address them. It is also a weekend of fun!
The CCR, the Vancouver Foundation and MOSAIC invite newcomer youth from across Canada to the 2015 YAG.
WHO SHOULD PARTICIPATE?
Racialized migrant youth from across Canada, aged 16 to 25 years.
Youth settlement workers and allies.
Travel subsidies are available. Apply by Tuesday Sept. 8
Speak Up! is the CCR’s youth-led small grants fund, which provides funding and support to groups of newcomer youth across Canada to develop creative public education and advocacy resources.
The most recent Speak Up! supported projects are available on the CCR website. These projects highlight refugee and newcomer youth experiences in their own words through different art forms. They explore issues such as gender identity and expression, building resilience from immigration challenges, realities and experiences of non-status youth, and gender-based and family violence.
In August 2010, a rickety ship, the MV Sun Sea, arrived in Canadian waters off Vancouver Island, carrying 492 people to Canada. Ten months earlier, in October 2009, the MV Ocean Lady had arrived on the west coast, carrying 76 people. The passengers, all from Sri Lanka, made refugee claims.
The response to the two boats, especially the Sun Sea, was massive. Five years later, it is useful to review the many facets of Canada’s response to the arrival of the Sun Sea.
In light of the upcoming election, the CCR has prepared a resource with three key questions that could be asked of candidates. They address three issues:
Use this resource to bring forward these important issues when talking to candidates, at an all-candidates meeting, or during any opportunities that may present themselves.
Court strikes down appeal bar for nationals of Designated Countries of Origin
On July 23, 2015, the Federal Court ruled that denying refugee claimants from Designated Countries of Origin access to the Refugee Appeal Division is a violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
The Court ruled that these claimants must have access to the Refugee Appeal Division, effective immediately.
The CCR welcomes the decision: we have always maintained that discriminating between claimants on the basis of their country of origin is fundamentally unfair.
The Youth Action Gathering (YAG) is quickly approaching. This year, it will take place in Vancouver, on October 3-4. The YAG brings together young refugees and immigrants to share, learn and network on common challenges and strategies to address them. It is also a weekend of fun!
The most recent Speak Up! supported projects are available on the CCR website. These projects highlight refugee and newcomer youth experiences in their own words through different art forms. They explore issues such as gender identity and expression, building resilience from immigration challenges, realities and experiences of non-status youth, and gender-based and family violence.
