Carol Baldwin
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Wakaw Recorder
The Wakaw Rec Centre celebrated the many different cultures of the region with a Cultural Celebration Day on Aug. 12.
The free event, hosted in partnership with the Humboldt Regional Newcomers Centre, the Multicultural Council of Saskatchewan, and the Community Initiatives Fund, was a precursor to Culture Days, the national celebration of arts and culture which takes place each Fall.
Since Culture Days launched in 2010, thousands in Saskatchewan have taken part and tried out new creative and cultural activities such as tipi-raisings, needle felting, printmaking, pysanky, mandolin lessons, Métis jigging, and much more. However, the closest of these to Wakaw will be held in Warman, Prince Albert, and Saskatoon, so this made the event in Wakaw a unique opportunity to learn about just a few of the cultures that make up the multicultural mosaic of this region.
Besides a demonstration of Ukrainian dance by Wakaw’s Verba Ukrainian Dance Club, there were presentations by Nepali, Punjabi, Bhangra, and Irish dancers. An opportunity to join in and learn a few moves made the afternoon an interactive learning experience for the many children in attendance.
The Humboldt Regional Newcomer Centre (HRNC) is a walk-in, free resource centre where our staff will help newcomers settle and integrate into their community. It opened its doors to newcomers in April 2010. The HRNC is a one-stop gateway for assistance with immigration concerns and referrals to necessary agencies to help meet the needs of newcomers.
Under the Government of Saskatchewan’s settlement service delivery model, HRNC is administered by the Ministry of Immigration & Career Training to promote settlement, integration, and retention in workplaces and communities throughout the region. HRNC offers access to computers, a printer, a fax machine, and a photocopier, which can be used at the newcomer’s own pace and as often as they wish. Its goal is to provide support, information, resources, and referrals to newcomers across the region to ensure a successful move to Saskatchewan.
The HRNC not only offers services to newcomers in Humboldt, but also reaches out to all communities within its region through its settlement advisors and Settlement Worker in Schools (SWIS) workers. Access to HRNC is available to permanent and temporary residents, and Canadian Citizens by phone, in person, and by e-mail. The staff members can help any newcomers to the region get the information they need whether it is about schools, healthcare, employment, or another concern. The services provided are geared to help newcomers with settlement and adaptation to the region and present ways to become active in Canadian society.
The Settlement Worker in Schools (SWIS) is a school-based program aimed at helping newcomer students and their families settle in the school and community. SWIS connects newcomer families to services and resources in the school and the community and is a partnership between the Humboldt Regional Newcomer Centre, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Horizon School Division, and the Greater Saskatoon Catholic School Division. This program aims to ease the settlement process for kids in school.
The community services provided include information on health-related services such as immunization, flu clinics, health centers, and health card applications and renewals. Additionally, resources are available on topics such as housing, daycare, parenting, provincial post-secondary education institutions, and applying for a Social Insurance Number for newcomers to Canada. If there is a need for a one-on-one settlement appointment, the staff can arrange this. Appointments can happen at the office or in the newcomer’s home community.
The communities served by the Humboldt Regional Newcomer Centre include St Brieux, Naicam, Spalding, Watson, Quill Lake, Hendon, Kylemore, Kuroki, Wadena, Elfros, Leslie, Mozart, Wynyard, Raymore, Semans, Nokomis, Simpson, Imperial, Watrous, Manitou Beach, Guernsey, Lanigan, Drake, Dafoe, Jansen, Lake Lenore, Anaheim, LeRoy, Viscount, Meacham, Bruno, Cudworth, Plunkett, Muenster, St Gregor, Middle Lake, St Benedict, Pilger and the Rural Municipalities that these communities are located within.
While the Town of Wakaw is not included in this list, the town is a partner in another initiative that works closely with HRNC, Connecting Grids, a Regional Immigration Partnership in the central northeast region of Saskatchewan.
