November 3-9 2013 Description of Francophone Immigration Week in Atlantic Canada Champions of Francophone Immigration Karime Amedjkouh (Nova Scotia) Gourmandises Avenue (Nova Scotia) Gregory Urier (PEI) Réseau en immigration francophone du Nouveau-Brunswick (New Brunswick) Famille Dorat (Newfoundland and Labrador)
Description of Francophone Immigration Week in Atlantic Canada This event takes place every year during the first week of November, with the goal of encouraging integration of Francophone immigrants, and is aimed at all communities across the Atlantic provinces. The first edition in 2012 was a resounding success. Francophone Immigration Week in Atlantic Canada is aimed at demystifying Francophone immigration within host communities and reinforces the valuable contribution of these French-speaking newcomers to minority environments, the work force, economic development and to the social and cultural dynamic. The guiding principle Francophone Immigration, a Strength for Atlantic Canada is based on compelling stories of Francophone and Anglophone immigrant populations which: capitalize on reality as experienced by these individuals; personalize the immigration experience; highlight the human aspect; provide the key to reflection and understanding regarding integration and illustrate the experiences lived by Francophone immigrants. By giving a voice to citizens, Francophone Immigration Week in Atlantic Canada has the following objectives: To provide key themes of reflection for citizens; To foster open-mindedness regarding the realities of immigration; To provoke debate regarding ideas and initiatives; To promote understanding and fight against prejudices; To encourage every citizen to take action for integration.
Champions of Francophone Immigration Nova Scotia: Karim Amedjkouh Karim Amedjkouh is a native of Tigzirt-sur-Mer, a Mediterranean village in Northeast Algeria. He arrived in Canada in 2007. Since his arrival in Nova Scotia, he has been involved with several projects to promote diversity and intercultural dialogue. As the host of a radio show, organizer of a multicultural evening, coordinator of a trip to Algeria and host of a conference on diversity and multicultural dialogue, among other efforts, Karim Amedjkouh clearly loves being involved in his community, while highlighting the benefits of Francophone immigration. Gourmandises Avenue Gourmandises Avenue Pâtisserie Fine et Chocolaterie was founded in Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia in 2003 by Jean-Pierre Gallois et Yseult Bertic, both natives of France. The business currently numbers five employees and has a storefront at Pier 20, as well as a production facility. All pastry and chocolate products from Gourmadises Avenue are produced on the premises, using the considerable expertise of Jean-Pierre and Yseult. For these creations, they use the finest local Nova Scotia ingredients. In recent years, Gourmandises Avenue has opened their doors to young students from the schools of the Conseil scolaire acadien provincial for orientation days in business. For some of these students, this experience led to employment within the same enterprise. To address a growing Francophone population, they offer service in French at their store in Halifax as well as in the Annapolis Valley, where they are present in Wolfville every Saturday morning with their sales counter at the Farmer's Market. Jean-Pierre Gallois and Yseult Bertic are always willing to lend a hand to the Acadian cause in their region.
Prince Edward Island: Gregory Urier Gregory Urier is a native of France who has been established in Prince Edward Island since May 2012 with his spouse, a native of Newfoundland and Labrador and their one yearold son. In France, he was a police officer for 13 years. Gregory is the Assistant Director and community and cultural Program Coordinator at Carrefour de l IsleSaint Jean in Charlottetown since last March. He is heavily engaged in his community, whether as a Member of the Organizing Committee for the 36 th Finals of the Jeux d Acadie 2015, the Organizing Committee for the Jeux régionaux de l Îledu PrinceÉdouard or with the Club Richelieu PortLaJoye. This avid sportsman and father is also enrolled in the NonProfit Organization Management Program offered through Distance Education by l Université Sainte Anne in Nova Scotia. There is no doubt that the integration of Mr. Urier has been enabled by his community involvement. New Brunswick: Réseau en immigration francophone du Nouveau-Brunswick For several years now, the Réseau en immigration francophone du Nouveau Brunswick has brought together in a forum some twenty provincial, regional and local Francophone organizations who, through their dedicated hard work, have given themselves the goal of complete integration of Francophone newcomers in our communities. To achieve this, a large number of activities have been undertaken to foster awareness in the hosting community and to promote the benefits associated with these arrivals. The choice of Réseau en immigration francophone du NouveauBrunswick as a champion permits us to recognize and value the exceptional work of the member organizations recognition and its sectorial subcommittees. Their excellent work in collaboration and partnership creation is ultimately aimed at the cultural, social and economic integration of Francophone newcomers in our communities. This work, which takes place throughout the year across the entire province, also ensures that communities are more wellinformed and prepared for arrival of our new neighbors who will continually enrich our lives and contribute to growth of New Brunswick's Acadian region. Le Réseau en immigration francophone du NouveauBrunswick wishes to acknowledge the involvement and hard work of seven (7) individuals who are considered as ambassadors of Francophone immigration in New Brunswick:
Phuong Truong, from South Vietnam (Acadian Peninsula region) Nanda Yagambrum, from Ile Maurice (Northwest region) Robert Daigle (Northeast region) Dr Christian Parascan (St. John region) Aziz Fellah, from Algeria (St. John region) Herica Matos, from Brazil (Chaleur region) MarieLinda Lord (Southeast region) Newfoundland and Labrador : The Dorat Family Natives of France, the Dorat family chose to establish themselves in Canada (Labrador City) in 2011 because, in their view, it was one of the best places in which they could raise their children. Since that time, this little family is doing very well indeed. The children are thriving in school, due to multiple community activities in which they participate. The parents are equally involved in the community. Mrs. Dorat takes part in the immersion program at the region's Elementary school, where she spends several halfdays per week reading and organizing other activities in French. Last season, Mr. Dorat for his part was involved in minor soccer and, even further, due to his responsibilities with the firm BBA, he has been able to encourage the hiring of Francophone families by the enterprise. After two years and a half in Labrador, the Dorat family is more happy then ever and feel they have many things yet to discover.