About this project

SCENE (Social and Civic Engagement for Newcomers) provides newcomers and immigrants with pathways to equitable social and civic engagement opportunities through training, mentorship, nomination support, access to open positions, and guidance post-placement.

This is an opportunity to get involved in the community, strengthen leadership skills, give back to others, and collaborate with people of all walks of life.

How to apply

Please submit your resume, along with a cover letter detailing your interest, work experience and availability to scene@mosaicbc.org.

Please note: Space is limited and not all applicants will be selected.

Eligibility requirements

  • English CLB Level 8 or equivalent
  • Immigrant and/or newcomer to Canada
  • Interest in leadership opportunities on volunteer boards, tables, committees, councils, etc.

Project components

Commitment required

  • 4 full-day trainings over a period of 6 months
  • Minimum 2 hours per month mentorship time (in-person, online or tele-conference)
  • Attendance at forum in March 2020
  • Surveys, follow ups and quotes for reporting purposes.

Partners

Background information

Immigrants are socially, politically and economically vital to Canada. Approximately 22% of Canadians are immigrants, the highest its been in almost a century. Almost 30% of British Columbians are immigrants, and those numbers continue to rise. It is imperative that we include the voices of immigrants in civic engagement.

Of the 2274 leaders studied in a recent research report led by the Diversity Institute and SPARC BC, only 12% come from a visible minority background. The lowest representation of visible minorities is in the elected officials sector: visible minorities comprise 26% of elected leaders. From the voluntary sector, only 13% of senior leaders come from a visible minority background.

As immigration growth continues, the need for inclusion of diverse voices will become more necessary to facilitate strong community attachment and overall equity in local politics, non-profits and businesses.

MOSAIC’s Engagement Activities

  • Submitted “Improving Participation of Newcomers in Civic Engagement” as a strategic recommendation in the Settlement Sector Study to the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration in Ottawa
  • Initiated surveys and focus groups to help identify interest and barriers to social and civic engagement for newcomers and immigrants (Report coming soon!)
  • Participated in “Trampoline: Ideas into Action!”, a program from Simon Fraser University’s social innovation hub, Radius, through their Refugee Livelihoods Lab. Through this program, human-centred design methods were used to ideate MOSAIC’s Social and Civic Engagement project (click here for more information).
  • Held an information session with the City of Vancouver for the purpose of seeking newcomer voices for participation in the city’s advisory groups (Details of placements coming soon!)
  • Hosted a public forum about community leadership and migrant experiences to advance a conversation with MOSAIC stakeholders, clients and partners on how to improve access to more volunteer leadership opportunities for members of the immigrant and refugee communities (Report coming soon!)
  • Held a public forum “Inspiring participation in Elections” with keynote speakers: former Canadian MP Libby Davies, and Former BC Premier Ujjal who captivated our participants by sharing how they became involved in activism, with Apathy is Boring’s Miley Leong presented the ‘What, Where, When and Why’ of elections