Cross-Culture Learner Center
CCLC is London's leading newcomer agency supporting refugees and immigrants in their settlement process in housing, health and well-being, translation, and schools. In the 2022-2023 fiscal year, we served over 1,037 individuals providing 4,250 unique services. The top countries of origin for our newcomers were Syria, Afghanistan, Myanmar and the Republic of Congo. Additionally, we had 261 active volunteers who contributed 5200 volunteer hours. Our Community Connections Department relies on volunteers to introduce our clients into the community, in hopes of making London, ON their new home. Volunteers like you are integral to our mission, being the first friends of our clients in the community.
Community Connections Program
The Community Connections team is looking for residents of London, ON (of over 6 months) to be 'matched' and meet our newcomer clients on a regular basis through the Canada Connects Match program. The match lasts for6-months ideally, meeting with the client(s) weekly for about 1 to 2 hours. The clients have a wide range of cultural backgrounds, and you are matched based on interests, location, and availability. We currenlty have 76 families and individuals that needs a match. All volunteer applicants are required to attend an interview, followed by further training sessions. All applicants need to provide 2 references, and a vulnerable sector check before they can be involved.
Some examples of how a volunteer serves in this role include:
- Showing them around London, ON
- Education about Canadian culture
- Reading/understanding (e)mail/computer literacy
- Navigating the city: buses and cabs
- Job searching, resume building
- Homework/tutoring
- Introducing them to your friends and community
- How to buy items in person or online
- Increasing their financial literacy