We are delighted to have announced our second JustChange St. John’s grant recipient – the Refugee and Immigrant Advisory Council (RIAC). RIAC is a non-profit organization that supports refugees, immigrants and other Canadians of diverse origins in making Newfoundland and Labrador their home, and raises awareness of refugee and immigrant issues.
Jose Rivera, the Executive Director of RIAC, cites Newfoundland and Labrador’s immigration retention rate, the lowest in Canada at 36% (compared to the national average of 82%), as evidence that there are not nearly enough resources available for newcomers who move to the province.
RIAC is doing amazing work to create positive impact for the immigrant and refugee community in Newfoundland and Labrador. Jose points out that the community RIAC serves, “enriches the province with their unique experience and diverse cultural backgrounds.”
The $1,000 grant will go towards supporting RIAC’s English as a Second Language program, which is entering its second year. It will help expand their course offerings, and increase overall participation.
If you are interested in taking part of their program either as a teacher volunteer or a program participant, visit their website.
This is just our second grant – the first having gone to startup cooperative CarShare NL in August. We are accepting applications for the third round starting right…now!
If you or your organization has a great idea, but lacks the start up funding to get it off the ground then apply for one of our bi-monthly grants. We’ll help successful applicants try to realize their vision with a grant (non-repayable!) and any in-kind support we can provide.