Surrey Schools marks World Refugee Day with support for newcomer families
Image: SubmittedAs the Surrey Schools Welcome Centre enters its 18th year, staff are reflecting on a milestone year of growth and service to refugee and newcomer students across the district.
During the 2023–24 school year, the Welcome Centre supported more than 16,000+ newcomers, its highest number to date with close to half of permanent residents served being refugees. They accessed supports through the centre, which provides a wide range of personalized services to help families navigate the Canadian education system and integrate into their new community.
“World Refugee Day is special for our centre,” said Parampal Sharma, manager of the Welcome Centre. “On this day, we acknowledge the global plight of refugees and the resilience and courage of individuals who have been forced to leave their homes and rebuild their lives in new places.”
The Welcome Centre team includes 28 Settlement Workers, as well as intake staff, counsellors, bridge teachers, youth facilitators and a digital services navigator. Between them, staff speak 33 languages — covering more than 90 per cent of the home languages spoken by the families they serve. The team also includes two certified translators.
“Some of our staff have their own lived experiences as newcomers and may have gone through similar journeys,” said Sharma. “So they bring a lot of rich knowledge and experience to the table when it comes to engaging those families.”
Refugees supported by the Welcome Centre this year arrived from countries such as Afghanistan, the Syrian Arab Republic, Myanmar, Eritrea, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Somalia and Mexico.
The centre’s approach is built on providing client-centred, wraparound supports to meet families wherever they are in their settlement journey. These services recognize that refugee students often arrive with unique challenges including interrupted education, trauma and language barriers, which can lead to isolation and difficulty participating fully in school life.
Image: Submitted
“Refugee students may arrive in Canada after a difficult journey, which may include experiencing traumatic events in their home countries,” said Sharma. “They may also have difficulty understanding the Canadian school system and its policies and procedures.”
Supports include digital literacy instruction, counselling, peer mentorship and activities tailored to the interests of individual students. Language and cultural supports are integrated to reduce communication barriers and strengthen students’ sense of connection and belonging.
According to Sharma, “Our goal is to support academic development and social integration in an inclusive and welcoming environment.”
Each newcomer family meets with a Settlement Worker in Schools (SWIS) shortly after arriving in the district. These one-on-one sessions are often conducted in the family’s first language and provide essential information about the education system, including school routines, course selection, supplies, digital tools and extracurricular opportunities.
“Each session is customized and age appropriate,” explained Sharma. “Our goal is to reduce uncertainties and provide critical information at this exciting step in the settlement journey.”
More than half of the Welcome Centre’s services are delivered to youth. The Bridge to High School and Bridge Co-op programs offer students life skills, pre-employment training, mentorship and family supports — all designed to build confidence and foster understanding of Canadian culture.
The centre also runs Connect Through activities that promote inclusion and friendship. Popular options include cricket, volleyball and peer mentoring. Youth participate in experiential learning opportunities such as field trips to the Vancouver Aquarium, Lynn Valley Suspension Bridge and Cleveland Dam.
One former student shared their experience in the Bridge program:
“As a former student of the Surrey Schools Welcome Centre Bridge to High School program, I enjoyed the program a lot as I had the opportunity to be included in different activities during classes. The teachers are outstanding and friendly. The trips to various educational places were a wonderful experience for me. I made many friends through the program, and I am very thankful to all my dear teachers and the settlement workers.”
To learn more about the Surrey Schools Welcome Centre and its services, click here.
