After immigrating to the South Okanagan from Brazil in 2007, Catarina Oliveira and her family found a plethora of support at the South Okanagan Immigrant Community Services (SOICS).
Catarina’s mom would take English classes at the centre while the kids could be dropped off at child care across the hall, in the same building.
Among other services, the Oliveira family found guidance from SOICS around integration and settlement by getting resources to help them move towards a permanent residency in Canada. Even basic services like printing can be huge for new immigrants.
Now, in university, Oliveira has circled back to SOICS as part of the One World Youth Crew and a student intern.
She says that knowing how the services helped her and her family personally made her so much more aware of the influence that a non-profit organization like SOICS has on the community.
“I’m still learning every day and realizing the impact that it has, and it’s just shocking,” says Oliveira. “It’s really hard just to say that we’re an immigrant centre because the more I realize, the services are so strategic because they’re able to kind of grow.”
With many volunteers and staff in the organization being immigrants themselves, Oliveira explains that they have the experience of knowing what works, what’s needed, and how to provide it.
The OneWorld Youth Crew, in addition, is a step beyond the basic services and dives into a bigger vision of the world, something which the younger generations are often drawn towards.
The group has youth between the ages of 15 and 24, and it brings together young adults of any background to volunteer, connect and explore issues important to them in their own communities.
They aim to spread awareness of integral ideas like diversity, anti-racism, LGBTQ2S+ pride, and more within the South Okanagan communities through art.
Michael Lamont, project coordinator of the youth crew, says that having a group centered around youth, listening to young people is vital in understanding our region.
“I think that we can create meaningful change as a group together, because the group is able to notice gaps and elements missing in their community, and the world around them, and we try to listen to the youth and remedy situations that they bring forward,” says Lamont.
“We feel that art, food, crafts, things like that, are some of the best mediums to connect people and help them understand other cultures and points of view,” he explains.
As a coordinator, Lamont has his hands full. He plans and facilitates weekly meetings for the group, often bringing in relevant issues to discuss as a group. He also spearheads meetings with other non-profits in the region and organizes the projects the youth crew works on.
Currently, the youth crew has their focus on murals.
After noticing a hike in graffiti and vandalism in the downtown core of Penticton, often charged with racism, the youth crew started discussing ways to help reduce vandalism and property damage while promoting diversity. The idea was named “Project Vandal.”
“Graffiti and vandalism continues to occur. And it continues to need our attention, so it’s not something that we’re giving up, I don’t think anytime soon. We’re going to continue that fight as part of our anti-racism effort,” says Lamont.
Caitlyn K. and Sarina C. add the first colors to the Okanagan-inspired mural located on the back of the SOICS Penticton office. Submitted photo
The group has even created an online reporting system where people can submit a quick report if they see unwanted graffiti or vandalism in their community.
Alice Wang, a volunteer with the youth crew, says the idea initially started out as wanting to do a positive take on public art. To counter the racist graffiti, they wanted to celebrate diversity.
Last summer the group painted a mural on the side of the SOICS building on Ellis Street, which backs onto the alley.
“We wanted to celebrate the Okanagan specifically, so the painting was of the Okanagan beaches, we had the salmon, and a whole bunch of activities. We tried to make the people on the mural culturally diverse,” says Wang, who has been with the group for three years now.
She initially joined the youth crew because her mom, an accountant at SOICS, told her of an opportunity to volunteer with the organization. At the time, Wang was in grade 10 and started volunteering as well as recruiting members for the group through her high school.
“I love it so much. A lot of the projects are super interactive and fun.You’re doing things like art, video, and we’re going out in our community and the best part of it is that we’re actually in our community doing a project,” says Wang.
One of the unique aspects about the youth crew, according to Oliveira, is that it is completely youth-navigated.
“[the youth] really have the liberty to choose their own projects and decide what they want to implement or showcase,” says Oliveira, and adds that a lot of times, projects really work hand in hand and the goals work hand in hand. “It’s cool that generally every six months or so, the group will collectively decide on a project that will benefit the community.”
The freedom to choose as the please comes with the mentality core to the group that youth voices should be heard and given a platform.
Part of the completed mural on the SOICS building designed by the OneWorld Youth Crew with the help of local artist Endrené Shepherd. Submitted photo
“They’re really passionate about a lot of issues, they are the best people to listen to for guidance on things, and they have a really fresh perspective,” says Lamont. “They understand concepts that older people maybe aren’t quite there yet, like gender and sexuality…it’s like second nature to them, they don’t have the same kind of like barriers and hang ups that the we have with the traditional sort of gender thoughts, because I feel like they’ve matured and grown into that, as like young adults.”
Lamont also mentioned that as a group, there’s an openness between the members as well as with the wider community which helps them connect better to current issues.
“They’re really interested in helping the Indigenous community and supporting them, supporting the LGBTQ community. and the newcomer community, as well,” says Lamont. “All of their experiences with the youth group can help connect and find similarities between all of these groups that are seeking the same thing, which is to feel included and represented and heard.”
Ultimately, the main goal is to create advocates within the community through these discussions, projects, and awareness. As many of the youth in the group may stay in the area as they grow older, they could further develop and build their relationships with local organizations with the ideas and values cultivated from a young age.
