Strong integration, a matter of belonging?

Actions don’t need to be big ones to really be significant.  In fact, only trying to interact with these people can help them integrate the society as it creates bonds and make them feel accepted.  It can also help them to improve their language skills. An action can be as simple as helping immigrants to familiarize themselves with a new lifestyle.  Of course, signing up for a community service organization  is always an excellent way to help immigrants and refugees since these organizations are often well established and know which actions need to be taken. A way to help immigrants and refugees avoid poverty would be in the first place not to discriminate them when comes the time to choose candidates for a job when they are, of course, qualified to accomplish the tasks. Knowing that in Quebec we will soon be in lack of specialized workforce, it would be beneficial for both parties to invest more in upgrading skills programs and provide more help for those who attend these programs so that people that have already studied in an area can meet the demands of a trade or profession.  In this way, immigrants who have certain qualifications can have a better access to good wages and then avoid poverty.

It takes me to the third question which is “should we get involved in helping immigrants integrate or should we leave it up to the professionals?” For myself, I think that the combination of both can only ensure that the aid given is optimal. Of course, organizations were created for this purpose and are therefore in a position to provide assistance on a larger scale but, as an immigrant or refugee, I would like to feel accepted by the population and not only by the organizations. I think that it is our role as citizens to help immigrants and refugees to properly integrate our society because belonging to a community means to create bonds, bonds with people we meet every day. If one doesn’t feel welcome in his own neighborhood, this person might not be as motivated to make the efforts in order to integrate society.