Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, Polycultural Immigrant and Community Services has helped thousands of newcomers, immigrants, and refugees make Canada their home.
Polycultural is a charitable, non-profit, community-based agency that assists youth, seniors, women, and families integrate into life in Canada.
Between 2021 and 2022, Polycultural’s Afghan Initiative program supported over 7,000 Government-Assisted Refugees that were brought to Canada under the emergency evacuation initiative. The team worked with Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada, and regional and local partners to address the needs of the Afghan refugees, including providing accommodation, orientation, and facilitating access to healthcare. They have also served newcomers from Ukraine, China, India and many other parts of the world.
“Polycultural is a valuable resource for any newcomer, refugee or immigrant settling in Canada,” said Marwan Ismail, Executive Director of Polycultural. “We are here to help individuals and communities have an equal opportunity at being productive members of Canadian society, and to really feel a sense of community. We have seen great success in what we do and demand for our services is higher than ever given the continued waves of newcomers coming from all parts of the world.”
The organization has seven convenient locations across the Greater Toronto area – Mississauga, Toronto, Etobicoke, two in Scarborough, and a newly opened branch in Orangeville. Each location offers a variety of programs including, settlement services, employment assistance, language classes, and youth and senior programs. It currently serves clients in over 20 languages including Cantonese, Mandarin, Dari, Farsi, Hindi, Punjabi, Ukrainian, Polish, and more.
Monthly events at the various branches range from My Pathways to Employment, Women in Food and Customer Service, Sewing and Knitting Club, and Multicultural Women’s Program. Other services such as one-on-one counseling, childcare, and overall support integrating into Western society is what makes Polycultural’s services personalized and impactful for its clients.
For convenience, Polycultural has launched their own app designed with program info accessible in one place. The free Polycultural App is available for download wherever apps are sold.
For more information on the services and programs provided, visit: polycultural.org
