Joan, Beecroft, Dana Benson, and Donna Jansen have gathered stories from 19 former refugees and recent immigrants to Grey-Bruce into a new book A Place to Belong. These powerful stories describe the journeys the newcomers took to get here; many are from war-torn countries including South Sudan, Liberia, and Syria.
They also describe the opportunities and challenges the newcomers faced when they arrived in Grey-Bruce, and the support they received from many individuals and agencies as they settled into this place they now call home.Local sponsorship groups evolved as awareness of the global refugee crisis mounted. The Grey Bruce Newcomers' Network was formed by Dana Benson in 2015, when Joan and Donna also got involved. Supported by local government and various public agencies -- many of which are also profiled in the book -- these volunteer groups raised funds and provided furnished homes and other supports for the newcomers. They also searched out translators and helped the newcomers register for schools, health care, and other services.
A Place to Belong: Stories from Newcomers to Grey-Bruce will be launched at 2:00pm, Sunday September 19 at the Picnic Pavilion in Harrison Park. COVID-19 protocols including mask-wearing, registration for contact tracing, sanitizing, and physical distancing will be in effect. Copies of A Place to Belong ($24.95) are available now at The Ginger Press and will be available at the launch event.
From A Place to Belong: Stories from Newcomers to Grey and Bruce Counties:
Shohail writes: "If someone had told me when I was growing up that someday I was going to live in a place where there's peace, where people are kind and friendly, where it doesn't matter what you do or where you come from, or which caste you follow or how much money you have, I would not have believed them."
Ruru writes: "Deep down inside of me I wonder, who am I? Am I Eritrean, Sudanese, Canadian? I've decided I am what I make myself and I want to work hard to improve myself and feel like I really belong. It's getting easier."
source: media release, Ginger Press
