Welcoming communities are built through everyday actions, accessible services and opportunities for people to connect, participate and contribute.

Moving to a new country and community can bring excitement alongside a lot of questions.

Where do I go for help? How do things work here? Will I meet people? Can I access the services I need? Will my family feel welcome? Will I find a place where I belong?

Neighbours, educators, businesses, service providers, community organizations and local leaders all have a role to play.Creating a welcoming community doesn’t always require a large program or initiative. Sometimes it starts with saying hello, extending an invitation, sharing useful information or making a service easier to understand and access.

How You Can Help

There are many ways to help build a welcoming community.

As a neighbour or community member
Build connections, share local knowledge and help someone become familiar with their new community.

As an educator, coach or youth leader
Create opportunities for newcomer children, youth and families to connect and participate.

As a business or service provider
Make your information and services easier to understand, navigate and access.

As an organization or municipality
Look for barriers within existing systems and create opportunities for newcomers to participate in community life and decision-making.

Start With Connection

Sometimes the smallest actions make the biggest difference.

You can:

• Introduce yourself instead of waiting for someone new to approach you.
• Learn how to pronounce someone’s name correctly.
• Say hello when you see someone in your neighbourhood.
• Invite a new neighbour to a community event or activity.
• Offer to show someone around the community.
• Share information about local programs and services.
• Ask questions and learn about someone’s culture, traditions or experiences.
• Learn a greeting or a few words in another language.
• Check in during winter storms, power outages or other community situations.
• Offer friendship without assuming someone needs help.

Welcoming isn’t a single gesture. It is something communities continue to practice.

Share What You Know About the Community

Things that feel obvious when you’ve lived somewhere for years may be completely unfamiliar to someone who has recently arrived. Local knowledge can be incredibly useful.

Consider sharing information about:

Everyday Life

• Garbage, recycling and compost schedules
• Postal and mail services
• Libraries
• Internet and phone services
• Banking
• Grocery stores and shopping
• Local transportation
• Winter weather and seasonal preparation

Healthcare

Help someone find information about:

• Family doctors and nurse practitioners
• Walk-in and urgent care
• Pharmacies
• Dentists
• Hospitals
• Community health services

Learn More About Healthcare in Ontario

Schools & Education

You can help families understand:

• School registration
• Transportation
• School routines
• Extracurricular activities
• Libraries
• Adult education and language learning opportunities

Recreation & Community

Introduce someone to:

• Parks and trails
• Recreation centres
• Sports programs
• Arts and cultural organizations
• Community events
• Faith communities
• Volunteer opportunities
• Clubs and social groups

You don’t have to know every answer.

Sometimes helping someone find the right place to ask the question is enough.

Visit the Lanark & Renfrew Community Navigator

Help Someone Get Connected

A strong sense of belonging often develops through relationships.

Consider:

• Inviting someone to a community event.
• Introducing them to neighbours.
• Connecting people who share similar interests.
• Inviting someone for a walk, coffee or meal.
• Helping someone find a club, class, team or volunteer opportunity.
• Sharing information about cultural or faith communities.
• Introducing newcomers to your local library.
• Encouraging participation in community activities.

Libraries can be especially useful places for newcomers to connect with programs, technology, information and community resources. Whenever possible, ask rather than assume what someone needs or wants.

Supporting someone doesn’t mean doing everything for them. It can mean making information and opportunities easier to find.

Communicating Across Languages & Cultures

Language differences can make everyday interactions and accessing services more difficult.

Someone’s comfort communicating in English or French should never be used as an assumption about their knowledge, education or abilities.

When communicating:

• Use clear, straightforward language.
• Avoid unnecessary jargon, acronyms and slang.
• Give people time to process information and respond.
• Provide important information in writing when possible.
• Use images or visual instructions when helpful.
• Ask whether interpretation or translation would help.
• Confirm understanding rather than assuming.
• Be patient when communication takes additional time.

You don’t need to speak the same language to make someone feel welcome.

A willingness to slow down, listen and find another way to communicate can make a significant difference.

Making Services More Accessible

Welcoming communities also require accessible services.

Businesses, municipalities, healthcare providers, schools and community organizations should regularly consider how easy their information and services are to understand and use. The existing Tailoring Services to Newcomers page specifically identifies translation, interpretation and adapting service delivery as important considerations when serving newcomers.

Start By Asking

• Can someone easily understand what we do?
• Is it clear who our services are for?
• Can someone easily figure out how to access the service?
• Are eligibility requirements clearly explained?
• Are our forms unnecessarily complicated?
• Do people know what documents they need?
• Are fees clearly communicated?
• Is interpretation available when needed?
• Do our hours or appointment processes create barriers?
• Does someone need previous knowledge of a Canadian system to understand our process?
• Have newcomers been included when deciding how these services should work?

Sometimes a small change can remove a significant barrier.

Make Information Easier to Understand

Documents

Consider translating frequently used or particularly important documents into languages commonly spoken within the communities you serve.

Prioritize information related to:

• Safety
• Eligibility
• Applications
• Fees
• Hours and locations
• Emergency procedures
• Rights and responsibilities
• How to receive assistance

Signage

Consider:

• Simple language
• Recognizable symbols
• Large, readable text
• Translations where appropriate
• Clear directional signage
• Multilingual safety information

Websites

Your website is often someone’s first interaction with your organization.

Make sure it includes:

• Clear navigation
• Plain language
• Translation options
• Accessible design
• Easy-to-find contact information
• Current hours and locations
• Clear eligibility information
• Simple instructions explaining how to access services

Avoid making people search through multiple pages simply to understand how to receive help.

Translation & Interpretation

Digital translation tools can help with basic everyday communication.

For medical, legal, confidential or complex conversations, professional interpretation or translation may be more appropriate.

Organizations should consider what interpretation and translation resources are available before they are urgently needed.

Learn More About Translation & Interpretation Resources

Creating Opportunities to Belong

Belonging goes beyond being able to access a service. People need opportunities to participate.

Community events, schools, workplaces, recreation programs and neighbourhood activities can all create places for people to connect.

Consider ways to:

• Personally invite newcomers to participate.
• Encourage newcomers to help plan activities.
• Ask about cultural, religious, dietary and accessibility considerations.
• Include different cultural traditions and celebrations.
• Create opportunities for children and families to connect.
• Support newcomers interested in volunteering.
• Create pathways into leadership.
• Include newcomers in community decision-making.
• Attend and support cultural celebrations when invited.

The goal isn’t simply to invite someone into an existing community.

It is to create opportunities for everyone to help shape the community together.

Supporting Newcomer Children & Youth

Children and youth can experience the transition to a new community differently from adults.

Teachers, neighbours, coaches and community organizations can help by:

• Introducing newcomer children to other children.
• Encouraging friendships and play.
• Helping young people join clubs, sports or activities.
• Creating predictable routines.
• Providing opportunities to share languages, traditions and stories.
• Helping families understand school and community systems.
• Keeping families informed about progress or challenges.
• Creating opportunities for friendships outside structured learning.

Children and youth should have opportunities to maintain connections with where they came from while also building connections where they are now. Both can exist together.

When Someone Is Missing Home

Moving away from family, friends, routines, food, language and familiar surroundings can be difficult.

Homesickness is a common response to significant change and can affect newcomers of all ages. It may show up as sadness, anxiety, withdrawal, changes in sleep or appetite, physical complaints or changes in confidence and behaviour.

Someone can miss home while also being excited about their new life in Canada.

Ways You Can Support Someone

• Listen without judgement.
• Give someone space to talk about what they miss.
• Encourage connections with family and friends back home.
• Help create opportunities for local friendships.
• Invite someone to activities without pressuring them.
• Explore the community together.
• Introduce hobbies, sports or creative activities.
• Encourage healthy routines and time outdoors.
• Share and celebrate cultural traditions.
• Help create familiar routines in a new environment.

There isn’t one correct way to adjust to a new community.

Some people begin building connections quickly. Others need more time.

Mentorship & Community Connection

Sometimes having one person to ask questions, share experiences with and learn alongside can make a new community easier to navigate.

The Learning and Connection Circle is a local mentorship network facilitated by the Local Immigration Partnership – Lanark & Renfrew. It connects newcomers and mentors around shared communities, experiences or goals and provides opportunities for cultural exchange, shared learning and community connection.

Mentors can help newcomers become more familiar with:

• Local communities
• Schools and education
• Services
• Employment pathways
• Community activities
• Everyday life in Lanark and Renfrew Counties

Advocacy & Allyship

Welcoming communities also require people and organizations willing to recognize and address barriers.

• Challenging stereotypes and misinformation.
• Making community events accessible.
• Sharing accurate information about newcomer services.
• Supporting inclusive practices in workplaces and schools.
• Identifying barriers that prevent participation.
• Including newcomers in decisions that affect them.
• Reviewing organizational policies and practices.
• Supporting community initiatives that strengthen inclusion and belonging.

Creating welcoming communities isn’t only about helping people navigate existing systems.

Sometimes it means changing those systems so more people can participate.

When More Support Is Needed

Community connection can be incredibly helpful, but sometimes someone needs professional or specialized support.

Rather than maintaining a long list of organizations, phone numbers and eligibility requirements that can quickly become outdated, use current community directories to find appropriate services.

Find Local Services

Lanark & Renfrew Community Navigator

Find healthcare, mental health, counselling, settlement, youth, family and other community services.

Community & Social Services

211 Ontario – Find community, social, health and government services across Ontario.

Children & Youth

 One Stop Talk – Find mental health support for children and youth in Ontario.

Mental Health & Addiction Services

ConnexOntario – Find information about mental health and addiction services in Ontario.

Building Community Is Shared Work

You don’t need to be a settlement worker to help someone feel welcome.

You can be a neighbour who says hello.

A teacher who creates space for different experiences.

A coach who introduces someone to the team.

A business that makes its services easier to understand.

A municipality that makes information easier to access.

A healthcare provider who considers language and cultural barriers.

A community organization that invites newcomers into leadership.

Or simply someone willing to answer a question.

Small actions create familiarity. Accessible services make participation easier. Relationships create connection. And connection helps create communities where more people have the opportunity to participate, contribute and feel at home.