Abstract
Over the past 10 years, many changes have taken place in the Niagara Region. First, the amalgamation of 12 municipalities containing cities, towns, and townships has merged to create the Niagara Region. Second, this region has seen an increase in immigration and settlement, while the public image of the Region remains to be a particularly white community. Operating as a ‘border town’ also situates us within a contentious political climate. The Folk Arts Council of St. Catharines Multicultural Centre is one of the few centres providing services to newcomers and refugees in the region. The Youth Host Program is unique in its focus on the challenges and strengths for newcomer youth and provides assistance in schools and in the community. Rainbow Youth Services is another community programme that provides services for the Region’s gender and sexual diverse communities. Official Pride festivities have only recently begun in this area amongst debates surrounding how safe is it for gender and sexual diverse communities to be ‘visible’. How does this new sector aim to develop in partnership with community members and respond to their needs while still promoting and advancing social justice and equity? This chapter explores some of the emerging themes, challenges, and celebrations included in the diversification of a traditionally white community and focuses on the social advocacy of programmes and services of the Folk Arts Council of St. Catharines Multicultural Centre and Rainbow Youth Services. Future directions will also be explored, and the need for social policies and community services to respond to intersecting social identities of youth will be highlighted.
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Ajandi, J., Neamtz, M. (2017). Immigration in the Niagara Region: Youth Perspectives of the Small City. In: Tibe Bonifacio, G., Drolet, J. (eds) Canadian Perspectives on Immigration in Small Cities. International Perspectives on Migration, vol 12. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40424-0_10
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