Community Training Program

The Community Training Program (CTP) offers a range of interactive workshops on anti-discrimination with a focus on building welcoming spaces for newcomers to Canada.

Each workshop is a standalone offering and can be tailored to your organisation or setting. In this pilot stage, there is no cost associated with booking a workshop.

The Community Training Program is offered for free within the City and County of Peterborough. Organisations in Northumberland, Haliburton, and the City of Kawartha Lakes will be asked to cover the cost of transportation/mileage.

Available Workshops

Immigration 101

Immigration accounts for 65% of Canada’s annual population growth and this figure is expected to reach 100% by 2035.In this workshop, learn about the importance of immigration and the pathways to coming to Canada. This includes an overview of temporary resident, worker, permanent resident, international student, refugee statuses and more. A focus is placed on the local context in Nogojiwanong-Peterborough, how immigration status can impact access to services, and common myths and stereotypes about immigration. This workshop will include a balance of information sharing, small and large group discussion, and activities.

This workshop is 2-hours in length.

It can be delivered in-person or virtually.

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

Learn why immigration is important to Canada.
Understand why Canada can be an attractive destination for immigrants.
Familiarize themselves with the different pathways to immigrate to Canada.
Learn and reflect on some of the requirements and challenges that newcomers might face during their stay in the country.
Refeclt on how stereotypes about immigration form and how it impacts the lives of those settling.
Learn about where newcomers are coming from (to Peterborough) and what languages they speak.
Learn about where newcomers are coming from and where in Canada they are settling.

Understanding & Practicing Cultural Humility

Cultural Humility is a framework for working across cultures that emphasizes self-exploration, self-reflection, and learning from others. This workshop takes participants through the framework, applied to human services settings. It offers tools and strategies for working with newcomers to Canada and cross-cultural communication rooted in empathy and understanding. This workshop also explores foundational concepts around bias, discrimination and stereotypes. This workshop will include a balance of information sharing, small and large group discussion, and activities.

This workshop is 3-hours in length.

It is only delivered in-person.

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

Learn what cultural humility is and why it is important.
Distinguish between concepts of cultural humility and cultural competence.
Identify and challenge their own cultural biases.
Demonstrate empathy and openness to different viewpoints.
Reflect on the value of diversity.
Apply learning to real-world scenarios.
Utilise tools to practice cultural humility.
Practice effective cross-cultural communication.

In the Shoes of a Language Learner

This experiential workshop aims to provide participants with insights into the challenges faced by newcomers who are learning a new language while settling into a new country. Through interactive activities and scenarios, participants will gain a deeper understanding of the language learning journey and learn practical strategies for engaging newcomers whose first language is not English. This workshop includes an experiential element, activities, resource sharing, and small and large group discussion.

This workshop is 2-hours in length.

It can be delivered in-person or virtually.

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

Gain insight into language learners' experiences.
Recognize the impact of language on settlement.
Foster empathy and patience.
Learn and apply language learning strategies.
Practice cross-cultural communication skills.
Reflect on creating inclusive and welcoming spaces.
Utilize learning in practical scenarios.
Grow as inclusive community members.
Strengthen collaborative efforts.

Building Empathy and Understanding through Stories

This workshop explores the role of empathy in fostering understanding and connection through storytelling. It provides participants with practical tools for practicing active empathy. We start by listening to a Living Library speaker share their story of settlement. Following the story, we will explore challenges and opportunities of settlement and how we can build understanding and empathy when meeting new people.

This workshop is 2-hours in length.

It can be delivered in-person or virtually.

This workshop is well-suited for elementary and high-school classrooms.

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

Understand what empathy is and how it can foster connections across cultures.
Practice active empathy through listening, understanding emotions, and responding with genuine care.
Appreciate the power of storytelling as a bridge to share experiences and perspectives.
Improve cross-cultural communication.
Promote inclusive communities where diverse voices are heard, valued, and understood.
Apply empathy in real-life scenarios through interactive exercises.
Promote personal growth and self-awareness through reflection.

Ready to book a workshop?

Contact Bhisham Ramoutar, Manager of Community Development at [email protected]

Testimonials

"Well rounded interactive and informative session that all Canadians should have the priveledge of participating in to get a broader perspective on Immigration in Canada."

"Immigration 101 is a powerful introduction to why immigration is important and how it impacts each one of us. Bhisham and Maurico were engaging and helped us to understand many of the misconceptions and stereotypes around immigration. I will apply what I learned to my work with older adults and caregivers, in a human resources capacity, as well as to all aspects of my personal life."

"Bhisham and Mauricio are expert facilitators. They have a way of taking big concepts and distilling them into easily digestible explanations. They both have a lot of patience and work to relate to all comments in a way that maintains a safe learning environment. Highly recommend this workshop."

"I wanted more than 2 hours...such good discussions seeing people realize things that they hadn't before. It was very humbling. I strongly encourage others to use this presentation for their teams, it opens conversations that you may not otherwise be aware of how to start."