New Leadership Program launched to inspire immigrant youth retention to help grow New Brunswick

by New Brunswick Multicultural Council
December 7, 2017

Last year, over 4,000 newcomers were welcomed in New Brunswick and recently, the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council’s (APEC) report card estimated approximately 5,500 newcomers in 2017. Communities across the province are becoming more diverse and youth interactions are becoming richer, more dynamic, and multicultural.

NBMC is launching Imagine NB – a bilingual 2 year leadership accelerator for immigrant youth. The program will encompass leadership development workshops, meetings with elected officials and key leaders, mentorship, and the opportunity for immigrant youth to impact the province with their unique talents and perspectives.

“NBMC is spearheading several exciting projects this year, and Imagine NB is one I personally feel very passionate about,” says Executive Director, Alex LeBlanc. “We want to help build a more multicultural, diverse, and innovative New Brunswick, and we need the voice and leadership of immigrant youth to do that.”

President of the NBMC, Mike Timani, equally echoes the sentiment that focusing and investing in the successful development of immigrant youth is a key component from a provincial-prosperity perspective: “Youth are driving forces in the future of this province and we not only need to welcome them but we need to also create opportunities for them to develop as leaders.” Timani added “We need to help immigrant youth be better positioned to play active key roles in our collaborative efforts to grow New Brunswick”.

On October 28th, 28 immigrant youth from different regions in the province were selected by a committee of judges to represent the Imagine NB Youth Delegation. The first in the series of retreats is schedule to take place on December 8th to 10th in the city of Saint John, NB. The retreat’s agenda includes a combination of workshops, guest speakers, site visits, and program on-boarding activities.

This program is made possible through the partnership with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the New Brunswick Department of Education (EECD), and the Post-Secondary Education, Training, and Labour Department (PETL).