WE Belong Podcast

Originally from Palestine, Riham moved to Canada with her family in 2001 when she was a teenager. She shares how her experiences with racism following 9/11 inspired her to embrace her identity and how she supports her community through her work at the University of Windsor, her private therapy practice, and her role as WE LIP Vice Chair.

Emily came to Windsor from Lima, Peru as an international student during the pandemic. She shares her experience of choosing Windsor, arriving here, obtaining her Post-Graduate Work Permit, and why she stayed in the region.

Kelsey Santarossa, Director of Community and Workforce Development at Workforce WindsorEssex, discusses the intersection of immigration and workforce development in the region while reflecting on the stories shared over the first ten episodes of the WE Belong podcast.

As a young woman in Afghanistan, Kainat was not allowed to work or go to school. Since coming to Canada with her family in search of safety and opportunity, she has been able to start her education, pursue her dreams, and become a leader for other newcomer youth with the help of the New Canadians' Centre of Excellence's Youth Resource Centre (YRC).

This episode is entirely in french. Bafoe est arrivé à Windsor en 2019 et, grâce au soutien du Collège Boréal, il s'est découvert une nouvelle carrière inattendue.

Amidst a divorce, Blanca came to Canada from Mexico and was left separated from her kids and with no permanent housing when the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Deciding to try her luck in Leamington, she came across South Essex Community Council who helped her get back on her feet.

Karyna shares her story of escaping Ukraine to find a new home in Windsor, how she's already picking up some Canadian habits, and and how she has found solace in helping others at a local organization her helped her, Windsor Women Working With Immigrant Women (W5).

Iryna left everything behind when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and made her way to Windsor. She found support at UHC Hub of Opportunities and their Ready to Work program.

Nedaa is an educated professional from Palestine who, upon moving to Windsor, had to restart from scratch. Thankfully, she discovered peers and programs that could support her at Women's Enterprise Skills Training, or WEST.

Abdulfetah is a settlement worker and former client at the YMCA of Southwestern Ontario. He shares his experiences of arriving in Windsor as a refugee and how he uses his experience to help others.

Fitsum arrived in Canada only a few months ago as a refugee, and like many newcomers to the region, one of her first stops was at the Greater Essex County District School Board's Language Assessment and Resource Centre.

In this introductory episode, we sit down with Ronnie Haidar, the Chair of the Windsor Essex Local Immigration Partnership (WE LIP) to talk about our history, role in the community, and ongoing work to make Windsor-Essex a welcoming community.

To celebrate the Semaine Nationale de l'Immigration Francophone (National Francophone Immigration Week), this episode is entirely in french!

Dans cet épisode, on entrevue Muhiadian Osman, un jeune francophone originaire de Djibouti, et Marie Eve P. Stroesser du Centre d'Ado au Centre Communautaire Francophone Windsor-Essex-Kent (CCFWEK).

What is the WE Belong Podcast?