The Newcomer Welcome Centre, a regional gateway for newcomers, held a small celebration Oct. 26 to mark two special milestones: receiving the inaugural 2012 SCBEX for a Non-Profit, and the launch of their comprehensive website.
The Centre’s Executive Director Icasiana de Gala welcomed guests who had come to help celebrate.
“The website is more than a year in the making, and part of that was waiting for an approval,” de Gala explained. Settlement Advisor Claudia Munoz and Information Services Advisor Agnese Vilde both worked on the project.
“I just want to applaud all three employees,” said Board Chair Keleah Ostrander. “I think it’s an amazing website that will offer some new exposure both to the Centre and the City of Swift Current. Feel free to promote it to all of your networks and to people who are considering moving to Swift Current or the region, either from within Canada or outside.”
Vilde gave guests a visual tour of the website using a projection screen. “About Us” features information about the Centre and its mission, as well as a link to newsletters and reports. The “Links” tab offers a comprehensive drop down menu connecting visitors to a variety of government and community organizations and services, employment opportunities, housing, health care, education and even driving information. The “Events” tab brings up a page of community events and “Contact” lists phone numbers, email and provides a map of the Centre’s location.
Currently the website is in English only, but as the Centre grows de Gala is hoping to have some translations available.
Melanie Davis, Labour Market Services, Ministry of the Economy, who played a role in finalizing governmental approval, said, “I’m so pleased. The website looks fantastic and I’m just thrilled.”
De Gala hopes to make some improvements to the website as time and funding allow. “We’d like to make it more interactive, maybe put a blog there.”
Additional features will also include community service clubs and organizations.
“It is our duty to let [newcomers] know what is there for them. Eventually we hope to feature everyone. It’s the Welcome Centre website, but this is our goal to let everyone know about the community, what is available in the community, and what newcomers can access to make their lives easier to get settled and stay.”
