Winston Szeto · CBC News · Posted: Mar 20, 2022 7:00 AM PT Newcomer Cindy Chan graduated from Dalhousie University in the early ’90s and directed learning programs for three Hong Kong universities for 25 years before immigrating to Vancouver in January 2021. But despite her Canadian degree and wealth of overseas work experience, she says she had a … Read more
Last month, we introduced our Food Skills For Families to build food literacy skills for newcomer women, teaching them how to prepare and cook new and unfamiliar foods and to develop nutritional knowledge and budgeting skills. Our program includes supplementary food hampers and bus tickets, increasing access. The program was created with an understanding that … Read more
PIRS is gravely concerned by the growing humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine. According to the WHO, over 18 million people have been affected by the conflict to date and since February 24, 2022 over 3 million refugees have arrived in neighbouring countries, with many more in need of protection and support within … Read more
For over 20 years, Cindy Chan led innovative programs and projects at prominent universities in Hong Kong. When she arrived in Canada in 2021, she was eager to find work that allowed her to contribute her leadership experience in higher education student services. After settling down in Vancouver, Cindy started looking for work. “I was … Read more
Inge Bailey joined the PIRS community as a volunteer in the mid 1980s, and is still an active contributor to PIRS today. As a board member during the early days of PIRS, she has seen the organization go through enormous growth and many big changes, and has also seen the long lasting impact of trauma-informed programs … Read more
xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) territories/Vancouver, B.C VANCOUVER, March 8, 2022—Pacific Immigrant Resources Society (PIRS) is embarking upon a 2.5-year initiative to create a feminist pandemic response and recovery by strategizing systemic change in the child care sector. The Building A Child Care System That Works for Immigrant and Refugee Women project is … Read more
VICTORIA, December 9th, 2021 Released by BC Ministry of Attorney General Seventy organizations receive grants for anti-racism data engagement Community organizations throughout B.C. are receiving funding to help them engage their members on race-based data collection as the Province moves forward with anti-racism data legislation. “We made a commitment to move forward on anti-racism data legislation in … Read more
“Painting, creating, and playing give children, especially those who have experienced trauma, the chance to express themselves in creative ways. They don’t feel pressured or judged. When children paint, it shows us how they feel, and sometimes, they will start talking about how they feel.” – Chelsea, PIRS Pop-Up Childcare Worker Before the break, our … Read more
Our PIRS community is so grateful and lucky to have volunteers, donors, and mentors who have been with us since the beginning, and we love learning from their stories and wisdom! Gyda became connected to PIRS over forty years ago, when PIRS was based in the Strathcona area, because of her background in Early Childhood … Read more
Have you met Hamida? In February 2020, Hamida joined our PIRS family as a participant. In only five months, she quickly graduated from our LEAD, Building Bridges, and Moving Forward programs! Her enthusiasm for learning was followed by her eagerness to help others, as she immediately became a PIRS volunteer when we started our Emergency … Read more