Calgary organization helping support rising number of young newcomers

A Calgary organization that assists young newcomers is seeing an increase in the number of families in need of support.

The Calgary Bridge Foundation for Youth (CBFY) supports children and young adults who have a difficult time integrating into their schools and communities with a number of settlement supports.

Lorraine Kinsman, CBFY director of programs, says the organization typically deals with newcomers from five to 24 years old.

"When I came in, in 2022, up to that point we had on average about 2,500 students a year that we serve between the Calgary Board of Education and the Calgary Catholic School District," she said.

"Last year we had just under 11,000."

CBFY has a diverse staff of close to 75 full-time workers and more than 40 part-time workers. Eighty-five per cent of the staff members are immigrants themselves.

When Kinsman started with CBFY, she said the number of students referred from both school boards was manageable for it's staff, but as the numbers increase, the staffing level has remained unchanged.

"One of my greatest wishes is that as a non-profit sector, that we find ways to work more closely together and collegiately," she said.

"Because I really think that's the only way we're going to be able to manage the numbers and the challenges that we're seeing."

CBFY programs are based around helping newcomers find ways to belong, such as helping them get registered for school, figuring out the busing system and learning how to dress for winter.

It offers a multitude of after-school leadership programs to learn the language and build social skills."

Yeganeh Narouni, 18, is from Iran and has been in Calgary for a year. She says it was difficult moving to a new country.

"I was depressed for months, I was crying, I felt homesick," she said. "I didn't know what to do, especially I felt like I didn't belong here."

Narouni says the programs at CBFY helped her embrace Canadian life.

"They specifically have some fun programs like field trips and ice skating," she said. "And I was a dancer so they had also dance program where I found new friends, I had the best time of my life."

Narouni received a scholarship from CBFY and is enrolled at Bow Valley College in it's digital design program and now says she feels like a part of the community.

"I think our goal always is to produce kids who are going to be strong citizens going forward," said Kinsman.

"We want to help them understand what the Canadian culture consists of and learn to love to live in Canada."

Since 1990, the CBFY has empowered tens of thousands of immigrants, refugees and newcomer youth and families to fulfill their potential in Canadian society.

Learn more about the Calgary Bridge Foundation for Youth on its website.