Kids playing with a dragon they made in an OCCA Community Association art class.
Image Credit: OCCA Community Association - Yoshimi Nishimura
October 03, 2023 - 10:36 AM
A Kelowna based charity is developing new programs to help address the needs of immigrant families through extra curricular activities.
The OCCA Communities Association, formerly the Okanagan Chinese Canadian Association, helps families who are new to Canada by running affordable activities for kids, like its homework club and music lessons. It also runs workshops for parents, like its parenting forum.
“The program was designed to meet the unique needs of immigrants, newcomers, visible minorities and their children,” the association’s Executive Director, Dr. Hua Meng said.
The association aims to help kids transition to new schools and make new friends. It offers a free homework club and after school child care for $20 a month. It also offers a range of activities to help kids learn and play at the same time.
“Our goal is to make a safe and enjoyable environment conducive to learning socially, paired with physical activity. We try to combine them together including an art class, theatre class, and Chinese Kung Fu,” the association’s main activity coordinator, Yoshimi 'Sarah' Nishimura said.
One of the OCCA Community Association's guitar classes.
Image Credit: OCCA Community Association - Yoshimi Nishimura
Nishimura said she finds lots of joy in her job.
“Some kids come to our after school program and they’re very shy, don’t want to talk or they’re worried. We have kids who are Japanese, Ukrainian, everything. Then they tell their parents they are so happy to come to guitar class or drawing class,” Nishimura said. “The parents are happy that they feel safe, they not only get to play and learn something, but feel safe. This is where I find happiness in the work.”
The association helps immigrant parents take a more active role in their children’s education through its parenting forum which aims to answer questions parents have about the Canadian school system.
“We organize some seminars for parents, like one on the education system to teach them what the Canadian education system is about and how to raise kids in this new land,” Meng said.
The parenting forum takes place on the weekends in person or virtually.
In 2010 the association became an official charity and started receiving funds from the B.C. government to pay staff and offset the cost of running their programs.
The association plans to continue expanding their programs, including an upcoming program which helps immigrants learn new job skills through the Okanagan College.
Find out more about the association and its different programs or donate here.
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