I felt the excitement and energy as I entered the room at the citizenship ceremony organized by the ICC on September 24, 2018, at TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning. The seats slowly filled up around the round tables as the time approached for the event’s opening remarks. I walked to my table feeling nervous and excited at the same time. As an immigrant who received citizenship ten years ago, I remembered the feeling of finally becoming a Canadian citizen. A momentous milestone they are about to receive and experience.
Every year, thousands of individuals receive their Canadian citizenship. Roughly 3,000 citizenship ceremonies are held each year to welcome these new Canadians. The Institute for Canadian Citizenship organizes 75 of these ceremonies. A key component of an ICC citizenship ceremony are roundtable discussions, which are held before the official ceremony. During these roundtable discussions, new citizens and their guests have the chance to reflect on their journey and their aspirations, and on the meaning of active citizenship.
My role as an ICC Fellow was to host one of the roundtable discussions with soon-to-be citizens that sat at my appointed table. Together with my co–table host, a fellow Canadian citizen, we facilitated discussions on the participants’ journey to Canada, what it means to be Canadian, and how to become active citizens of Canada. After hearing their heartfelt stories, I reflected on how powerful citizenship can be.
We talked and shared our individual life journeys to Canada. To some people, being in Canada is a way out from violence. To some, it is a chance to start over again. To some, it’s a door for a better future for their kids. We talked about things they liked about living in Canada for the past few years before arriving to this citizenship ceremony day. Hearing different perspectives about the opportunities Canada offered to them made me realize how powerful Canadian citizenship is and how much it can play a big role in navigating their life in Canada.
When asked about how they can give back to Canada and how to become active citizens, a lot of folks talked about how ecstatic they were to be able to vote after they receive citizenship. Volunteering in their communities was listed as another way of giving back.
After reflecting on this experience, I realized that sometimes I’ve taken being Canadian and the opportunities that come along with it for granted. This also made me realize what a privilege it is to live in and be a citizen of Canada. It is a country described by many people as safe and a land full of possibilities.
It was such an honour to be part of this citizenship ceremony. It not only reminded me of my own citizenship journey, but also taught me to not take my citizenship for granted. Being a roundtable host during this ceremony reminded me of how fortunate it is to live in a country that welcomes newcomers and continues to build communities that are unique and inclusive.
These participants’ journeys to becoming a citizen definitely touched my heart and created a spark in me to continue to actively practice being a Canadian citizen.
April Alayon is a 2018–2019 ICC Fellow. For more information on the ICC Fellowship, visit https://forcitizenship.ca/icc-fellowship.
Photo: Institute for Canadian Citizenship / Alyssa Faoro
By April Alayon
ICC community citizenship ceremonies are a celebration of Canada’s newest citizens and offer unique opportunities to reflect on what it means to be active, engaged citizens. We were thrilled to work with Bishop’s University to welcome 40 new Canadian citizens at our ceremony in Sherbrooke, Quebec on October 4, 2018.
Below are a few highlights from the ceremony.
Photo Credit: Institute for Canadian Citizenship/Maxime Picard
ICC community citizenship ceremonies are a celebration of Canada’s newest citizens and offer unique opportunities to reflect on what it means to be active, engaged citizens. We were thrilled to work with the Parks Canada to welcome 50 new Canadian citizens at our ceremony at the Salt & Fir Centre, Fundy National Park (New Brunswick) on October 2, 2018.
Below are a few highlights from the ceremony.
Photo Credit: Nigel Fearon / ©Parks Canada/ Fundy National Park
ICC community citizenship ceremonies are a celebration of Canada’s newest citizens and offer unique opportunities to reflect on what it means to be active, engaged citizens. We were thrilled to work with the TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning to welcome 46 new Canadian citizens at our ceremony in Toronto on September 24, 2018.
Below are a few highlights from the ceremony.
Photo Credit: Institute for Canadian Citizenship/ Alyssa Faoro
I first visited Canada in 1984 during my graduate studies on Canadian literature and spent some time with Margaret Atwood at her home in Toronto. I returned the following two summers when I eventually met my husband and returned to Berlin married. I immigrated in 1987, had two daughters and worked various jobs until I settled on a career in the utility sector, which I retired from after 22 years in 2016.
I became a Canadian citizen this April after having lived here for 32 years. I waited this long because Germany usually does not accept dual citizenship and I wanted to keep my EU passport so my children can have both for life. I recently found out that acquiring an exception from Germany was becoming easier and could be achieved without a lawyer so I finally finished the paperwork. I find crossing the border to be much easier with a Canadian passport!
I have a lot of hobbies like cross stitching, knitting, crocheting, beadwork, reading, scrap booking, etc. My husband and I love traveling so we spend a lot of time exploring this country and the rest of the world.
I think the CAP [card] is a fantastic idea. We have been to several concerts with our free tickets from CAP and went to Banff National Park. I plan to visit the Bell Music Centre, TELUS Spark and Fort Calgary in the near future. I love art and museums: they teach about the diversity of our cultures and the history that formed this country. They also provide a chance to learn from past mistakes and ensure that Indigenous culture survives. I look forward to many more travels and would love to explore the eastern provinces some more.
About CAP: For nearly 10 years, the Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC) has delivered the Cultural Access Pass (CAP), an innovative, best-in-class program that gives new citizens access to Canadian culture. It’s time to shift CAP to the digital age. Support the ICC.
Be featured in our newsletter: Tag CAP and use the hashtag #CAPCanada in your social media posts for your chance to be the next CAP member or alumni featured, or send an email to cap@forcitizenship.ca
ICC community citizenship ceremonies are a celebration of Canada’s newest citizens and offer unique opportunities to reflect on what it means to be active, engaged citizens. We were thrilled to work with the Okanagan Regional Library to welcome 60 new Canadian citizens at our ceremony in Kelowna on August 15, 2018.
Below are a few highlights from the ceremony.
Photo credit: Institute for Canadian Citizenship/Kailey Frey
The ICC Fellowship provides the opportunity for young leaders from around the world to make a change in their own community through the creation and implementation of projects on inclusion and citizenship. This year’s fellowship launched with the Digital Citizens: 2018 ICC Fellowship Workshop, which took place on September 24, 2018, at Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre for Performance & Learning.
Photo Credit: Institute for Canadian Citizenship/ Alyssa Faoro
