Ottawa Kurdish Community Association

Our Tasks And Goals

The following provides more details on our purpose and mission.

Integration and Capacity Building

Supporting both Kurdish newcomers to Canada and Kurdish-Canadians already residing in Ottawa, Canada to always be integrated into the Canadian society and contribute to important capacity building initiatives.

1.1 Government

  • Identifying through a professional outreach system, all Kurdish-Canadians in Ottawa, in need of government help and providing them with the necessary information and/or being the lead communicator with government officials and associations that will be providing the help.
  • Identifying through a systematic, professional and confidential surveillance system, the contact information of all Kurds in Ottawa in order to create unity and develop important relations with municipal, provincial, and federal elected officials and or federal Canadian departments.

 

1.2 Business & Work Force

  • Creating and maintaining a business directory owned by Kurds.
  • Providing resources and aid in an effort to obtain employment i.e. resume writing, job-searching workshops, conducting mock interviews, etc.
  • Establishing relations and building networks with Canadian businesses, government employers and programs in order to help Kurdis in Ottawa benefit from all of the available resources and opportunities in Canada.

1.3 Educational and Skills Development

  • Providing guidance and support on career choices for those trying to enter college and/or university.
  • Aiding in the application process to college and/or university.
  • Starting a scholarship program in the major Canadian Universities and Colleges.
  • Providing professional training sessions on such things as; leadership, organization and time-management skills and people-management skills.

1.4 Social and Psychological Aid

  • Helping Kurdish families in the planning, organization and announcements of their wakes and funerals.
  • Providing emotional support related to traumatic events or other personal affairs, especially for newcomers.
  • Providing direct psychological help or direction to other professional resources.

1.5 Legal Aid

  • Providing legal aid or direction to other professional legal resources.

1.6 Encouragement of Children and Youth

  • Encouraging creativity within the youth by getting them involved in their own community activities.
  • Recruiting volunteers from the youth and awarding volunteer certificates.
  • Helping and aiding to organize camps and other activities.
  • Helping and supporting the establishment of Kurdish-Canadian youth associations in Ottawa.

1.7 Women's Empowerment

  • Helping and supporting the establishment of women’s associations in Ottawa.
  • Support and rally for the rights of Kurdish women everywhere and in Canadian society, including the prevention of domestic violence against women and children.

1.8 Developing Partnerships

  • Getting in touch and creating meaningful relations between all Kurdish-Canadian individuals and entities and with other ethnic and cultural person(s) and entities in Canada.
  • Gathering and retaining information about services and activities available to Kurds through other similar entities in Canada.
  • Creating a national team of volunteers to be cultural ambassadors that attend and work with other entities on seminars, conferences, social activities, festivals, and cultural events.

Promoting Kurdish Heritage


Promoting the Kurdish Heritage to Ottawa through the means below.

2.1 Education

  • Continuing to hold and grow the number of Kurdish classes in Ottawa that currently teach the youth about Kurdish language, history, and culture. We currently have kurdish classes being held in the Ottawa School board.
  • Introducing the Kurdish language and culture to the public through the course of exhibitions, seminars and conferences and through summer festivals in Ottawa.
  • Encouraging the presence of Kurdish clubs in Universities and Colleges.

2.2 Celebratory Events

  • Planning annual events such as Newroz and the Kurdish Heritage Festival that are open to all Canadians.
  • Planning concerts, picnics, summer festivals and general entertainments events that are open to all Canadians.

2.3 Dance and Food

  • Performing Kurdish dances and providing taste testing of Kurdish dishes at various cultural events, festivals and conferences in Ottawa and Toronto.

2.4 Commemorations

Planning annual commemoration events such as Halabja and Anfal and inviting important government of Canada officials and international ambassadors so they can learn more about the Kurdish history

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