Mennonite Pastor Ryan Dueck has optimism but realizes the challenges refugees face as his church’s from Syria to Lethbridge campaign continues.
As Canadians prepare to welcome 25,000 Syrian refugees over the coming months, Lethbridge has kicked it into high gear to prepare for more than 200 who will be moving to the city.
A steering committee to help welcome and plan for refugees was initiated by city hall a number of weeks ago and social development manager, Diane Randell, highlights what role the committee will play during this period.
“We are here to make sure all the systems are in place in order to be responsive to what their needs are, Immigrant services with Lethbridge Family Services are the ones that are taking the lead role and the steering is there to support them and the work they need to have done.”
Immigration Services at LFS is mainly focused on government-sponsored refugees while Lethbridge Mennonite Church pastor Ryan Dueck and his church are privately sponsoring two families.
Dueck believes Canadian winter might be one of the larger challenges refugees face when coming to Lethbridge, but doesn’t rule ignorance out of the equation.
“I haven’t heard any reports of Islamophobia, does that mean it doesn’t exist? Absolutely not, I’ve heard it from people. It’s important to note that not every family coming from Syria is Muslim,” Dueck said.
His church started a campaign called From Syria to Lethbridge and they have seen tremendous support form the community regardless of any closeted fear because he believes there is a human connection overtaking opposing opinions.
“Many of them have suffered incredibly, so there’s a human aspect to it where people are willing to say, let’s open our arms,” Dueck said.
Dueck’s perception of Lethbridge’s willingness to accept refugees into the community is not only limited to his campaign but expands to everyday Lethbridgians like Jessica MacDonald.
“They’re just as scared of the new change as we are. We have to open our arms and be welcoming to them. We have to remember if it was us being transferred to somewhere else, we have similar problems and issues we’d have to deal with,” MacDonald said.
Even with the support of the general Lethbridge community, Dueck hopes the refugees and the struggles they will face don’t become victims of the news cycle.
“Sustaining a commitment to welcoming them and to making them feel this is a home for them and creating lives for them here. Moving on to five or 10 years down the road, how are we doing to do our part as a community to integrate them into our lives?” Dueck said.
Pastor Dueck, his church and the From Syria to Lethbridge community is optimistic in believing the arrival and support of the refugees can help all of Canada treat everyone with dignity.
Canada likes to talk about multiculturalism a lot but there’s a lot of suspicion, a lot of racism still whether it’s to first nations people or to people of different cultures we can’t understand or try to understand as good as we should,” Dueck said.
For more information on the initiative, visit From Syria to Lethbridge on Facebook or contact Immigration Services at Lethbridge Family Services.
