Together Project helps newcomers feel at home

Volunteers
By: AV Kitching Posted: 6:00 AM CDT Monday, Jul. 27, 2026

Advertise with us

When refugee families first arrive in Winnipeg they are plunged into an alien culture.

Read this article for free:

or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

When refugee families first arrive in Winnipeg they are plunged into an alien culture.

Read unlimited articles for free today:

or

Already have an account? Log in here »

When refugee families first arrive in Winnipeg they are plunged into an alien culture.

Often fleeing dangerous circumstances, discrimination or war, displaced families are forced to navigate bewildering societal norms and cultural expectations in an unfamiliar environment.

It can often feel utterly overwhelming.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
Duha Wall volunteers doing translation and interpretation services with the Together Project. She also helps newcomers navigate the medical system and find housing. — MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS

Duha Wall volunteers doing translation and interpretation services with the Together Project. She also helps newcomers navigate the medical system and find housing.

And while government settlement agencies are an invaluable foundational resource, nothing can replace human connection and peer-to-peer guidance.

But friendships, especially the adult kind, are hard to forge even when points of commonality exist.

It’s even more difficult when you don’t speak the same language as everyone else.

Enter the Together Project, an initiative of the national charity and public foundation MakeWay, which launched in the province in June last year.

Operating in close partnership with IRCOM (Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba), the program connects refugee newcomers with welcome groups of local volunteers.

Volunteers are matched with families to provide an extra layer of community care, helping them adapt to life in Canada.

Designed as “micro-volunteerism,” volunteer groups of three to five people commit three to four hours per month over a three to six month period. Each cluster is structured to ensure no individual is wholly responsible for supporting a family.

Volunteers do not replace the role of formal social workers or legal experts, explains Ale Reverditto Galvez, Manitoba programs lead. They operate alongside professional caseworkers.

It’s a form of practical, boots-on-the-ground mentorship, focused on tasks like how to use the city’s transit services, register with a family doctor, or find out when the city’s garbage trucks are scheduled to pick up bins.

“We are not looking to duplicate services,” she says, pointing out that while not every single volunteer in a cluster has to speak in the native language of the newcomer family, the project mandates at least one person in the group should be able to.

“We are just there to be like a friendly neighbour that will help you … to teach you the ropes of your new city, to help you adapt and understand the cultural differences and what to do, what not to do.”

Duha Wall, 32, has been volunteering with Together Project since last September after being matched with an Arabic-speaking family. She acts as the team lead in her volunteer cluster.

Volunteer opportunities

The following is a list of volunteer opportunities for Winnipeg and surrounding areas. For more information about these listings, contact the organization directly. Volunteer Manitoba does not place volunteers with organizations but can help people find opportunities. To learn more about its programs and services, go to wfp.to/volunteers or call 204-477-5180.

The Manitoba Fibre Festival is looking for volunteers to help with setup, greeting guests, and supporting vendors and workshops at Red River Exhibition Hall from Sept. 10-12. Head to http://wfp.to/iMy and fill out the short online form to apply. Deadline is Sept. 1.

MIIC Welcome Place is searching for individuals who are interested in participating on its volunteer governance board of directors. The Welcome Place board is an active volunteer governing board with 10 to 12 members whose collective skills support the achievement of the organization’s goals. They are looking for board members who bring expertise in one or more of the following areas: financial management, fundraising, human resources, legal affairs, marketing and communications, or community networking. Meetings are every second month, 8 a.m., alternating between virtual and in-person. Apply online: http://wfp.to/iMj. Deadline is Oct. 31.

The Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada is seeking a BrainWave Committee Members for Community Outreach. This volunteer role involves securing event sponsors, negotiating with vendors, developing sponsorship proposals, and maintaining relationships with community partners. The position requires five to seven hours per month on a flexible schedule as part of a two-year term. Candidates should have one to three years of experience in event coordination or fundraising. Apply online: http://wfp.to/iM6. Deadline is Aug. 30.

Linden Woods Community Centre is looking for volunteers to help set up and take down its weekly farmers market. Volunteer duties will include: helping to prepare the parking lot for the market, setting up / takedown of vendor tents, directing vendors when they arrive to setup, helping to put away equipment and clean up at the end of the day. A staff member or co-ordinator will always be present at the market during these times as well. Please note that these shifts are physical in nature and will involve lifting and carrying items up to 30 pounds. Apply online: http://wfp.to/iMN. Deadline is Sept. 20.

Siloam Mission is looking for volunteer hairstylists for its community hair salon. By providing haircuts and basic styling, volunteers help boost the self-esteem of those in need. The salon promotes kindness and respect, welcoming clients from various backgrounds. Flexible scheduling is available during their hours (Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.). Hairstylists are required to bring their own tools. Shampoo, towels, blow dryers, combs and barbicide is available. Apply online: wfp.to/iMo. Deadline is Aug. 15.

Be a part of Team Folklorama — be a pavilion volunteer. A pavilion volunteer may be involved in various tasks such as an admissions attendant, working in guest services or the parking lot, assisting with beverage services, and participating in food preparation or food line services. They might also engage in green team or eco-initiatives, serve as table servers, handle video or sound tech, assist with cultural displays, manage the souvenirs section, or help with pavilion setup and takedown. Volunteers need to possess a friendly and outgoing personality, be punctual and reliable, and feel comfortable interacting and speaking with both children and adults. Apply online: bttr.im/46hcj. Deadline is July 27.

The Manitoba Down Syndrome Society seeks volunteers for the “Walk With Us 2026” event on Sept. 20. Volunteers will assist with hosting more than 400 attendees by filling various roles, such as setting up the event space, serving lunch, managing registration, maintaining the site, organizing raffles, entertaining children, and cleaning up afterwards. No specific experience is required, just enthusiasm and a desire to contribute. For ages 16-plus. Apply online: wfp.to/iMS. Deadline is Sept. 13.

Leftovers Foundation reduces food waste and prevents greenhouse gas emissions while supporting organizations meeting food needs in our communities. Volunteers can download our app to learn the time, date and location of a donation pickup (could be from local grocers, bakeries, cafés, farmers markets) and will transport the donation directly to a service agency in need (could be a shelter, low-income seniors housing, programming that supports newcomers). Volunteers can pick up single routes or can create regularly scheduled weekly routes. No commitment is necessary. We make sure that good, edible food stays out of the landfill and gets into the hands of community members who need it. Download the Leftovers Food Rescue App through the App store or Google Play. To learn more, visit rescuefood.ca. Deadline is Sept. 30.

The Tetra Society of North America is seeking dedicated volunteers in Winnipeg. It is looking for technical volunteers with engineering expertise, as well as engineering students, to help design and build customized assistive devices for people with disabilities. Outreach volunteers are also welcome to support community engagement and awareness activities. For more information and to register, please visit Tetra Volunteer Opportunities and complete the online registration form. Applications close Sept. 30.

The Canadian Red Cross needs volunteers. The Red Cross can show you how to help when disaster strikes. Apply at wfp.to/0pE, volunteer@redcross.ca or 1-844-818-2155.

She moved from Egypt to Canada 11 years ago, settling first in Vancouver with her family before moving to Montreal, then Toronto and finally landing in Winnipeg, where she’s been living since 2020.

“I do whatever the family needs; I help with translation, interpretation, help them navigate the medical system and housing and answer any questions they have about living in this new city and country.

“Part of being the welcome group lead is to also facilitate the communication between the family and my team as well as with Ale,” Wall explains.

Wall vividly remembers her initial meeting with the family which marked her very first time providing live translation.

“One thing I realized throughout that process is I’m very funny in Arabic, so it helped break the ice with the family when I was translating what Ale was saying back and forth. Initially they were like ‘OK, you’re here, what do you really do? What is this for? What do you get out of it?’ but by the end of that meeting they were appreciative of our presence,” she shares.

“The longer we talked, it shifted to ‘OK, we feel like family.’”

Wall’s desire to help stems from her own experience moving to Canada.

Despite being able to speak fluent English, she still experienced culture shock.

“I moved here because I wanted to,” she explains, “versus being a refugee and a newcomer in a country where you don’t speak the language. I can’t imagine how that feels. Realizing that I can bridge the gap by sharing what I know is so valuable to me.”

The family she volunteers with have reminded her of her own culture; she’s not just helping them, she’s being helped in return.

“I never thought of language being a commonality until I started working with Together Project. Talking to the family during that first interpretation session, where we still didn’t know anything about each other, but spoke in the same language, created trust and built a great foundation for the relationship.”

“Just having that familiarity embedded from the get-go is the greatest gift I can think of. They also bring back to me a lot of the culture that I’m not a big part of anymore. It’s very fulfilling. I like to think each person has the capacity to do certain things. And doing this kind of role doesn’t deplete me. It gives me purpose. “

Together Project is currently seeking volunteers who are passionate about community-building, enjoy making new social connections and are organized, sociable and culturally sensitive, to help newcomer families feel at home in Winnipeg.

For more information on how to apply visit togetherproject.ca.

If you know a special volunteer, please contact AV.Kitching@freepress.mb.ca

AV Kitching
Reporter

AV Kitching is an arts and life writer at the Free Press. She has been a journalist for more than two decades and has worked across three continents writing about people, travel, food, and fashion. Read more about AV.

Every piece of reporting AV produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.

Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.

Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.

AV Kitching
Reporter