Common Threads - Samuel Centre For Social Connectedness — Samuel Centre For Social Connectedness
Common Threads

Fostering Belonging for Newcomers and Asylum Seekers

Common Threads uses the power of social connectedness to support forced migrants and newly arrived people who are re-settling in Montréal, Canada.

CommonThreadsWebpageImage

Creating Connection Through Food

The Honouring Culture Through Food gatherings bring people together to connect through food and cultivate space where newly arrived people have the agency to lead, co-create, and share. At each gathering, a participant volunteers to cook a meal that is meaningful for them and to share their culture with others.

Welcoming Newcomers to Montréal

Montrealers of all ages and backgrounds gather regularly to welcome asylum seekers who have recently arrived. The welcome sessions support newcomers in creating a sense of belonging and offer a space where newly arrived people and Montrealers can share essential information about life in the city and experiences of re-settling.

VOLUNTEER: Be Part of Common Threads

Volunteers are vital to fulfilling the mission of Common Threads. And, there’s a role for everyone! From welcoming newcomers, to spreading awareness, to planning gatherings there are many ways you can get involved. To express your interest, fill out the short online form and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Submit the Volunteer Form

PARTNERS

Our community gatherings are made possible by our partners.

welcome-collective-logoPRAIDA-logosun-youth-logoWelcome-Haven-Logo

 

PROGRAM IMPACT

1,300-asylum-seekers-welcomed-and-160-volunteers

RESEARCH

Through our Social Connectedness Fellowship program, we support research on the complex factors driving people from their homes and the multi-faceted process of connecting in new communities. 

Social Connectedness as Fostering Relationships between Indigenous Peoples & Newcomers to Canada: Gaps, Facilitations, & Future Directions by Paarth Mittal, Social Connectedness Fellow 2022 

Considering Alternatives to Immigration Detention: Implementing Community-Based Case Management Through Newcomer Support Services and Organizations in Ontario by Waghma Ahmadzay, Social Connectedness Fellow 2022  

The Unique Strengths and Weaknesses of Refugee Integration in Second Tier Cities by Sarah Roberts, Social Connectedness Fellow 2020

The Post-Migration Mental Health of Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Quebec by Priya Nair, Social Connectedness Fellow 2019

Community-based Approaches to the Integration of Refugees and Asylum seekers in Montreal by Céline de Richoufftz, Social Connectedness Fellow 2018

Asylum Seekers and Refugees with Intellectual Disabilities in Europe by Amy Luce, Social Connectedness Fellow 2018

Facilitating Resilience-Building and Social Connectedness in the Refugee and Asylum Seeker Population of Greater Montreal by Ana Sofia Hibon, Social Connectedness Fellow 2017

STORIES 

What We Leave Behind: an oral history series by Priya Nair, Social Connectedness Fellow 2019. What We Leave Behind features the personal stories of people who were forced to flee their homes. The video series shows the common threads between us, emphasizing how each of us share a connection to people, places, and memories, regardless of where we may be from or where we may be going.