Celebrating ten years of settlement services at New Dawn

Cape Breton Island Centre for Immigration becomes the New Dawn Newcomer Centre as part of milestone anniversary celebrations

Sydney, N.S. – New Dawn Enterprises is celebrating a decade of helping newcomers build lives, careers, and community connections in Unama’ki–Cape Breton. As part of its 10th anniversary celebrations, the Cape Breton Island Centre for Immigration (CBICI) will officially become the New Dawn Newcomer Centre.

Since opening its doors in 2016 with support from the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration (now Labour, Skills and Immigration), the Centre has evolved from a small team serving just over 100 newcomers a year to a leading settlement organization supporting thousands of newcomers, international students, families, workers, and refugees across Unama’ki–Cape Breton Island.

“Celebrating a decade doing this work is so humbling for me,” said Nadine Paruch, Manager of the New Dawn Newcomer Centre. “While reflecting on it, I feel fortunate to have been involved in the journeys of hundreds of people I have met along the way. I have had the privilege of witnessing incredible resilience, courage, and hope in people starting over and building a new life, often in the face of uncertainty.”

Over the past decade, the Centre has helped newcomers navigate everything from healthcare, transportation, education, employment, and financial literacy to community connections, cultural integration, and pathways to permanent residency and citizenship.

For Nadarni Headlam, the Centre was a place of belonging and connection after arriving in Cape Breton.

“I discovered the Centre on Instagram before coming to Canada, and after arriving in Cape Breton, I started attending their events to connect with my new community,” said Headlam. “I was able to visit numerous locations in Cape Breton and learn about the history of the island. I later became a volunteer, helping other newcomers feel welcome. Through the Centre, I started to build lasting friendships and now I am proud to say that I live, work and play in Unama’ki, the ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq people.”

Over the years, staff have developed innovative programs and services to address community needs, including specialized supports for international students, English language classes, employment readiness programming, and newcomer research initiatives that help shape local services and policies.

A key part of the Centre’s work is to amplify newcomer voices. Each year, the New Dawn Newcomer Centre conducts a survey with newcomers living on the island to better understand their experiences, challenges, strengths, and aspirations. The survey identifies emerging needs, highlights the contributions and assets newcomers bring to the community, and provides evidence-based recommendations that help guide the Centre’s programming while informing community partners, employers, educational institutions, and decision-makers. The annual survey has become an important tool for understanding the evolving newcomer experience in Cape Breton and ensuring services remain responsive, relevant, and effective.

“Ten years ago, I wasn’t really sure how to ‘do settlement’ or what the work would look like. Over time, I realized it looked like meeting people where they were, listening, learning, creating connections, ensuring folks felt valued, and helping them realize they had something to contribute,” Paruch said. “Settlement work is not just about providing services and running programs; it is about helping people, understanding, learning, and showing up. This is the most meaningful work I have ever been a part of.”

Rebecca MacDonald, the International Student Settlement Program Team Lead and recently licensed Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC), joined the staff at the Centre in 2021.

“I never knew what a life-changing decision it would be. The absolute highlight of my role has been the many incredible and inspiring newcomers I’ve met along the way. We have supported so many people through both challenging and joyful moments and helped many put down roots here on our island,” MacDonald said. “After 10 years, the most impactful part of our work for me has been the many friendships that have formed across community organizations, with clients, and within our team. I hope that we can continue building relationships for another 10 years.”

One of the Centre’s most visible contributions to community building has been the annual Kwe’ Unama’ki–Hello Cape Breton Festival, first launched in 2018. The festival features music, dance, food, and storytelling, celebrating the many cultures that now call Unama’ki–Cape Breton home and the diversity that enriches communities across the island.

The new name, New Dawn Newcomer Centre, reflects the commitment to helping newcomers establish roots and thrive while also recognizing its significant role within New Dawn’s broader mission of community development and inclusion.

The Centre will celebrate its 10^th anniversary with a barbeque on June 30 on the grounds of Eltuek Arts Centre in Sydney. The event will include refreshments, entertainment, and speeches by some of the staff, clients and friends from over the years.

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ABOUT NEW DAWN

New Dawn is Canada’s oldest Community Development Corporation. Since 1976, we’ve been working to create a more just, healthy, and self-determined community by responding to local needs and driving long-term, systems-level change. Today, New Dawn continues to focus on self-reliance, resilience, and community-led transformation. Every day, we engage thousands of community members and employ over 150 Cape Bretoners through programs and services that are practical, creative, and grounded in care. Our work spans health and social care, housing, the arts, youth and family services, immigration, and community development. Some of these services generate revenue, which we reinvest into our organization — fueling sustainability and deepening community impact.

ABOUT THE NEW DAWN NEWCOMER CENTRE

The New Dawn Newcomer Centre (formerly the Cape Breton Island Centre for Immigration) is a settlement services provider located in downtown Sydney, Unama’ki- Cape Breton, dedicated to welcoming and supporting all newcomers to the region. Its core mission is to help orient, connect, and advocate for immigrants, refugees, and international students to ensure their successful settlement and integration into the community.