Envisioning the Future of Manitoba’s Cultural Communities

Envisioning the Future of Cultural Communities was a 3-hour interactive workshop organized by the Coalition of Manitoba Cultural Communities for Families Inc. (C.M.C.C.F.)  

The workshop was in partnership with: 

• The Manitoba Association of Newcomer Serving Organizations (MANSO); 
• African Communities of Manitoba Inc. (ACOMI); 
• The Ethnocultural Council of Manitoba (ECCM);
• The Manitoba Islamic Association (MIA); 
• and U-Multicultural Channel.

And was supported by:  

• The Winnipeg Foundation;
• and the Government of Canada. 

A proven method for fostering cross-cultural understanding involves active participation within the community and open dialogue. This may encompass convening individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds to address shared concerns and explore ways to enhance social cohesion and bridge-building. 

Additionally, it may entail providing education and training to empower individuals and communities to develop vital intercultural communication skills, empathy, and mutual understanding. 

In this workshop, various organizations collaborated by forming four teams to envision the future roles that cultural communities might play in fortifying Canada. While it’s challenging to predict the precise roles these communities will assume, the four teams used activities like Lego games to create forward-looking scenarios to improve people’s lives. 

These four teams were enthusiastic about involving cultural communities in the democratic process to advance and uphold democratic principles, which include freedom of expression, the right to vote, and the protection of human rights. 

They also aimed to ensure that everyone contributes to a diverse array of ideas and opinions, which are fundamental to a robust democracy, and to promote a more informed and engaged citizenry. 

– Zuher Almusre, U Multicultural