Every year, the Palestinian community in Winnipeg grows, and the people who make up this community desperately need a group that will help them settle and integrate into Winnipeg, which is now their new home. 

Nawras Zeid is our latest guest on Civic Platform. He is a Board Member of the Canadian Palestine Association of Manitoba (CPAM) and spoke about the organization's history and significance to the city's Palestinian population.

Zeid began by explaining the challenges of Palestinians when first coming to Winnipeg. He said that language and finding suitable housing are usually the first challenges for any newcomer to Winnipeg. Everything is new for them. CPAM helps them getting oriented to a situation that is quite different than in their home country where their cities are more compact and business is carried out differently. For example, he said people need to learn how to use buses, and cell phones are a necessity.  

"We do everything we can to help", he explains, but we can't do it all. The organization helps newcomers link up with all the many programs that the government and non-profit organizations provide.

Zeid spoke about his family's role in preserving Palestinian customs, traditions and fashion. He said that his family is the oldest Arab families in Winnipeg and they take it as their responsibility to help and to preserve Arab history, Palestinian history in particular, for future generations.

CPAM holds celebrations throughout the year and provide invitations to the larger Arab community to attend its activities. He says that at special events, they wear their traditional clothes and prepare dishes and foods from the Palestinian kitchen, so that the Canadian community can be introduced to the delicious Palestinian cuisine.

Zeid emphasized the importance of connecting with the broader Canadian community and letting them know that the Palestinian community is like any other in Canada. There are many in the professions, according to Zeid, but the backbone of the community are the hard workers and business owners. They want to build successful lives here in Canada and share their culture and stories with others. 

Stay tuned for more Civic discussions on Civic Platform: https://u-channel.ca/civic-journalism/  

Contact Zuher Almusre, our civic journalist, to share your story and explore civic issues at zuheralmusre@u-channel.ca.   

The project is funded by the Department of Canadian Heritage and administered by the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS).