Syrian refugees will get a warm welcome in many of Canada’s cultural institutions with free admission beginning in April.
The Canada Council for the Arts has created a fund to help newly arrived Syrian refugees get familiar with their new home.
The $200,000 fund will support arts organizations that would like to provide free access for refugees to a performance, exhibition or arts event in their communities.
“arts and culture can be a refuge, a celebration of diversity, and source of inspiration and connection”
In making the announcement in mid-December, 2015, Simon Brault, Director & CEO of the Canada Council for the Arts, said, “We know the welcome and integration of refugees is a highly complex and multifaceted process, and this initiative is one modest piece of much broader collective and national efforts. We also know that arts and culture can be a refuge, a celebration of diversity, and source of inspiration and connection. Our message on behalf of the arts community to newcomers is ‘welcome, we are so happy to have you in our communities, we welcome you to our spaces, performances and events when you are ready.’”
The two-year initiative will be provided by the national arts funding agency and Sun Life Financial.
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