Canadian Minister of Immigration Diane Finley recently announced the allocation of $1.4 million to fund a mentorship program in the Kitchener-Waterloo andCambridge regions of Ontario.

The new program will provide newcomers with “one-on-one assistance from volunteers who guide their efforts to find workin their chosen field,” explains John Haddock of the YMCA Kitchener-Waterloo and the YMCA Cambridge. Newcomer professionals will be matched withexperienced local Canadian professionals.

Currently, the YMCA Cross Cultural and Community Services manages a Host Program which teams up newcomers with Canadian volunteers. The host volunteerspractice language skills with new immigrants and help them with finding contacts in their field of work and adjusting to life in Canada. In addition to theMentorship program, the YMCA also offers a Newcomer Youth Support program, a School Support program, and a Senior Support program, which provide targetedassistance to each of these groups of newcomers.

With the increased funding from Citizenship and Immigration Canada, an additional 1,350 newcomers to Ontario will benefit from the Mentorship program.