Intercultural learning
Building intercultural awareness and understanding is key to equitable community as we all strive to live, work, and play together.
Valuing diversity through cultural sharing and dialogue
Bringing together all community members - adults, children, families from all cultures - allows them to learn about, understand, and value different world views. WMS does this by creating regular opportunities for local cultural sharing and intercultural dialogue.
Every month, WMS brings local newcomers, immigrants and community members together to cook a meal from, and learn about, a different culture. Check out our Multicultural Cookbook, join as a participant, as a chef (sharing a dish or two from your culture), or volunteer to help organize these fun events.
2022 was the second year WMS offered a multicultural summer camp for local children aged 7 to 12. Our goal is to introduce children to local cultures in a fun, safe, and enquiring environment. Each Day Camp is led by local immigrants who customize each day's activities with their own cultural heritage: their language, food, games, crafts, music, song, and dance.
From 2012 to 2019 WMS (then a local community group, the Whistler Multicultural Network) organized the annual Whistler Multicultural Festival, a celebration of local diversity and cultures. Run entirely by local immigrant volunteers, it became an annual tradition till COVID. We moved online in 2020, and plan to be back in person in 2023.
In January 2022, WMS launched 'Building Inclusive Communities' inviting both immigrants and community members to discuss immigration, multiculturalism, diversity and equity, and belonging across the Sea to Sky and Sunshine Coast. Focused on actual community members, we invited panelists for their views, but we also interviewed a number of immigrants. In this way, and through written and other video interviews, we aim to bring the voice of immigrants and newcomers to our communities.
Multiculturalism
Diversity and Equity
Belonging
Immigration
Learning resources
Meet local immigrants and newcomers, find views, news, statistics, information, and learning resources about diversity and equity.
Want to know about local diversity and statistics? Also check out our blog, and youtube channel for articles, interviews, statistics, surveys, and updates on local cultural diversity and equity, discrimination, and bias.
WMS is part of the Resilience BC Anti-Racism Network, a province-wide approach to connect communities with information, supports, and training they need to respond to, and prevent incidents of, racism and hate. Subscribe to our Resilience Whistler newsletter to access information, updates and access to training, workshops and other materials and resources to grow your interracial competence and understanding. If you'd like to get involved in anti-racism activities and initiatives locally, contact info@wmsociety.ca
As part of our work with Resilience BC, WMS maintains a summary of anti-racism education, resources and materials that we have found useful; check it out at Resources.