Kababayan Multicultural Centre Welcomes Immigrants at Toronto Newcomer Day

Since 2015, Toronto Newcomer Day has been connecting organizations, like Kababayan Multicultural Centre, to thousands of newcomers looking for support, community, and someone they can rely on to make settling in Canada much more understandable.  

Kababayan Multicultural Centre (KMC) sees a world where strong immigrant communities have full and equal access to Canada’s economic, political, and socio-cultural opportunities. Our programs work towards making this world a reality by putting the needs of our clients at the heart of everything we do. 

However, reaching the people we need to help can sometimes be difficult. That is why events like Toronto Newcomer Day are so important to organizations like KMC.

KMC has been participating in Toronto Newcomer Day for many years. Meeting as many newcomers as possible, as early as possible, helps them to know how our programs and services can address many of their unique needs.  

KMC staff were joined by our Canada Summer Jobs staff and one of our Board of Directors, Leny Rose Simbre (leftmost), to welcome visitors to the event.

It has also allowed newcomers to witness, in person, the type of kindness and community that exists within our multicultural city.

Nothing is Better than Meeting Face-to-Face  

Tuesday, May 28, 2025, marked the 11th year of Toronto Newcomer Day.  

The weather looked promising, with tiny pockets of sunshine appearing in between the gloomy clouds. White tents were everywhere in front of the city hall. Food trucks were parked in front of the “Toronto” sign, and floods of people walked between vendors and booths, searching for the services that best suited their needs. 

Our booth's first point of interest was the jeepney frame that people could use for selfies.  

As a distinct display of Filipino culture, our jeepney prop caught the eyes of those who recognized its uniqueness, its familiarity (if you were a Filipino visiting our booth) and how fun it would be to take a picture with something never-before-seen in Canada. Thanks to the help of our enthusiastic CSJ staff, our jeepney had many ‘passengers’ that day. 

Prizes were another way we welcomed newcomers into our community at the event. 

The most popular way to win a prize at our booth was by translating three words on a board with words from different languages scattered all over it. The words chosen were based on the most common languages spoken in Toronto, which include Mandarin, Cantonese, Tamil, Tagalog, Spanish, Arabic, and many more! 

People seemed to gravitate towards this game, stopping in the middle of their walk to point out the words they recognized, saying them out loud to us without even knowing prizes could be won.  

It was like watching someone run into a good friend they weren’t expecting to see. Smiles instantly grew across the faces of each participant, making our hearts warm and our day out in the cold much easier. 

Lastly, in exchange for a prize, we interviewed a few of our participants to ask a few questions about what their experience has been like living in Canada. Overall, to them, Canada is proving to be a safe place for self-expression and self-exploration for newcomers and immigrants alike. It is a place to grow their potential, meet new friends, and make the most of this new chapter in their lives. 

Eleven Years of Welcoming Immigrants and Newcomers 

The first Toronto Newcomer Day took place in 2015. Since then, the city has celebrated the many cultures that have arrived and the beautiful people that come with them.  

According to the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI) website, “Toronto Newcomer Day... highlights Canada’s proud history of welcoming newcomers with open arms.” 

Recognizing the difficulties of living in a new country, let alone a new city, the goal of Toronto Newcomer Day is to connect newcomers with as many services as possible.  

Sixty-five thousand people have attended this celebration since 2015, proving the event to be a vital part of any newcomer’s journey. And with over three million people calling Toronto their home, feelings of isolation, confusion, and not knowing where or how to start your new life are very easy to come by. 

At KMC, our goal is to help provide the answers to your questions and find solutions to your problems. The history of our organization was built on assisting racialized communities and spreading the news about our services like wildfire.  

However, days like Toronto Newcomer Day reveal that there are times when even the best of our outreach efforts don’t yet find the people we know that we can help. 

That is why we are grateful to the City of Toronto for organizing this event and the dozens of people who visited our booth that day. Your presence alone reminds us of why we do the work that we do—helping your new home feel like home, and being a friendly face you can trust. 

If you would like to connect with a counsellor to access our services and be a part of our community, visit our Services page or register for free to connect with one of our counsellors. 

Here are some of the services we offer: 

• Settlement Services 

• Employment Services 

• Youth Services 

• Seniors Services 

• Women’s Services 

Register today to start your journey with us. We look forward to greeting you soon!