Join for an interactive event exploring how the arts fosters immigrant integration in Toronto. This event will share insights from two innovative partnership research projects led by the Canada Excellence Chair in Migration and Integration program (CERC Migration) at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU): FIT-ART, a partnership with Toronto Arts Council (TAC) examining its Program for Newcomers and Refugees, which supports newcomer artists as well as arts-based initiatives that address newcomer challenges; and Leveraging Community Arts, a collaboration with Mabelle Arts, focusing on the five-year Welcome to the Neighborhood program.
Despite growing evidence that creative engagement enhances newcomers’ well-being and sense of belonging, many of these initiatives remain short-term and difficult to evaluate. By showcasing our research findings, the event aims to highlight the social impacts of arts-based interventions while tackling the pressing need for better documentation and collaboration between the arts and settlement sectors.