“Once we know that our neighbours, friends, and family are cared for, we can then truly evolve as a thriving economy – where all are safe and healthy, and all have equal access to opportunity. As a community, when all our basic needs are met, then and only then can we all thrive.” – Inter-cultural Association of Greater Victoria CEO Shelly D’Mello
Newcomers make our community stronger. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the transformative work of SIPP-member the Inter-cultural Association of Greater Victoria (ICA). This organization helps people at some of the most vulnerable periods of their lives, like immigrating to a new country, to set them up for economic and cultural success. Over five decades, the ICA has grown to welcome over 2000 newcomers annually through job support, mentoring, language lessons and more.
These transformations include large-scale projects such as supporting displaced Ukrainian refugees in Greater Victoria and navigating humanitarian crises. Other projects include helping immigrants build new careers. One newcomer was a teacher for over 20 years in their home country, but struggling to find work in Canada. After collaborating with the ICA, they landed a job in their first interview.
When looking 20 years into the future prosperity of our region, we need to “Go big or go home,” says ICA CEO Shelly D’Mello. Find out how her transformative work with the ICA challenges attitudes that divide us and promotes hope for a stronger community.
Q+A with ICA CEO Shelly D’Mello
1. What groundbreaking approach or innovation sets your organization apart as a changemaker in today’s dynamic economic landscape?
ICA has long been known for its community-building work that spans over five decades of welcoming newcomers to Southern Vancouver Island. Our approach is one that holistically threads together the social and economic aspects of building a community where everyone can feel that they belong. So, while it is not one groundbreaking or innovative approach that ICA adopts, it is millions of holistic interactions between the clients we serve – newcomers, immigrants and refugees – and our host community of employers, academic institutions, local businesses, and other community organizations that foster a dynamic, developing and ever thriving economic landscape.
This is exemplified in the programs and events ICA offers such as im:print that centers diverse voices in a narrative play, to soft skills training for employment, to its Tools for Equity and Upstander/Bystander training aimed at embracing diversity, equity and inclusion for all. ICA is a master at working within community, for community so that all can thrive.
2. What motivated your organization to join South Island Prosperity Partnership? How does this align with your vision for societal or economic impact?
The alignment between ICA’s and SIPP’s purpose is palpable. The economic prosperity of Greater Victoria is an important element of ICA’s core purpose. We have a part to play in how the region prepares itself for economic prosperity and our direct clients, who are mainly newcomers, immigrants and refugees, are important contributors to this success. Our clients and their families will contribute to the economic fabric of the region either through the skills and talents they offer to employers, or through their participation in the community and our societal processes, among others.
3. In light of current global challenges, what strategies do you believe are essential for cultivating a resilient and thriving economic future for Greater Victoria?
Fear is one way to stop economic growth and prosperity in its tracks. For ICA and the communities we serve, we are very concerned about anti-immigrant and xenophobic narratives that seek to create fear and pit community members against each other. Strategies that are essential to cultivating a resilient and thriving region are ones that promote social cohesion and safe, meaningful dialogue. ICA’s im:print production is one such vehicle or strategy. The sharing of firsthand intersectional narratives and stories from Indigenous, settler, immigrant and refugee communities who are resilient and who contribute meaningfully to our societal well-being can create connections at an individual and a collective level. The more chances we have to see our shared humanity, the more chances there are for us, as a region, to thrive.
I also envision a society where we treat each other with respect and compassion – if the Pandemic has taught us anything, it is that our humanity and our caring for each other are paramount to society’s success.
Shelly D’Mello, CEO, Inter-cultural Association of Greater Victoria
4. With global competition for talent and investment intensifying, what unique advantages does Greater Victoria offer to stand out on the international stage?
As a transplant from Ontario with just over a year here on the Island, the environment, the climate and the natural beauty of this land make it a stand-out place to live, work, learn and play in Canada. I am continuously impressed at how a reverence for the beauty of this place co-exists with industry and innovation. There seems to be a unique understanding that economic prosperity does not need to come at the expense of the land. While I am still learning about my new home here in Greater Victoria, I feel that we have much to share through the relationships being fostered with our Indigenous communities and those with business leaders in the region who have found ways to preserve our environment.
5. Looking at the hurdles facing our region, which challenge is your organization most dedicated to addressing — and what drives this commitment?
Belonging.
Our global persona depicts Canada as a progressive, welcoming, prosperous, and compassionate nation. This was clearly shown in Operation Syria in 2016, and the more recent Ukrainian Response. ICA played a pivotal role in these humanitarian responses throughout the region, and we worked with business and community partners to house, care for and provide settlement support for those who were displaced by war.
Over time, however, what we are finding is that anti-immigrant sentiments such as “immigration has caused the housing crisis”, or that “immigrants are taking our jobs”, actually divides us in a way that focuses on the scarcity of key factors such as housing or jobs. Instead, ICA believes in the economic benefits of newcomers having a strong sense of belonging and being able to contribute to the economic growth and stability of the region. By shifting from a scarcity mindset that seeks to motivate us through fear of losing, to an abundance mindset that speaks to our ability as a region to share resources, share ideas and collectively find solutions to the region’s most challenging situations.
6. What upcoming initiatives or projects within your organization are you most enthusiastic about, and how will they impact our region and economy?
ICA is a social purpose agency that is best described as diverse people serving diverse communities. Staff are smart, resourceful, talented solution-makers, and they are culturally attuned because of their own lived experiences, to the needs of clients and the communities we serve. ICA employs over 110 people in the region, and we want to be an employer of choice in the human services sector. Over the last year, we have worked to define the kind of employer we want to be and how to create meaningful jobs for the staff that work here.
This means investments in career development, fostering a sense of belonging within our own organization, and implementing strategies for staff retention, including defining a total compensation approach. As we aim to be an employer of choice, we have worked with our union and our funders to negotiate better wages for our staff, and considering rising inflationary pressures in the region, investments in market wages and career development can, and will translate to increased economic prosperity.
Partnerships are also part of the enthusiasm I share for being able to shape and build diverse communities here in the region through ICA’s mission and mandate. With funding from the Province of BC, we are delivering services across Vancouver Island through our Vancouver Island Alliance (VIA) partnerships made up of a number of immigrant-serving agencies across the Island. This work will allow us and our VIA partners to provide wrap-around services such as settlement and counselling services to refugee claimants.
Other examples of relationship building ICA is part of is through our Greater Victoria Local Immigration Partnership (GVLIP). We believe in sharing resources, in coming together to share ideas and to bringing action to the change we want to see for our communities to thrive. In fact, this is a living example of our social cohesion strategy I talked about earlier. Through our Health, Housing, Employment and Diversity tables, we bring together allied partners and change makers in the Capital Region to strategize and act on issues that affect us all.
7. Is there a particular mantra, individual, or pivotal reading that has fueled your drive to make a difference in what you or your organization does?
There are two statements that live within me.
The first is from a poem by Erin Hanson.
“There is freedom waiting for you, On the breezes of the sky,
And you ask “What if I fall?”
Oh but my darling, What if you fly?”
I remind myself (and my boys for that matter) of this when times are challenging, and courage and bravery are needed.
The second is maybe one of the most important for me:
“The world needs Dreamers,
The world needs Doers,
What we need the most are Dreamers who Do”
– Sarah Ban Breathnach
Risk is inherent in all we do, and so the first poem speaks to the need to be brave in the face of uncertainty and the unknown. For the clients at ICA, they have taken a huge leap of faith coming to Canada and are constantly in a state of “will I fly or fall”. So, it is important for ICA to walk alongside our clients and to provide concrete support that will give them the opportunity to use their strengths and talents so that they can “fly”.
Now, Dreamers who Do…that is everyone at ICA. Ideas (dreaming) are at the heart of ICA’s creativity and its ability to address emerging trends found within community, however, it is the “doing” that is the lifeblood of ICA’s responses. This can be seen in every program or service offered at ICA.
8. Fast-forward two decades: how do you picture Southern Vancouver Island? Describe the transformations that will have taken place and paint a picture of our collective future, including our economic future.
I do love this question – I get to practice my Dreaming skills here, and as the saying goes “go big, or go home”! If I were to wave my magic wand, I would say that we as a region have met everyone in our community’s basic needs, such as safe and affordable housing, access to nutritional foods and timely access to quality health care. I also envision a society where we treat each other with respect and compassion – if the Pandemic has taught us anything, it is that our humanity and our caring for each other are paramount to society’s success.
Once we know that our neighbours, friends, and family are cared for, we can then truly evolve as a thriving economy – where all are safe and healthy, and all have equal access to opportunity. As a community, when all our basic needs are met, then and only then can we all thrive.
Find out more about the ICA’s work on their website.
