Sense of Community and Clement

: Clement said it`s more about the friendship than the walking, because building a sense of community is a key part of getting newcomers to stay where they land. "It easy to meet somebody and just say hello on the street as you pass," she said. "Islanders tend to be very friendly and do that a lot, which is great, but to actually have a more in-depth conversation." The numbers Friday night were low, but Clement said they are growing, often having more than a dozen people join in, according to CBC. Connections being made They have been going on for the past three weeks, and she said she has seen real and important connections forming. "Someone who lived in Stratford and was on one of these walks, and I just asked him if he liked gardening," Clement said. "Now he got a community plot out in Stratford and he invited a neighbour of his to the community garden so there a bit of a trickle down effect. "Another example is someone who is in the same field as another newcomer and she ended up contacting her with information about a potential job opportunity." Ali Saidat, a newcomer to P.E.I. and Canada, says the program has helped him make friends. Every Friday until the weather turns too cold, they are hosting what they call a friendship walk in Charlottetown, explained Nancy Clement, the community outreach coordinator. "It kind of an extension of something we did through the winter, which was Friday friendship hour, and that was at different restaurants around town, we kind of rotated between different restaurants," Clement explained. "Basically anyone was invited, but the focus was to get newcomers, fairly recent to the Island together with established Islanders, and that was really successful and we figured, well for the spring, summer, fall, let take that idea outdoors." Nancy Clement, from the PEI Association for Newcomers to Canada, said the walks followed winter gatherings in restaurants, when they decided to take the idea outdoors. Newcomer Ali Saidat experienced the same thing. It not just beneficial to the newcomers, Saidat pointed out. He has made a few friends in the program, which he explained helps bridge a tough gap. "I think for most immigrants it like that," he said "They probably come here with a family, it could be two or three people or maybe four or sometimes they are alone and they don't know anyone here at first, so I think this program is really nice. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.