Minka 2017: Host to Home

St. Jerome’s University has partnered with Reception House Waterloo Region to explore Host to Home: Deepening connections and understanding the refugee journey in Kitchener-Waterloo. Join a diverse group of stakeholders to discuss Refugee Resettlement in Waterloo Region.  

Minka is a Quechua word that represents the coming together of people to work collaboratively on a common project that benefits an entire community. It is a call to action where community members work side by side towards a common goal, bringing the expertise they have from their daily lives and placing it alongside the expertise of another. It is a culminating event where, in solidarity, community members are empowered to create changes that have lasting impact in the community they build together. During a Minka, the needs of the community are placed over the needs of the individual. Everything stops when someone calls a Minka.
 
Our Minkas are an opportunity for us to bring people together to dialogue about a social justice issue we are facing in our local community. The Minka is an opportunity to dive into the complexity of the issue and be part of developing approaches to making change in our community.

This year the Minka hopes to:

• Provide an understanding of the different facets of refugee settlement in Canada and in Kitchener-Waterloo, currently and historically
• Build capacities in connecting across differences, specifically differences in culture, spirituality, and communication.
• Strengthen awareness and respect for the dignity of all as we work towards community, belonging, and a stronger sense of home.
• Provide opportunities for dialogue around current challenges and how to move forward for meaningful change.
• Encourage participants to develop, personally, in the areas of reflection, citizenship and spirituality.