Mohawk the first college in Ontario to establish an Institute for Canadian Citizenship chapter
HAMILTON - Mohawk is the first college in Ontario and the second in Canada to join with the Institute for Canadian Citizenship in welcoming and celebrating new Canadians. Mohawk is working with the Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC) to host community citizenship ceremonies in Hamilton and Brantford. Established in 2006 by former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson and John Ralston Saul, the ICC is a national non-profit organization that initiates projects to foster discussion and understanding of the values associated with Canadian citizenship and to help bridge the gap between new and established citizens. The ICC's flagship project is the Community Citizenship Ceremonies Initiative, aimed at creating more personable and memorable citizenship ceremonies, which are the rite of passage for new Canadians.
Establishing an ICC chapter reinforces Mohawk's commitment to inspiring citizenship among College students and within the community. In the Fall of 2005, Mohawk was the first college in Ontario to introduce a mandatory active citizenship course for all full-time students. As part of the active citizenship course, Mohawk began hosting citizenship ceremonies twice a year to welcome new Canadians and their families.
As an ICC chapter, Mohawk will now host roundtable discussions before the citizenship ceremonies to invite new Canadians and their families to join with community leaders in talking about their personal experiences in making a new home in Canada.
Mohawk hosts its first ICC citizenship ceremony on Tuesday, March 4 at the Fennell Campus for 25 new Canadians and their families.
| 2:45 p.m. | ICC Citizenship Ceremony roundtable discussion in room C064
(Staff Dining Lounge) |
| 4 p.m. | Citizenship and Immigration Canada Official Citizenship
Swearing-In Ceremony in the McIntyre Theatre |
| 5 p.m. | ICC Citizenship Ceremony reception for new Canadians
and their families in room C064 |
For more on the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, go to
www.icc-icc.ca/en/ or contact:
Sander Dankelman
Institute for Canadian Citizenship
sdankelman@icc-icc.ca 416.593.6998