Every year, millions of people around the world are forced to flee their homes due to war, violence, persecution, and humanitarian crises. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than 120 million people worldwide have been forcibly displaced — the highest number ever recorded.

Behind every statistic is a person rebuilding their life, adapting to a new country, learning a new language, and working toward stability, belonging, and opportunity.

In London, Ontario, refugees continue to play an important role in strengthening our community. They contribute to our workplaces, schools, neighbourhoods, and local economy while also bringing resilience, culture, knowledge, and lived experiences that enrich our city.

At the London Cross Cultural Learner Centre (CCLC), we have seen firsthand the determination and strength of newcomers and refugees. Every day, individuals and families arrive in Canada seeking safety and the opportunity to rebuild their lives. While the journey is often filled with uncertainty and challenges, it is also filled with resilience, hope, and community.

For over 55 years, the CCLC has helped newcomers settle, integrate, and succeed through programs and services focused on housing support, employment services, language support, youth programming, interpretation and translation, and community connections.

But supporting refugees is not only about helping people settle. It is about creating communities where people feel welcomed, valued, and supported long after they arrive.

Supporting Refugees in a Changing Settlement Sector

This year’s Life as a Refugee event comes at an important moment for the settlement sector. Across Canada, organizations and frontline workers continue to navigate growing demands for support while also facing funding uncertainty, rising costs, and increasing pressures on housing, healthcare, and social services.

At the same time, refugee and newcomer communities continue to show incredible resilience despite these challenges.

That is why this year’s theme, Voices of Resilience: Refugee Stories and Sustainable Support in the Settlement Space, is so important. It recognizes not only the experiences and contributions of refugees, but also the need to build sustainable systems of care and support for both newcomers and the organizations working alongside them.

This year’s event will bring together community members, service providers, and individuals with lived experience for an afternoon of reflection, learning, and conversation.

The event will feature:

A keynote address by Alfredo Caxaj, founder of Sunfest
A refugee panel focused on lived experiences and resilience
A service provider panel discussing the realities of working in the settlement sector
A wellness and resiliency workshop focused on mental health and sustainable support

Because there is no health without mental health — and supporting newcomers also means supporting the people and organizations who walk alongside them.

Stories of Resilience in Our Community

We continue to see inspiring examples of resilience throughout our community.

One newcomer, after arriving in Canada, balanced full-time work and full-time studies while volunteering in schools, youth programs, and community initiatives across London. Despite the challenges of adjusting to life in a new country, they remained committed to giving back and supporting others in the community around them.

Stories like these are not uncommon. Refugees and newcomers contribute every day to making London stronger, more welcoming, and more connected.

Join Us for Life as a Refugee 2026

In recognition of World Refugee Day, we invite you to join us for our 18th Annual Life as a Refugee event.

June 19, 2026
12:00 PM – 4:15 PM
Goodwill Industries, 255 Horton Street East, London, Ontario

This event is free to attend, but registration is required.

Whether you are a service provider, community member, student, newcomer, or ally, we hope you will join us as we come together to celebrate resilience, share stories, and continue building a more welcoming and inclusive community for all.

Register today.