November 18, 2025
Prabh Sandhu
More than 150 researchers, community leaders, policy advocates, and service providers gathered Friday for the Newcomer Research Symposium 2025, an event aimed at amplifying newcomer voices and reshaping the systems that influence settlement and belonging in Canada.
The symposium, titled Living Knowledge with Newcomers, was hosted jointly by ActionDignity and the Newcomer Research Network (NRN) at the University of Calgary.
Held Nov. 14 at the Best Western Premier Calgary Plaza and Conference Centre, the full-day gathering showcased community-driven research and lived experiences that call for more equitable policies and practices.
Organizers said the event focused on ensuring newcomers can shape the narratives around their lives and contribute directly to long-term systems change.
“This year’s symposium continues a shared space for dialogue and collaboration that began in 2019,” said Dr. Tanvir Turin Chowdhury, associate professor, CPD director, and co-founder of the NRN. “In this collaboration, research is not done on or for communities but with them, grounded in respect, co-creation, and mutual learning.”
The theme invited participants to explore how community knowledge, academic research, and collective action can influence the structures that guide settlement, integration, and social inclusion.
Using the Water of Systems Change model as a framework, attendees examined conditions that perpetuate inequities and discussed strategies to shift policies, practices, and power relations.
ActionDignity’s executive director, Francis Boakye, said the collaboration supports the organization’s long-term vision of establishing a Center of Excellence, a hub designed to improve human dignity by transforming inequitable systems.
“This hub will promote community-led innovation, strengthen policy advocacy, and enhance citizen-engaged research and data practices,” Boakye said. “It builds on the wisdom and leadership that communities have championed for years.”
A keynote address by Kesavan Sreeharan focused on barriers newcomers face in the workforce. He said many immigrants encounter major challenges when their professional experience from their home countries is not recognized in Canada.
“One of the biggest barriers we are facing is that our work experiences are not recognized, and many immigrants like me are struggling to find meaningful work,” he said. “Many are forced into survival jobs.”
The symposium featured more than 50 presentations, poster sessions, performances, and interactive discussions. Sessions covered themes including settlement, culture, integration, leadership, policy change, and community-based research.
Organizers say the event’s collective approach reflects a growing call for systems transformation rooted in newcomer insight, collaboration, and lived experience.
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