Barka Canada Social Integration Society is a non-profit organization of volunteers. It was formed in March 2013 in Vancouver, British Columbia, by a group of Polish Canadians. Our goal is to support socially and economically excluded Eastern and Central European immigrants with integration into Canadian society, and to do it in a culturally sensitive manner. Most problems we deal with are related to isolation, language and cultural barriers, addictions and mental health, chronic unemployment, poverty, homelessness, and death of family members.
Please see more about our:
Beginnings
While many immigrants do well, there are also those who struggle, their difficulties often exacerbated by lack of social and family connections, and by unfamiliarity with the new environment. Too often we saw people falling through the cracks even though there are many social services in Canada. Too often we saw that problems could be identified sooner, hardships lessened, and tragedies averted if only people didn’t feel so alone, if they knew that help was possible and attainable, if they knew where to go or even what questions to ask.
By creating Barka Canada, we set out to remedy this situation. We were inspired by Barka Foundation in Poland and Barka organizations in Europe, and they have graciously helped us by sharing their experience and expertise.
How We Help
Barka Canada is an organization based on mutual support. Our members include both people who come to us because they need help, as well as those who join us because they want to help others. Over time the distinction between the helpers and the helpees becomes blurred or disappears: the helpees discover that they have much to offer, and the helpers find themselves sometimes in need of support.
We meet in bigger and smaller groups to share ideas, information, resources, and skills. We also help each other through tough times and we celebrate together. Many of us work on providing our programs and services, on our new projects, or on local community events. To support those affected by addiction, all of our gatherings and events, both private and public, are alcohol and substance-free.
At Barka Canada, we work to benefit not only our members, but the community at large. Our programs and services are open to everybody — members and non-members. So far our main focus has been on helping people find and access resources they need. In addition, we emphasize prevention (both early intervention and public education), and we run two support groups: AA & NA and Self-Help. We are also excited to work on new, more advanced projects, where we aim to create an outreach program, strengthen long term recovery, and develop entrepreneurship activities.
The environment of mutual support among our members, and also in the two support groups that we run, overcomes isolation and gives people a sense of belonging akin to an extended family. Being cared-about and caring about others helps to heal and gives hope. With hope, and empowered with information, skills, and on-going support, people regain their lives. Please see Our Impact.
To assist our members and non-members, we work closely with healthcare and other professionals, governmental and non-governmental agencies, and local authorities. Our objective is to help coordinate services and to identify and fill in gaps between services being provided and people’s needs. We also gladly share our experience and expertise and act as a resource for other organizations, in order to build a social safety net for the community at large, and also to increase sensitivity to the cultural background of Eastern and Central European immigrants.
Members and People We Help
As of 2021, Barka Canada has 60 members. Our Board and other core members ensure continuity and coordination, but otherwise the organizational structure is flat and all members are involved in decision-making (“nothing about us without us”).
Our members include people of various ages and backgrounds, such as two clinical counsellors, university students, a criminologist, drug and addiction counsellors, an immigration officer, translators, tradespeople, farmers, and many others. Their skills and informal advice are invaluable to us in many life situations.
So far we have been working primarily among Polish Canadians, first and second generation immigrants. However, our mandate is wider: Eastern and Central European migrants, and we have already helped many people from Russia, Ukraine, Slovakia, and Hungary. In general, the problems we address are universal and we hope that in the future we can share our model of work with other communities of Canadian immigrants so that they can adapt it to their own needs.
Barka Foundation in Poland and Barka Network
Barka Canada is proud to be affiliated with Barka Foundation in Poland and with Barka Network — a group of organizations that share similar values and goals and work in their local communities. For more information, please see our page about Barka Foundation and Barka Network (with more links therein).
Here is a 2019 documentary “According to Tomasz,” made in Poland on the 30th anniversary of Barbara and Tomasz Sadowski creating Barka Foundation (with English subtitles):