Family of Friends for Newcomers
Family of Friends is a community & nature-based mental health program designed for new refugees in Canada. Through group narrative therapy sessions, community games designed to build trust, and experiences connecting to the nature of Ontario, the program is designed for refugees to rebuild a sense of identity in their new country, and to find a support structure through other refugees with similar experiences, cultural backgrounds, and career aspirations. Check out our program plan for 2025 as well as the experiences from participants in past years below!
In 2025, our Family of Friends program will be working alongside our Shelter Hub. The Impakt Foundation's Shelter Hub initiative aims to address the growing demand for shelter and support services among refugees in Toronto. Our approach involves bringing services directly to refugee shelters. They will offer a range of programs, including community building, personalized mentorship, employment-focused support, and skill development, fostering a sense of belonging and empowerment among refugees. Through these efforts, we don’t just help refugees secure jobs—we create a space where they can build meaningful, long-term connections, fostering a sense of belonging while empowering them to take control of their future and achieve lasting success. Learn More
2025
The 2024 cohort of our Family of Friends Program with greater hope for meaningful success in Canada, by attending online group therapy sessions and in-person nature retreats, newcomers were able to foster a sense of belongingness and community essential for thriving in their new home. Read some session quotes and testimonials below, and click here for the full 2024 program report!
“Thank you again for your invaluable contribution to this event and for the continuous impact you’ve made in our lives.”
“I feel just a warmness even though I’ve never met any of you before, and it’s just felt really good to connect.”
Our Hopes
“To leave a legacy I want to help all women and girls I want to be that woman who mentors girls into being who they want to be.
Irrespective of where they come from and what they have For single-parent sons to have support from males around To live life with everything it has to give To travel the world and see every place, every corner”
2023 marked the first year that the Family of Friends Program was run at the Impakt Foundation. Run in partnership with Trails Youth Initiative and Human-Nature Counselling Society, by emphasizing the well-being and mental health of 5 immigrant Afghan families (26 total participants) as the keystone for successful integration into Canadian society, the program exceeded all anticipated outcomes.
"I was really low energy and depressed, I did not want to come, but I kind of had to because of my children and husband, I thought it is not going to have anything for me like all the other program, but now even though it has been 3 weeks since trails experience, I feel like I have changed 180 degrees!”
“Being a newcomer is very lonely, before this (program) we have only thought about ourselves, however, through this experience of sharing and being with each other, we realise we are not alone and it is not just about us. The sense of caring for others and having a network of friends makes you think about something bigger than yourself.”
