The Land of Dreams is an urban farming initiative located on Treaty 7 territory in Southeast Mohkinstsis (Calgary). The project brings community, social connection, and food together in an exciting way.
It is a partnership with refugees and newcomers that offers a unique opportunity to build connections between Indigenous peoples and newcomers through the development and cultivation of a community garden. The Land of Dreams provides a meaningful space for Calgary newcomers to reconnect with their roots while building a sense of community. Additionally, they can learn about and appreciate Alberta’s Indigenous history.
The Land of Dreams was recently recognized as a promising practice in newcomer settlement and integration in Canada. Read the brief here. Click on the video below to hear from our colleagues and Indigenous Community partner.
2019 marked our inaugural growing season and it was a huge success. Sixteen (16) newcomer families worked together to strengthen familial and community relationships, within and across cultural groups.
Participants appreciated the educational value of learning about growing local food, the enjoyment they felt being out on the farm, and, for some, the chance to reconnect with a farming practice similar to what they knew prior to arriving in Canada. The harvest was a great success yielding over 500 pounds of beets, carrots, kale, spinach, collard greens, cabbage, potatoes and more.
The Land of Dreams also features a beehive as part of a rewilding project that will improve our impact on the land as we continue to work with newcomers in growing food together.
If you are interested in being part of this exciting undertaking, as a volunteer or supplier, please contact Rod Olson at rolson@ccisab.ca. Click on our donate button and look for Land of Dreams or Beekeeping to donate now.
As the largest immigrant serving agency in western Canada, the team at CCIS has done an incredible job over the last 30+ years supporting immigrants and refugees with their settlement, training, and integration needs. They set the standard for service levels in the immigrant serving sector. No one does it better.
CCIS is a place every immigrant should endeavour to go. Very helpful. Always going above and beyond. Truly the best in this field. They treat every case/client uniquely. I'm so glad for all the help I and my friends received. We were able to settle in as quickly as we did because of CCIS. Thank you!
This organisation is a backbone to new immigrants always there to help guide and settle in this new society. I highly appreciate their work.
Great organization staffed with great people doing important work. We take great pride in our partnership with CCIS, and we're proud to be a part of their housing solutions. Keep up the excellent work!
We acknowledge Calgary and area as Treaty 7 territory. We acknowledge the Treaty 7 nations; the Piikani, Siksika, Kainai, Iyarhe Nakoda and Tsuut’ina First Nations. We acknowledge the ancestral territory of Siksikaitsitapi, the Blackfoot Confederacy, and the home of the Métis Nation of Alberta—Region 3. We are all treaty people.
In partnership, we empower immigrants and refugees to successfully settle and integrate in our communities.
CHARITY REGISTRATION #118823244RR0001
