{"id":7509,"date":"2020-06-26T13:13:02","date_gmt":"2020-06-26T13:13:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/celebrating-canada-day\/"},"modified":"2025-05-26T11:22:29","modified_gmt":"2025-05-26T11:22:29","slug":"celebrating-canada-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/2020\/06\/celebrating-canada-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating Canada Day as a New Canadian"},"content":{"rendered":"

For Ahmad, this Canada Day will be a special one. For the first time, he will be celebrating Canada Day as a Canadian citizen. Since immigrating from Syria, Ahmad has played a key role at The Salvation Army\u2019s Centre of Hope in Halifax by supporting newcomers with translation, interpretation and more.<\/span><\/p>\n

In his role, Ahmad uses his ability to speak and write in four different languages to help clients overcome speaking and reading barriers. \u201cThis helps our newcomer clients feel more comfortable in expressing their needs,\u201d Ahmad says. \u201cIt has always been my passion to support and help my community to make it the best place for all citizens.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

“This made me even more proud”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Ahmad understands the need for various types of services that The Salvation Army offers. \u201cI did not have the feeling that I was new or different from others because all people in the community were incredibly supportive and welcoming,\u201d Ahmad says. \u201cThis made me even more proud because I know that I will be able to provide the same support and encouragement to new people coming to Canada.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Even though it\u2019s difficult to portray what Canada means to Ahmad, it does mean a lot to him to be a Canadian citizen. \u201cIn Canada I found the right meaning of freedom; I can express my thoughts, beliefs, and opinions openly without restrictions or fear,\u201d he says. \u201cWhat\u2019s more, Canada is the country that helped me in building my life and my future.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

“I have a responsibility towards my community”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In Ahmad\u2019s free time he enjoys exploring Canada\u2019s culture. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to be in Canada and not enjoy the fascinating nature,\u201d he says. \u201cI really enjoy hiking, swimming and visiting other cities.<\/span> I hang out with family and friends on the beautiful downtown streets of Halifax and enjoy having my favourite drinks and food in various restaurants.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0The Salvation Army Centre of Hope offers a wide variety of support and programs for new Canadians.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs a Canadian, I have responsibility towards my community by helping and respecting people\u2019s freedom and protecting our heritage and environment. I also feel I have more responsibility towards my country by obeying the law, participating in the election process. I appreciate all these values because they make me feel proud and special to be a Canadian citizen.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By: Jan Keats<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For Ahmad, this Canada Day will be a special one. For the first time, he will be celebrating Canada Day as a Canadian citizen. Since immigrating from Syria, Ahmad has played a key role at The Salvation Army\u2019s Centre of Hope in Halifax by supporting newcomers with translation, interpretation and more. In his role, Ahmad […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7510,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[662,376,917,296],"location":[],"class_list":["post-7509","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-interest","tag-giving-hope-today","tag-immigration","tag-refugee","tag-the-salvation-army"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCelebrating Canada Day as a New Canadian - Salvation Army Atlantic<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/2020\/06\/celebrating-canada-day\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Celebrating Canada Day as a New Canadian - Salvation Army Atlantic\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For Ahmad, this Canada Day will be a special one. For the first time, he will be celebrating Canada Day as a Canadian citizen. Since immigrating from Syria, Ahmad has played a key role at The Salvation Army\u2019s Centre of Hope in Halifax by supporting newcomers with translation, interpretation and more. 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