Transforming Resilience into Opportunity: Why I Chose to Join Jumpstart
Transforming Resilience into Opportunity: Why I Chose to Join Jumpstart Behind every refugee story is not only survival, but extraordinary resilience and talent waiting to be recognized. Refugees bring enormous potential to Canada. Potential that can enrich our economy, culture, and communities in ways that are too often overlooked. Unfortunately, the narrative surrounding refugees tends […]
Toronto Hosts Fifth Annual Refugee Hiring Event at the Ismaili Centre
Connecting Skilled Refugees with Local Employers On October 17, 2025, the Ismaili Centre in Toronto welcomed over 200 pre-screened job candidates and 10 leading employers for the Fifth Annual Refugee Hiring Event, hosted by World Education Services (WES) in collaboration with Jumpstart Refugee Talent, Future Ready Initiative, and Skills for Change. The event brought together […]
CAMSC x Jumpstart: Business Registration 101
The Power of Refugees: Building Businesses, Building Canada On September 30, Jumpstart Refugee Talent partnered with the Canadian Aboriginal and Minority Supplier Council (CAMSC) to host a transformative session for refugee entrepreneurs. This webinar, the second in a three-part series this year designed to support refugee entrepreneurs and small business owners on their business journeys, […]
Toronto Hosts Fifth Annual Refugee Hiring Event Connecting Skilled Refugees with Local Employers
Toronto, Ontario (Oct. 17, 2025) – On October 17, World Education Services (WES) will host the fifth annual Toronto Refugee Hiring Event, bringing together 214 pre-screened job candidates to meet with 10 leading local employers who are ready to make offers on the spot. All participating job seekers are refugees or individuals who have been […]
Chewy Puff Cookies: A Sweet Journey of Passion, Resilience, and Community
From Coping Mechanism to Passion Starting a business is never easy—especially for newcomers adjusting to life in a new country. For Omar Gaber, the 21-year-old founder of Chewy Puff Cookies, this journey began in the kitchen, armed with a mixing bowl, a whisk, and a dream. Omar’s story starts in Yemen, with his upbringing in […]
Resisting Trauma-Focused Narratives in Refugee and Immigrant Storytelling
Headlines, campaigns, and even everyday discussions emphasize stories of hardship, displacement, and survival. While these experiences are real and deeply significant, defining people only through trauma creates a limited and incomplete picture. Too often, the “authentic” story is expected to be one of pain, as though credibility depends on suffering. But people’s lives do not […]
Beyond the Resume: Nihal, the Journalist Turned Diplomat
Beyond the Resume is a storytelling series that reframes refugee professionals not as resettlement cases, but as global connectors and economic catalysts in Canada. Changing the Narrative and Building a Future in Diplomacy When Nhial Deng speaks about his journey, he does so with clarity, purpose, and a deep belief in the power of stories. […]
Ask Me Anything: AI and the Future of Work
Ask Me Anything: AI and the Future of Work On September 3, 2025, Jumpstart Refugee Talent hosted an informative virtual Ask Me Anything (AMA) session titled “AI and the Future of Work: Unlocking New Job Opportunities.” The webinar was designed to support newcomer refugees curious about how artificial intelligence (AI) is affecting the Canadian job […]