Ottawa Joined the World to Stand with Refugees & Celebrate World Refugee Day at the #WOW16 Kickoff Event
December 12, 2016As the world united to mark World Refugee Day on June 20th, 2016, Ottawa residents, OLIP partners, elected officials, government executives, service providers, newcomers, and refugees gathered at City Hall to show solidarity with refugees, reflect on the warmth of Ottawa’s welcome, and kick start #WOW16. See images of the Launch event here.
OLIP, City of Ottawa, UNHCR, the Ottawa Police, and the network of agencies serving refugees, and Refugee613 cohosted the #WOW16 Launch event. Attendees received the #WOW16 Calendar, featuring 65 free events in different venues across the city during the Welcoming Ottawa Week: June 20-27, 2016.
WOW has become a mainstay in Ottawa’s summer calendar and a platform for OLIP partners and the Ottawa public to connect and convey our genuine welcome to newcomers. In just four short years, this annual series of events—unique to Ottawa—has grown to nearly 10 times the size it was in its inaugural year. New contributors to the WOW calendar of events this year were museums, embassies, and international organizations such as UNHCR, UNESCO, Médecins Sans Frontières, and Amnesty International. Read the #WOW16 Evaluation Report.