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PICS names its Long-Term Care Facility as ‘Guru Nanak Diversity Village’ Surrey- Progressive Intercultural Community Services Society (PICS) wishes to announce its decision to name the upcoming 125-bed, long-term care facility for South-Asian seniors after Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Guru Nanak is one of the greatest religious, political and social reformers who was advent in the middle of the fifteenth century; as many scholars have observed, ushered in a new era of renaissance that began to dawn upon the Asian continent. Guru Nanak initiated a movement to champion for human rights with a mission to denounce discrimination and espouse the doctrine of ‘Sewa’, meaning ‘selfless service’; which involves acting selflessly and helping the underserved without any reward or personal gain. This year is the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. The PICS’ Board has passed a special resolution to name the building as ‘Guru Nanak Diversity Village’ to [...]

Diversity Village Announcement

A new window display at the Crescent Beach PopUp Gallery shares the stories of newcomer women. Each window provides a glimpse into a different female’s journey and life in Canada. Many immigrated from countries such as Iraq, Syria and Jordan. “I wanted to show how families adapt to Canadian culture, but also share what memories and heritage they’ve brought from their home countries,” explains Nazam Bains, a social work graduate and project leader. These photos were created through a series of cultural exchange workshops held by Progressive Intercultural Community Services Society (PICS). Participants explored questions of cultural diversity and learned camera skills from a professional photographer. The final assignment was to create auto-ethnographic photography series—a method of telling one’s story through photos. “This project is a great example of how we promote harmony and inter-cultural understanding,” says Devinder Chattha, Director, Language, Settlement & Social programs at PICS. “We hope that [...]

Scotiabank will match up to $5,000 for the PICS COVID-19 Relief Fund in support of the Women in Crisis Counselling Support Network. The PICS COVID-19 Relief Fund in support of the Women in Crisis Counselling Support Network needs your support. From now until October 31, 2020 you can double your impact! For every donation made, Scotiabank will match it up to $5,000. “It’s incredibly inspiring to see people finding ways to take care of each other during these challenging times” said Satbir Cheema, CEO of PICS. Here is a touching yet very real story from a woman in our Harmony Home sharing her struggles in life. A survivor’s story Single mother Anita, had two children under the age of five when her husband passed away in a motor vehicle accident in their home country. The husband had a history of addiction and was abusive to Anita throughout their [...]

PICS announces the launch of a new website for their NHSP funded project, the Surrey Intercultural Seniors Social Inclusion Partnership (SISSIP) Network. On Monday June 22, 2020 The Surrey Intercultural Seniors Social Inclusion Partnership (SISSIP) Network Project announced the launch of their new website. The website, www.seniorssocialinclusion.ca offers progress and updates on the five-year funded project, including initiatives that will be undertaken by the Network of six Organizations to make Surrey an intercultural and socially engaged community for seniors 55+. The website layout and design are inspired from a previously successful NHSP funded project, the Hamilton Seniors Isolation Impact Plan. It features an accessibility menu, designed specifically for seniors’ use which includes: larger text size, contrasting colors, text spacing and reading text aloud amongst other features. Other features include an interactive map which provides easy navigation between Surrey’s six neighbourhoods and directs users to neighbourhood specific projects. An interactive calendar feature [...]

Please fill out the form below and email to PBLMT@PICS.BC.CA Registration Form for IKEA KITS On May 26, 2020, Progressive Intercultural Community Services Society (PICS) was honored to accept in-kind donations in the amount of nearly $100,000 from IKEA Canada. This initiative is part of IKEA’s commitment to provide approximately $2.3M in product and supply donations to support local communities impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. These products will support vulnerable communities, including newcomers, refugees, children and seniors to ensure they have a safe and comfortable home during these challenging times. Since 2018, PICS has been working closely with IKEA as part of IKEA Canada’s Refugee Employment Program. During this pandemic, PICS and IKEA are working together to provide 400 home furnishing kits to those in need. “At PICS, our vision is to promote harmony and intercultural understanding for the purpose of building a more inclusive society. Now more than [...]

To Our Community: In order to protect the health and safety of our clients and staff we have decided to temporarily close our Non-Housing offices effective March 23, 220. However, our staff will be working from home and continue to provide services and support to clients by phone and/ or email. Please follow our social media & website for future updates. In the meantime, we are urging everyone to follow all public health advisories, stay home & maintain social distancing. If we work together as a team we can flatten the curve. Thank you. Following the announcements by our Prime Minister, B.C. Health Minister and Provincial Health Officer, to protect and safeguard the health of our clients , stakeholders and staff, and in-line with the procedures implemented by many other community organizations, effective immediately, we will not be accepting any walk-in clients into our PICS Head Office (located at Unit [...]