Application Deadline! Our Stories, Our Voices (Immigrant & Refugee Women’s Edition)
Apply for Our Stories, Our Voices (Immigrant & Refugee Women’s Edition)
If you are interested in attending Our Stories, Our Voices, a free six-week writing series facilitated by Preeti Kaur Dhaliwal, please fill out this form to express your interest and share your availability by June 16! This writing series is for immigrants and refugees who self-identify as women on non-binary, inclusive of trans women. Please note this form does not confirm your participation. Preeti will review applications and email you by June 25 to confirm your participation (you'll have 48 hours to confirm participation before your space is offered to someone else so please pay attention to your emails during that time).
About the program:
This 6-week program welcomes participants at all writing levels, from those trying writing for the first time to those looking to deepen their craft. The workshop is designed to explore writing as a tool for resilience, record, community-building, spiritual practice, play, stress reduction, embodiment, joy, and more! Together, we’ll connect with our creativity as a pathway for inner reflection and storytelling while building community. For a detailed overview of the program and to learn more about the facilitator, please click here (please read the overview before filling out the application to ensure you are, in fact, interested in this program and understand what you are signing up for).
Key details for the purposes of registering interest:
Program Length: Weekly sessions for six weeks from the first week of July to the first week of August online via Zoom. Each session runs 1.5–2 hours. The exact dates will be determined based on availabilities shared on this form.
Group Size: Approximately 10 participants.
What you need: Zoom, internet access, a camera and microphone that work, something to write with, a desire to write and be in community, camera access. If you are part of Solid State, they can support you with laptop and internet access.
Thank you for your interest! Please submit your form as soon as possible.
**If you've attended Our Stories, Our Voices before, please indicate this in question #4. Spots will first be offered to those who have not yet attended Preeti's writing series so that they have opportunities to experience the community, creativity and transformation that occurs! If there is still space after that, we will open it up further. Thank you for your understanding.
Solid State x Official Community Plan Feedback Session with City of Surrey
For Solid State members! Register to give important feeback to the city about what we want our community plan to prioritize. You will receive a $50 honorarium and free food! June 16th 5-7PM at Solid State.
CO-OP Day Spring 2025!
Celebrate the work of co-ops in Solid State's network while welcoming the accepted new groups from our 2025 Spring Intake!
Join the extended Solid State Community for this spring get together! We'll be welcoming four new cohorts and celebrating the work of all existing groups. We'll have great food as always, a couple short presentations from staff and community partners. Mostly, we will be enjoying each other's company and mingling across organizations. See you there!
Sher Vancouver Monthly Meet-up
Dosti Project Monthly Meetup
Solid State Community, 10326 Whalley Blvd, Surrey, BC V3T 4H4, Canada
Dosti Project Monthly Meetup for Queer South Asians and friends, ages 19+. Powered in partnership with Solid State Co-op.
To see more Sher Van events, visit https://www.shervancouver.com/
Growing Roots Workshop with City in Colour
Surrey, once one of the most affordable Lower Mainland cities, now has a scarcity of accessible rental housing, limiting options for low-income tenants, including refugees. Despite this, it hosts a disproportionate number of refugees compared to other Metro Vancouver municipalities. Newly arrived Government-Assisted Refugees (GAR) and refugee claimants face language barriers, unfamiliarity with housing tools, discrimination, and limited rights knowledge, making them vulnerable to exploitation and homelessness.
Through this project, we gathered the stories of four refugee communities: Spanish-speaking refugee claimants from Latin America, Dari-speaking Government-Assisted Refugees (GARs) from Afghanistan, Swahili-speaking GARs from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Arabic-speaking GARs from Syria and Lebanon. Over the course of one year, City in Colour Cooperative, in partnership with DIVERSEcity Community Society, engaged with these four groups to document their housing experiences and their diverse journeys from their arrival to Canada to their current homes.
The main goal of this project is to understand and map out the systemic barriers that hinder refugees and refugee claimants from securing adequate, affordable, and long-term housing in Surrey, while raising awareness about their housing situation
Solid State Monthly Staff Meeting
Solid State staff meet to discuss cohort updates, internal projects, finances, community spaces and more!
Sher Vancouver Monthly Meet-up
Dosti Project Monthly Meetup
Solid State Community, 10326 Whalley Blvd, Surrey, BC V3T 4H4, Canada
Dosti Project Monthly Meetup for Queer South Asians and friends, ages 19+. Powered in partnership with Solid State Co-op.
To see more Sher Van events, visit https://www.shervancouver.com/
Elevate Cohort Final Showcase
Symposia’s work with their 2025 Elevate! Performing Arts Cohort culminates with this showcase at Studio Theatre at Surrey Civic Theatres.
Solid State Monthly Staff Meeting
Solid State staff meet to discuss cohort updates, internal projects, finances, community spaces and more!
Growing Roots Workshop with City in Colour
Surrey, once one of the most affordable Lower Mainland cities, now has a scarcity of accessible rental housing, limiting options for low-income tenants, including refugees. Despite this, it hosts a disproportionate number of refugees compared to other Metro Vancouver municipalities. Newly arrived Government-Assisted Refugees (GAR) and refugee claimants face language barriers, unfamiliarity with housing tools, discrimination, and limited rights knowledge, making them vulnerable to exploitation and homelessness.
Through this project, we gathered the stories of four refugee communities: Spanish-speaking refugee claimants from Latin America, Dari-speaking Government-Assisted Refugees (GARs) from Afghanistan, Swahili-speaking GARs from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Arabic-speaking GARs from Syria and Lebanon. Over the course of one year, City in Colour Cooperative, in partnership with DIVERSEcity Community Society, engaged with these four groups to document their housing experiences and their diverse journeys from their arrival to Canada to their current homes.
The main goal of this project is to understand and map out the systemic barriers that hinder refugees and refugee claimants from securing adequate, affordable, and long-term housing in Surrey, while raising awareness about their housing situation
Border(ing) Practices Workshop
Border(ing) Practices
Border(ing) Practices: Systemic Racism, Immigration & Child Welfare is a collaborative research project led by researchers at the University of Toronto and the University of Victoria working in partnership with child welfare, immigration, and gender-based violence service providers and advocates within Ontario and British Columbia.
This research aims to understand how immigration policies, in concert with systemic racism, shape child welfare policies and practices with children, youth and families.
Sher Lotus Event
Dosti Project Monthly Meetup
Solid State Community, 10326 Whalley Blvd, Surrey, BC V3T 4H4, Canada
Dosti Project Monthly Meetup for Queer South Asians and friends, ages 19+. Powered in partnership with Solid State Co-op.
To see more Sher Van events, visit https://www.shervancouver.com/
Let Her Talk Paint Night
Follow @lethertalkca to get updates on this upcoming event for racialized femme!
Sher Vancouver Monthly Meet-up
Dosti Project Monthly Meetup
Solid State Community, 10326 Whalley Blvd, Surrey, BC V3T 4H4, Canada
Dosti Project Monthly Meetup for Queer South Asians and friends, ages 19+. Powered in partnership with Solid State Co-op.
To see more Sher Van events, visit https://www.shervancouver.com/
Solid State Monthly Staff Meeting
Solid State staff meet to discuss cohort updates, internal projects, finances, community spaces and more!
Sher Vancouver Monthly Meet-up
Dosti Project Monthly Meetup
Solid State Community, 10326 Whalley Blvd, Surrey, BC V3T 4H4, Canada
Dosti Project Monthly Meetup for Queer South Asians and friends, ages 19+. Powered in partnership with Solid State Co-op.
To see more Sher Van events, visit https://www.shervancouver.com/
Solid State Monthly Staff Meeting
Solid State staff meet to discuss cohort updates, internal projects, finances, community spaces and more!
Let Her Talk x Sher Lotus
Follow @lethertalkca to get updates on this upcoming event for racialized femme!
Sher Vancouver Monthly Meet-up
Dosti Project Monthly Meetup
Solid State Community, 10326 Whalley Blvd, Surrey, BC V3T 4H4, Canada
Dosti Project Monthly Meetup for Queer South Asians and friends, ages 19+. Powered in partnership with Solid State Co-op.
To see more Sher Van events, visit https://www.shervancouver.com/
Let Her Talk Let’s Talk Being a Daughter
Follow @lethertalkca to get updates on this upcoming event for racialized femme!
City in Colour Safer Workplaces Workshop
City in Colour offers tailored workshops for teams, organizations, or individuals interested in learning practical steps to foster safer and more inclusive work environments for racialized women. Please contact us at team@cityincolourcoop.com for more information or to schedule a workshop.
Solid State Monthly Staff Meeting
Solid State staff meet to discuss cohort updates, internal projects, finances, community spaces and more!
Salam Central’s Iftar Series 2025
Salam Central is hosting a series of Iftars on Wednesday evenings at Solid State Community Industries. Follow them @salamcentral_ to keep up to date with their programming.
Film Screening at BLAC
Sunday March 2nd at the Black Arts Centre for the special double-screening of short films “Faaji Agba ” directed by Remi Vaughan-Richards and “That B.E.A.T.” (2013) directed by Abteen Bagheri + open discussion with exhibition co-curator Vanessa Fajemisin. Presented as complimentary programming for the current BAC exhibition “Within the Mould; Against the Grain”.
Faaji Agba (2015) dir. Remi Vaughan-Richards
“An intimate portrait of the history, culture and music scene of Lagos, Nigeria from 1940 to present day, through the lives of a group of 68-85 year-old master musicians brought back from obscurity by Kunle Tejuoso, owner of Jazzhole Records. This documentary follows their lives and for some, their death. Filmmaker Remi Vaughan-Richards, a ‘student’ of the era, has been documenting Kunle and the Faaji Agba musicians since 2009 to keep their musical legacy alive and relevant. “
That B.E.A.T. (2013) dir. Abteen Bagheri
“Showcasing bounce music of New Orleans, this documentary short explores this genre and how specifically gay rappers and women have come to make it their own.”
4-6PM Sunday March 2nd
(first film will start at 4:15pm)
The Black Arts Centre
10305 City Pkwy Unit #105
Surrey, BC V3T 4Y8
Black Arts Centre BHM Programming
🎙End Black History Month on a strong, soulful note by joining us at the Black Arts Centre for another celebration of creativity, community and spoken word at our next open-mic poetry night Friday February 28th 📖 Enjoy an evening of poetry and literary readings with light refreshments alongside a community of passionate creatives, hosted by Marlo Brown and Ivanna Samuel. @ivannaoih @theyoungandgifted24 🫂
🔔Performance slots will be first come, first served however advance sign-up is available through the link in our bio. Readings may be limited to 2 pieces per person, dependent on the number of people who would like to preform 🙏🏾 Advance sign up via link in the bio! We hope to see you there!
Let Her Talk Let’s Talk Democracy
Follow @lethertalkca to get updates on this upcoming event for racialized femme!
Salam Central Pancake Breakfast, Followed by Calligraphy Workshop
Follow @salamcentral_ to keep up to date with family events designed for Muslim youth and community.
Anakbayan Surrey People Power Potluck
Join Anakbayan BC for a community potluck as we commemorate the 39th anniversary of EDSA People Power Revolution.
From February 22 to 25, 1986, millions of Filipinos marched on Manila's main highway, Epifano de los Santos Avenue (EDSA), to demand the end to Ferdinand E. Marcos' tyranny over the Philippines. These events marked the culmination of the Filipino people’s long-fought battle against social injustices, ballooning national debt, corruption, and election fraud under the Marcos dictatorship. It showed the immense power of the Filipino people when united under a common struggle!
We commemorate this occasion to honour and pay respect to those who fought for justice and freedom despite state repression and corruption. While Filipinos continue to suffer today under the nation’s ills of imperialism, bureaucrat capitalism, and feudalism, we must carry on the spirit of the EDSA People Power Revolution by continuing to organize and advocate for the rights of the most oppressed peoples and for a just future!
Reject and resist the US-Marcos fascist regime!
No to historical revisionism!
Activism is not terrorism!
Never again, never forget!
Magkaisa at ituloy ang laban!
Black Arts Centre BHM Programming
Visit the Black Arts Centre tomorrow for a very special Sunday as the gallery will be open in the form of a listening room.
From 2-5pm (closing) the gallery will be playing “Showbiz!” New York-based rapper-producer MIKE’s latest dreamy yet lucid 24-track album. The prolific Brooklyn rapper reflects on dislocation and homecoming with his most refined, spiritual-sounding album to date, influenced by interesting sample selection, his Nigerian heritage and other existential lyrical themes. Relax in our book nook or take in the current exhibition to the latest sounds and musings from MIKE @mikelikesrap
Sher Vancouver Monthly Meet-up
Dosti Project Monthly Meetup
Solid State Community, 10326 Whalley Blvd, Surrey, BC V3T 4H4, Canada
Dosti Project Monthly Meetup for Queer South Asians and friends, ages 19+. Powered in partnership with Solid State Co-op.
To see more Sher Van events, visit https://www.shervancouver.com/
Black Arts Centre BHM Programming
Do you love sharing, curating or dancing to music? If so, have you considered learning to DJ? Here’s your chance! Saturday Feb 15th at the Black Arts Centre for a crash course in DJ fundamentals with Mada Phiri @mada_p aka ADAM of @madebywe.ca !
This workshop will be split into 2-parts, with the first portion of the workshop open EXCLUSIVELY to Black women, femmes, and GNC (gender non-conforming) individuals. This will be followed by the second portion of the evening, which will be open to all! Both lessons will cover much of the same subject matter but participants from the first half are welcome to stay for the second half.
Feel free to bring your laptop or download your own music in advanced but equipment (controller + CDJS) & practice music will be provided! Beginner-friendly! No experience necessary!
Saturday Feb 15th
4-6PM:
Black women, femmes and GNC ONLY
6-8PM:
General Audience
Let Her Talk Annual Galentine’s
Follow @lethertalkca to get updates on this upcoming event for racialized femme!
Anakbayan Surrey Film Night
Feb 9 - Philippine-American War 126th Commemoration Movie Screening of Heneral Luna!
How did America first start involving itself in the Philippines? Watch Heneral Luna with us to see the history of US-Imperialism and intervention in the Philippines and the people who continued to resist after the Spanish! We’ll be having a discussion after the movie and light snacks will be provided!
STEMHouse F1 Engineering Workshop
Calling all future engineers! Come to our first workshop where you will,
⚙️ Learn the engineering behind real Formula 1 race cars
💻 Code a microcomputer
🏎️ Build a remote-controlled race car
Follow @stemhouseca on instagram to be the first to know about future STEM events for both elementary and high school!
Black Arts Centre BHM Programming
ARTIST TALK: February 7th @ The Black Arts centre for a night of discussion with exhibiting artists Isabel Okoro and Odartey Aryee, followed by a brief Q&A session as part of the programming for “Within the Mould; Against the Grain”. Swipe for artist works and bios ➡️ @isabelokoro @odarteymango
The Black Arts Centre is excited to provide visitors with the opportunity to learn more about the processes and inspirations behind the incredible Black artists we showcase and their work, while in direct dialogue with members of the community.
Light refreshments will be provided.
5:30-7pm
Friday Feb 7th
10305 City Pkwy Unit #105
Surrey, BC V3T 4Y8
Solid State Monthly Staff Meeting
Solid State staff meet to discuss cohort updates, internal projects, finances, community spaces and more!
Sher Vancouver Monthly Meet-up
Dosti Project Monthly Meetup
Solid State Community, 10326 Whalley Blvd, Surrey, BC V3T 4H4, Canada
Dosti Project Monthly Meetup for Queer South Asians and friends, ages 19+. Powered in partnership with Solid State Co-op.
To see more Sher Van events, visit https://www.shervancouver.com/
Ethos Lab BEST Program
Ethos Lab is hosting this year-long after school program which offers a rich blend of leadership, mentorship, and hands-on STEAM activities. Youth will get to go deep building exciting projects involving electronics, biology, and more and develop their skills in science, technology, engineering, and math within a fun and collaborative environment.
Facilitated in partnership with IMHOTEP’S Legacy Academy, MacISTEP, and BrainSTEM Alliance.
COHORT 2- [Grades 5-7]
SURREY LOCATION
Grades: 5-7
Dates: October 6th – May 17th
Day & Time: Saturdays, 10AM- 12PM
Location:10326 Whalley Blvd, Surrey, BC
Cost: $575 (scholarships are available please email community@ethoslab.ca)