Kamloops (Tk’emlúps) is home to a growing multicultural community, with 10.8 per cent of the population identifying as a visible minority according to the 2021 census. To help folks from all over the world settle in Kamloops, the non-profit organization Valid Dreams Foundation is supporting and celebrating newcomers through events, programs and workshops to help foster connection.
Valid Dreams founder and executive director Sally Martin started the organization in February of 2022, inspired by her personal experiences. She moved to Kamloops from Kenya at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and found it hard to make social connections.
“After COVID we were still seeing people really trying to learn how to reconnect or get back into a social space. The impact [COVID-19 pandemic] had on me was really huge,” Martin tells The Wren. “I experienced multiple barriers to employment; racism and social isolation were really huge.”
Martin struggled to find a sense of community in folks who could relate to the challenges she was going through. Seeking connection through traditions, such as meals and celebrations, and needing support for the societal hurdles she was navigating, she founded Valid Dreams.
“There’s lots of intersecting factors that actually impact people of color or equity-deserving groups,” Martin says.
The term equity-deserving refers to populations that face systematic discrimination, and barriers to opportunity. These populations include Indigenous Peoples and people of colour, as well as newcomers and members of the 2SLGBTQIA community.
“We have to admit that equity-deserving groups face more challenges or more barriers when it comes to accessing a lot of things, whether it’s employment [or] it’s resources or social life.”
A lot of newcomers from different backgrounds shared similar experiences, particularly those belonging to Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) groups, and Valid Dreams operates with a focus with multiculturalism, equity, inclusion, mental health and community empowerment as its main values.
The foundation has hosted some events focused on racism, opening up a space where people can feel comfortable talking about their experiences, and many of the events have provided a way for folks to network and build friendships.
The organization was recognized by the Multiculturalism Department of Canada Heritage for breaking barriers in 2022.
In addition to events, the foundation supports newcomers such as Elizabeth Wainaina, who moved with her husband to the city in 2024 and works as a support worker at Axis Family Resources.
When Wainaina was new to Kamloops, Valid Dreams supported her by helping her find a job, a family doctor and create connections in the community.
Martin says sometimes newcomers are not aware of the resources available. The organization gives them information, connecting to potential employers and supporting them with the interview process.
“Valid Dreams Foundation is doing an amazing job in the community, bringing people together, offering a helping hand to many and giving a shoulder to lean on,” Wainaina says.
This year’s goal is to secure a permanent office space for the organization that is culturally sensitive Martin says.
More about the events organized by Valid Dreams Foundation
Valid Dreams Foundation has been in charge of organizing an event for Black History Month for the past four years in Kamloops and for the past two years in Kelowna. This event has featured speakers, and has been hosted with collaborators like Thompson Rivers University, which welcomes 3,500 international students each semester from more than 100 countries, along with the British Columbia Lottery Corporation, Canadian Mental Health Association, Afrofusion, Kamloops Food Policy Council and others.
These events are the biggest the foundation puts on and feature a fashion show, music presentations, dance performances, an African meal and the opportunity to network.
The foundation hosted such an event in February, featuring food made by Afrofusion, a local restaurant in Kamloops founded by Zainab Oladipo. Afrofusion is a West African restaurant and has worked in collaboration with Valid Dreams Foundation for various events over the years.
Oladipo, who came to Kamloops in 2015 from Nigeria, worked for the first Black History Month event at the Colombo Lodge and has catered for every Black History Month event since.
The foundation also organizes dinners monthly, each dedicated to a different culture. So far, there have been 22 dinners Martin says, all focused on celebrating unique and important aspects of each culture.
Oladipo and Afrofusion are regular contributors to these events.
“I just used to cook for people just free of charge just because I loved cooking. I was so used to cooking for a large number of people, I came here realizing that we didn’t have anything like African here,” Oladipo says.
Before COVID restricted gatherings, Oladipo cooked annually for up to 50 people. During the pandemic however, she still received requests for dinners and began selling her food amongst a small group.
“I just kind of took a chance and I opened up my first location, then a second location in school [TRU] after that and then I moved to a bigger restaurant space. It’s been just growth since then,” Oladipo says.
While working events along with the foundation Oladipo has found that each event brings a sense of togetherness.
“I feel like a lot of us are so either busy working or being in school or just one thing or the other. We are so disconnected, so events that kind of tailor around different cultures bring the community together.”
Cultural dinners offer the opportunity to try something new and meet new people in the community Oladipo shares, adding that the dinners are needed in the community.
“I’ve done at least three of the dinners and they always come back. We always go ask the patrons how everything was and they always have good things to say and they’re just always happy coming here and just experiencing something different.”
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