A community becomes a community when individuals come together in networks and coalitions. Usually people coalesce in order to accomplish goals that they cannot carry out when working independently. Associations, organizations and groups are organized to meet communal needs.
In Tehranto, communities of Iranian-Canadians have come together to form coalitions and networks that have been instrumental in our communities’ process of integration, development and growth.
Tehranto’s organizations, coalitions, and associations have been instrumental in helping newcomers establish new careers, navigate the immigration system and access local resources. Our organizations have helped to solidify our communal identity, they have allowed us to strengthen our voice in the political arena and have fostered social and artistic spaces that have maintained and created our unique identities.
Therefore, as part of our Mapping Tehranto project we are going to look at the roles that various community organizations play in Tehranto. We will examine the stories behind the creation of these organizations, the people who helped to create and maintain them, the services that they provide and how they have met the growing and changing needs of Iranians living in Toronto.
I hope that by looking at the creation and establishment of these organizations we can gain greater insight into the history of our community and how we have grown to become Tehranto.
