Stories of settling in Saskatchewan are being shared from many generations as a new project seeks to get an inside look at the process newcomers experience when coming to the province.
Journalist Evie Ruddy is conducting the interviews along with Jason Rister, a videographer, who is capturing the stories that are planned to be a part of a series of public service announcements.
"People are not just telling their own story, but they're telling their family's story," said Ruddy. "Sometimes we speak to Canadians who are telling the story of when their parents or their grandparents immigrated to Saskatchewan and what that was like for them."
The project is a collaboration among the Conseil Culturel Fransaskois, the Multicultural Council of Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan Filmpool Cooperative, the Saskatchewan German Council, the Saskatchewan Organization for Heritage Languages and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress - Saskatchewan Provincial Council, with funding being provided by SaskCulture and Saskatchewan Lotteries.
"They wanted to raise awareness about how people who settle in Saskatchewan become part of their community," said Ruddy. "In terms of First Nations and Métis communities, (we're looking at) what is it like interacting with other cultures. We're focusing on how people contribute to the community and also, how they relate to one another."
The interviews were conducted during Culture Days events, which were hosted across the province this past weekend. Ruddy spoke to people in Canora and Weyburn before visiting the German Club in Regina on Friday. She was in Estevan Saturday morning attending the Collage Multicultural Festival held at the leisure centre.
She interviewed people from several different nationalities, but noted in Estevan in particular she spoke mainly to people with German heritage but also those from the Philippines and Romania.
In Weyburn, she spoke to a couple from Chile who moved to Canada in 1973.
"It's not just newcomers. Their story was interesting because they moved here when there was conflict in Chile. They've gotten very active in their community," said Ruddy. "The woman said she wanted to teach her children soccer, so she got involved in the soccer community in Weyburn."
She said when she asks people if they feel like they are a part of their community, everybody says they do. Asked why that is, she said it's because they have been involved in their communities.
"They definitely recommend to newcomers to volunteer. That's how you meet people, and that's how you gain a sense of belonging. Everyone that we've spoken to is active in their ethno-cultural community in Saskatchewan."
She said she spoke to a Canadian of German descent who grew up speaking Low German and felt excluded growing up. He didn't speak any English and his teacher would strap him whenever he spoke. Over the years he lost the German language but is now taking classes at the Estevan Public Library, learning High German.
The PSAs will likely be airing sometime next year, but Ruddy noted there isn't a timeline or plan to publicize the stories at this time. The audience for these stories is everyone, both new and old Canadians.
"One of the things people have been talking about is that everyone is an immigrant," said Ruddy. "We're all multicultural. We're all a part of the multicultural community, even if we're white and of European descent. We're all contributing to the culture.
"It's not about assimilation, which is to impose the dominant culture onto a new culture, but it's about integration. People still want to be able to retain their culture in Saskatchewan and be free to live the way they did before and be accepted for that."
