menu heading
Menu Item OneMenu Item TwoMenu Item ThreeMenu Item FourMenu Item FiveMenu Item SixMenu Item Seven
    Search Tree
    Select your location
Go back to Community Blogs

Community Success Story: Tunisian Women Society of Alberta Bridges Generations & Preserves Cultural Heritage

Community is all about building meaningful connections with past and future generations. For the Tunisian Women's Society of Alberta, it has made it its mission to bridge the intergenerational gap among community members, combating disconnection and isolation while fostering a sense of belonging among them.

In 2023, with seed grant support from AHC, the Tunisian Women Society of Alberta organized a series of events that brought together children, youth, and seniors. These gatherings celebrated the rich culture of Tunisian culture, including folklore story readings, literature and poetry sessions, traditional Tunisian music (Malouf), language and dialect lessons, and historical narratives delivered in the Tunisian dialect.

These initiatives help preserve Tunisian culture, providing children with experiences of common folklore stories, literature, poetry, and historical narratives in the Tunisian dialect. For the community, learning the value of oral storytelling, which is a hallmark of Tunisian culture, is especially important in this digital media era.

The expected outcome of this initiative was clear: to build community connections, strengthen bonds, and preserve Tunisian heritage for future generations through the knowledge and lived experiences shared by senior community members. While the Tunisian community embraces their home in Canada, they remain rooted in their cultural history and identity.

But this is only the first step in a longer journey to preserve their heritage. The next step is providing additional exciting activities to inspire the next generation, including:

      • Traditional Tunisian Cooking Classes: These classes introduce children to the rich and diverse flavours of Tunisian cuisine. Cooking together not only teaches valuable skills but also fosters joy and tradition while building relationships and community.
      • Tunisian Folk Dance Workshops: Teaching folk dances such as Debke and Hassapiko. These workshops are all about moving in rhythm with Tunisian heritage and celebrating its cultural identity.


These efforts have not only enhanced community connection and support but also sparked interest among youth and children to learn more about their culture and heritage.

While they navigate their lives in Canada, the community remains deeply rooted in their traditions, which has brought immense joy to our seniors and all community members, helping them feel a strong sense of belonging in their new homes. This holistic approach enhances the cohesion of the community, ensuring that the beautiful tapestry of Tunisian culture continues to flourish in Canada for years to come.

You may also like

Land Acknowledgment

As an organization working towards improving peoples’ well being, we acknowledge our presence on Treaty 6 territory and Métis Nation of Alberta Region 4, a traditional meeting grounds, gathering place, and travelling route for the Cree, Saulteaux, Blackfoot, Métis, Dene, Ojibway, Anishinaabe, Nakota Sioux, and Inuit, as our responsibility to extend support for healing to our Indigenous Community members during this difficult times. 
We acknowledge all the many First Nations, Métis, and Inuit whose footsteps have marked these lands for centuries and whose histories, languages, and cultures continue to influence our vibrant community.

As an organization, we commit ourselves to continue to acknowledge, learn, understand, and create opportunities to educate our staff, volunteers, and community members about the lived experiences of First Nations, Inuit and Métis, walking the path of reconciliation.

Action for Healthy Communities Society of Alberta (AHC's) Diversity and Inclusion Statement

AHC is a proud proponent of diversity in the workforce, and we support an inclusive workplace that values the diversity of ideas.

AHC fosters diversity and inclusion at all levels of our organization. It is among the cornerstones of our core values of inclusion, collaboration, participation, personal development, innovation and excellence. We understand that equity deserving individuals and communities possess huge potential for growth and development but facing myriad of challenges which can be addressed through their capacity building by hiring and retaining individuals with an array of competencies, talents, experiences, and ideas to propel the innovation that drives our success. 
A diverse workforce and inclusive culture help us strengthen performance and inspire creative solutions. We believe the attention given to diversity and inclusion makes us more responsive, agile, trustworthy and innovative.

AHC's diversity and inclusion policies aim to foster an inclusive space that encourages more meaningful engagement among all program participants, employees, volunteers and other stakeholders to strengthen our performance.
crossmenu