Taking action to support refugees in Montreal
War broke out in Ukraine at the start of 2022. And even though Montreal is on the other side of the world, we quickly realized that we can still come together to take action. In fact, we achieved more together than we ever thought possible. Here’s a look back at our efforts to help the war-stricken Ukrainian community and other recently arrived refugees.
Volunteering at the Welcome Collective
This summer, Ubisoft employees took part in three volunteer sessions at Welcome Collective, a local organization dedicated to helping Montreal’s most vulnerable asylum seekers. In the past year, Welcome Collective has welcomed families from over 64 different countries, with the majority of them coming from countries in Central and South America and Africa, notably Haiti, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mexico, Colombia, Nigeria, and Angola. Families from these countries face long government delays to access basic rights like work permits and often face discrimination as newcomers from lesser-known conflict areas throughout the world.
Over 40 volunteers helped create newborn kits, prepare kitchen kits, and sort kids’ clothing for newly arrived asylum seekers in Montreal. Dozens of kits later, we can proudly say that our support will go a long way.
A few words from our employees
A morning of discovery and sharing – Diane
A beautiful reminder of all that we take for granted. It takes so little to make a difference! – Gabriel
It feels good to do good! – Maya
Donations and the backpack initiative
Just before the back-to-school season, a team of 20 Ubisoft volunteers got together to fill backpacks with school supplies for refugee children in Montreal. All in all, we donated 40 backpacks and $6,000 to the organization.
A big thank you for the amazing and much needed initiative by Ubisoft! We are very grateful for the backpacks and the donation. Please know that this is greatly appreciated and needed, as this will greatly help the Welcome Collective support newly arrived families who seek asylum in Canada on a daily basis in search of a better and safer life. – Dina Souleiman, Welcome Collective Executive Director
Computer donations and HR conference
Last spring, our studio purchased laptops for 20 newly arrived Ukrainian families to help them get established personally and professionally in Montreal. Our HR team also gave talks and professional guidance on careers in the video game industry.
A warm thank you from all the Ukrainian families who benefited from Ubisoft’s presence at the networking event, and especially from those who can now work and study using their new computers. – Tetyana Tsomko, Ukrainian Canadian Congress
A big thank you goes out to our employees who contributed to the success of these incredible initiatives! For those of you interested in helping the city’s most precarious refugee claimants, we invite you to reach out to Welcome Collective.
