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WOW Ambassadors: Call for Nominations
In 2014, Welcoming Ottawa Week launched a new project, the WOW Ambassadors. We put out a call for immigrants
living in Ottawa to nominate residents who went above and beyond to help them feel at home in the city. You told us beautiful stories of friendship, connection and welcome, and we captured those feelings in a stunning photo exhibit called Stories
and Faces of a Welcoming City. Unveiled by Mayor Jim Watson, the exhibit was seen by thousands during its time at City Hall.
The WOW Ambassador project was such a success, we're doing it again – and we need your help. Think back to when you first
arrived here as a newcomer to Ottawa, whether it was 20 years ago or 20 days. Was there someone who did something – big
or small – to help you feel at home in our city? Maybe a colleague explained the ins and outs of the Canadian workplace, a
teacher inspired you to succeed, or a neighbour was friendly and supportive. It could have been someone who came from
your homeland and spoke your language, or someone who reached out to you from another generation and culture.
Organized by the Ottawa Local Immigration Partnership (OLIP), Welcoming Ottawa Week celebrates the city's immigrant past
and present, and promotes a spirit of genuine hospitality and respect extended for newcomers. We’re looking for residents
who have demonstrated the openness, curiosity, and friendly connection that can be so enriching, but is not always there or
easy to achieve in our busy lives. We’re gathering these stories of welcome, sharing them on our Facebook page and then
choosing several to be WOW Ambassadors. The WOW Ambassadors will be featured in a special Welcoming Ottawa Week
photo exhibition by a talented Ottawa photographer.
You’re invited to nominate someone who made a difference in your journey to a new life, someone who went the extra mile
to help you adjust to Ottawa, and whose actions left an impression. The next page tells you how!
"Nominating Luciana to be a WOW Ambassador was my
way of showing her - and the world - the high esteem I
hold her in and how much I value her presence in my life."
~ Shamsia Quarishi
"Being nominated was an unexpected honour. When I
learned the stories of other recipients, I felt intensely
proud and privileged to be included in this group."
~ Luciana Nechita
Here’s how it works:
1. Think about someone you feel deserves recognition for helping you feel at home in Ottawa.
2. Fill out this simple form https://goo.gl/forms/fceJTTPYmz. It asks you for your name, the name of the person you are nominating, contact information for both of you and a short description (no more than 200 words) of how he or she made you feel
welcome in Ottawa.
3. Submit the form online no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, May 29, 2015.
4. The WOW Organizing Committee will choose several submissions to reflect a cross-section of nominations from across
Ottawa’s diversity. Organizers will contact you and your nominee the week of June 1.
5. If you and your nominee are selected, you will need to be available for a photo shoot on the weekend of June 6. We will
inform you of the exact date, time and location when we contact you about the selection. Because of the complicated logistics
of arranging the photo shoots, if you or your nominee cannot attend on the appointed day, we reserve the right to select
another pair of Ambassadors to be part of the project.
6. By submitting a nomination, you agree to make your nomination public. We’ll post some nominations on Facebook and
Twitter and will share the stories of successful nominees as part of the exhibition.
7. The photo exhibition to be displayed during Welcoming Ottawa Week, June 22-28 and may also be used in the promotion
and media coverage of WOW. WOW Ambassadors will be recognized during Welcoming Ottawa Week.
8. If you have any questions, please email us at: WOWAmbassadors2015@gmail.com
Celebrate the spirit of welcome - tell us your story now!