The Calgary Chinese Cultural Centre aims to foster and preserve multiculturalism in the Calgary community. While the Calgarian-Chinese community is the Centre’s primary focus, we are also looking to integrate other cultural groups as part of our community. In other words, we aim to bridge several cultural groups with our own Chinese community and to serve Calgary’s rich cultural identity as a whole. The Centre opens its doors not only to the Calgarian-Chinese community, but to all underprivileged individuals who require our services.The Calgary Chinese Cultural Centre hosts a variety of programs which focus on improving the quality of life for all Calgarians and promoting cultural awareness of all groups.
Our Programs:
Interest Courses focus on four main areas of enrichment for the general public. This includes Languages, Arts and Culture, Martial Arts and Wellness, and Sports and Fitness. In addition to these specific categories, we also offer miscellaneous courses such as First Aid Certification, Youth Magic Courses, and Makeup Courses to the public which provide entertainment and social enrichment.
Free Programs are also hosted by the Centre and currently include Jade Appreciation and Senior Tablet Courses in both Cantonese and Mandarin. These programs were developed by the community for the community – as Calgary’s Chinatown is primarily composed of Chinese seniors, these courses were mainly created to serve their interests. The Centre is constantly looking for more ways to serve their community and hopes to expand its selection of free programs soon.
Events are another vital aspect of the Centre’s responsibilities. Not only do we organize a multitude of multicultural events, but we also facilitate events for other cultural groups. Many of our spaces are available for rental and we also work closely with neighboring non-profit organizations to accomplish our collective goal of serving Calgary’s community.
The Centre also hosts a free Museum which houses a variety of exhibition pieces and includes our award-winning exhibit hall, “Our Chosen Land: 100 Years of Development of the Calgary Chinese Community” which illustrates the specific story of Chinese immigrants arriving and establishing themselves in Calgary.
Currently, the Centre is arranging to host two specific events in partnership with two other cultural groups to celebrate, promote, and educate their cultural heritage. As a long-time supporter of the First Nations groups in Canada, the Chinese Cultural Centre intends to partner with the Treaty 7 First Nations group to organize educational programs, arts and culture exhibitions, and host events of reconciliation.
In addition to partnering with the Treaty 7 First Nations group, the Centre will also host an educational seminar which explores the journey of Jews residing in Shanghai as they fled the Holocaust during World War II. In addition to hosting seminars, the Centre will be showcasing a combined exhibition with the Calgary Jewish Community Centre (CJCC) for a week-long period; at the end of the week, the exhibition will be moved to the CJCC and showcased there.Donations are welcome to the Chinese Cultural Centre as we are a non-profit organization that relies on the support of our community in order to host our programs, events, and exhibitions.
Volunteers are a vital component of the Centre and the success of our programs and events relies heavily on their involvement. The volunteering program not only counts towards volunteer credit hours but will also meaningfully enrich our volunteer’s social capabilities and give back to the community.
Both donations and volunteering are essential components of the Centre’s day-to-day operations as well as the pursuit of our future goals. This is particularly important as the Centre moves forward and aims to better serve the community