Around 85 people took to the BGC Cochrane and Area parking lot this past weekend for a social gathering aimed at welcoming newcomers to the community.
People of all ages and nationalities, from North America and overseas, met Aug. 21 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. for the New Cochranites event, planned by a group of local volunteers.
“We were talking about what we could do to help some of these people that are new to town and thought, ‘Hey, why don’t we host an event to let them meet and talk to each other instead of us talking to them?’ – let them get to know each other and make new friends,” said Paul Singh, one of the organizers. “That was the whole purpose behind it.”
Singh said the conversation started with some of the volunteers noticing a lot of Cochrane newcomers introducing themselves and asking various questions in community Facebook groups.
“A lot of these posts start with something like ‘Hey, I’m new to Cochrane’ and are followed up by a question asking where to meet people or about the upcoming school year or what to expect from certain events – that sort of thing,” he said.
In addition to providing a space for people to meet and connect at the New Cochranites social, there were also some resources supplied by the Visitor Information Centre and a booth was set up by COLT, the Town of Cochrane’s public transportation service, to answer any questions about navigating the area.
A few employers with businesses opening in town, including BarBurrito and Wayback Burgers, also caught word of the event and were on hand to share information about employment opportunities.
“It was great,” said Singh. “They stayed the whole time chatting and actually, their families were there and they are new to town as well, so it was a win-win for them.”
Above all, Singh said, the biggest takeaway from the event was that it served its purpose in giving new Cochranites a unique opportunity to meet each other, share their stories, and form connections within their new community.
“All the people I talked to said they never see this kind of thing happening in big towns and cities,” he added. “But Cochrane is home to so many people who want to help each other and that’s something to be proud of.”
