An ethnic enclave and its effects
An ethnic enclave is a foreign group within a country that retains its national identity. The rise of industrialization in the 19th century made them rampant (Hopper, 2012).
The benefits and drawbacks of ethnic enclaves
The benefits, however, outweigh the following drawbacks.
1. Enclaves encourage immigrants to get cheaper homes and land for their arrival in Canada (Xie & Gough, 2011). This helps the enclaves to have more stable communities and new people in Canada to establish new, reliable connections and build up more quickly. Some people who may lack means to find accommodation can be hosted by somebody else in the enclave before they get on their feet (Evans, 2004). The people on the ground can help the newcomers to move around and adapt to the new environment, this can help to draw more immigrants to come. They help break the monotony of suburbs. Ethnic enclaves are not the same as ethnic ghettos which are common in the U.S.
2. These people can form community outreach programs which are aimed at helping marginalized groups such as young children and the elderly amongst the immigrants. They provide an efficient way to deliver public services to people such as English language, settlement, translation, and employment training services (Drishti, 2013). Some of these communities also become tourist attraction sites such as the Punjabi market in Vancouver and Surrey (Sullivan, 2012). When they live amongst each other owing to their common ethnic origin, it is easier to communicate with each other as they speak the same language. These people are also able to conserve their ethnicity and culture as they act as each other's accountability partners.
Conclusion
Conclusively, ethnic enclaves are a good for community service providers to promote. They provide a sense of belonging to the immigrants in a foreign land. They are also able to preserve their culture, thus, it is important for them to be cared for by the community service provider.
References
Drishti. (2013, March 4). Ethnic Enclaves - Are They Good Or Bad For Canada? Retrieved Nov 30, 2017
Evans, M. (2004). Do Ethnic Enclaves Benefit Or Harm Linguistically Isolated Employees? Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, 281-318.
Hopper, T. (2012, February 11). Canada: As immigration booms, ethnic enclaves swell and segregate. Retrieved November 30, 2017
SULLIVAN, M. (2012, Feb 3). Ethnic Enclaves: Sanctuary or Impediment? Retrieved Nov 30, 2017
Xie, Y., & Gough, M. (2011). Ethnic Enclaves and the Earnings of Immigrants. Demography, 1293-1315. doi: 10.1007/s13524-011-0058-8
