About GRFS

Grand River Friendship Society (GRFS) is a charity organization that has been serving the community since 2005. The main focus of the organization is to promote unity, friendship, and cultural identity among community members while addressing educational and social issues in the region. GRFS places importance on the integration of its community into Canadian society. It organizes various events, seminars, and guidance programs to help its community members integrate into the Canadian society while also supporting them in preserving their cultures and values.

Grand River Friendship society is committed to providing guidance and mentorship to its community members and those they connect with. It offers essential training to children and youth through mentorship programs. Additionally, GRFS helps individuals avoid negative habits, violence, radicalism, and racism, connecting those with addiction issues to relevant experts. The society directs its members, especially the youth, towards artistic activities such as music, theater, painting, marbling, and mother-of-pearl art, encouraging them to engage in sports for their health and fitness, and works to equip them with necessary skills for their future.

GRFS publishes the Yankı Magazine with 21 young writers and 2 young editors, in total 23 young contributors who write on cultural, educational, artistic, and literary topics. Yankı Magazine is being published monthly since November 2022.
GRFS also has a Youth Club within that encourages young people to participate activities in Canadian, fostering integration bridges. For example the Youth Club encouraged young in our community to participate in Terry Fox run and help raising funds.
Our society collaborates closely with relevant institutions and groups to provide necessary assistance to those facing financial difficulties or in need of support of any kind.

GRFS assists newcomers in Canada with finding homes, obtaining necessary furniture and house hold items, completing legal documents, and guides them to accelerate their integration. The society also provides clothing and food assistance to the homeless. By bringing together the elderly and the youth, GRFS encourages mutual assistance, where the younger generation and the elderly shares experiences, technological skills, and physical support with each other.

To accelerate integration and support social development, GRFS conducts seminars with experts from both within and outside Canada and contributes to the development of its members through domestic and international trips. The society organizes weekly meetings in small groups to facilitate discussions on morale, motivation, and integration.

Children and youth gather weekly under the supervision of their mentors for social development, integration, and additional academic support. They enhance their skills and education through weekend courses, learn Turkish to preserve their language and culture, and improve their academic performance with supplementary courses for school.

GRFS organizes joint programs and activities to build bridges of peace among different communities in Canada, emphasizing intercultural dialogue. The society encourages individuals in the community to preserve their languages and provides support to ensure that young people do not forget their mother tongues. Simultaneously, GRFS motivates its members to learn English and participate in relevant courses to facilitate integration.

The society aims to create a positive and inclusive environment for all its members, contributing to the development of Canadian society through various activities, seminars, and programs. Through the promotion of social participation and social responsibility, GRFS aims to foster the development of conscious and beneficial community members.