Mohamed Bagha on growing strong communities by engaging newcomers

Mohamed Bagha (BAMHT'05, MIDST'13) is the managing director of the Saint John Newcomers Centre and chair of the Saint John Region Chamber of Commerce. Originally from Kenya, he arrived in Saint John in the early 2000s to complete his post-secondary education at UNB and has been part of the newcomer support scene in the Port City for over a decade.  

Mohamed is interested in helping grow and strengthen the community and is passionate about helping newcomers be part of that growth. He’s worked on initiatives to help newcomers settle more easily in their new home, and to help everyone see the value of community-building work to grow the services available to newcomers. Join us for a conversation about community-building and the role that both newcomers and long-time community members have in working together.   

In this episode:   

• What experiential learning programs do to help students, especially newcomers, build a network and become engaged in their community. 

• Why building a network is so important for engagement and success. 

• The important work of the Saint John Newcomers Centre – to both newcomers and the community. 

• Why Mohamed believes Atlantic Canadian cities are the best places to live. 

• His optimism for growth for the future, and why newcomers are central to that growth. 

• How to employ DEI to help overcome challenges for employers recruiting a talented workforce.  

• How we can create opportunities to make the city the best place to do business. 

Links and resources:   

• Saint John Newcomers Centre 

• Saint John Region Chamber of Commerce 

• Mohamed’s LinkedIn profile 

Thanks to:   

• Our alumni host, Katie Davey 

• Music by alumni artist, Beats of Burden  

• Our alumni Affinity Partners, TD Insurance and Manulife 

  To listen to UNBeknownst and for more info on the podcast, the hosts and how to subscribe to new episode alerts, visit our website.