ABOUT Stories from Hamilton’s Newcomers
Who We Are
Unpack Magazine is published by the Immigrants Working Centre in Hamilton, Ontario.
We are committed to sharing stories that celebrate diversity and highlight the experiences of immigrants and refugees in our city. We aim to educate and inspire with fresh, interesting content as we work together for a more equitable city.
To ‘unpack’ means to analyze the nature of, or examine in detail. That is precisely what we hope to do in Hamilton – unpack newcomer stories and justice issues – and contribute to the conversation of how to make our city the best it can be.
Our History
The Immigrants Working Centre began publishing a newspaper in 2009 called ‘The Women’s Press’. In five years, we printed 24 issues, 322 articles, and distributed over 130,000 copies throughout Hamilton – and partnered with dozens of non-profit organizations. In 2014, we relaunched our paper as Unpack Magazine. With a new name, format, and design, the Immigrants Working Centre has revamped how we tell stories.
The Immigrants Working Centre (IWC) is an equality seeking, anti-racist, charitable organization dedicated to the social, political and economic inclusion of refugee and immigrant women in a just and supportive Canadian society. The Centre is committed to enabling refugee and immigrant women to discover and build their new futures through skills development and settlement support. IWC is funded in part by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
Hamilton Independent Media Awards
- 2016 Nominee: Amanda Cheung – Unpack Magazine Article: The immigrant life: “Art in its purest form”
- Unpack Magazine was awarded ‘Best Media Outlet’ at the premiere Hamilton Independent Media Awards in 2014.
- 2014 Nominee: Michelle Both – Unpack Magazine Article: Not for rent: How racism has created two-tiered housing