The Olive Grove Hub is a cultural Café, one of the ACPSSJ projects and initiatives to support community-building and collaboration among grassroots ethnocultural groups in Saint John.

The name Olive Grove reflects ACPSSJ's vision of cultivating a welcoming and inclusive space where ethnocultural organizations, like trees in a grove, can grow side by side, share resources, strengthen one another, and contribute to a vibrant and resilient community while maintaining their distinct identities.

It is envisioned as a shared ethnocultural community space that aims to support the growth, sustainability, and collaboration of these organizations in a flexible and evolving way.

It provides a common location where groups can access office space, meeting rooms, shared resources, and practical infrastructure that may help strengthen their work and better support newcomers and their communities.

This café is intended to function as a collaborative space shaped by the participating groups and community needs over time, rather than a fixed structure with rigid roles.

The café will support newcomer integration through culturally responsive workshops, community programs, referrals, and peer support. It is intended to complement the work of existing organizations and service providers in Saint John by working alongside them in a collaborative and supportive manner, rather than replacing or duplicating existing services.

It will also create opportunities for ethnocultural groups to work together, share knowledge, and build stronger partnerships that contribute to a more coordinated community ecosystem.

The Olive Grove café will also celebrate the heritage and traditions of its partner communities through cultural exhibitions, educational programs, and school visits. A flexible event space and community café will generate sustainable revenue by hosting meetings, workshops, film screenings, cultural events, and community gatherings, helping ensure the hub continues to thrive beyond the funding period.

By investing in organizational capacity, collaboration, and long-term sustainability, the Olive Grove Café will become a welcoming space where ethnocultural organizations can grow stronger together while enriching the cultural, educational, and social life of Saint John.

Vision

- To become Saint John's leading collaborative ethnocultural café where cultures connect, communities thrive, and everyone feels a sense of belonging.

- To preserve and celebrate the cultural heritage of diverse communities while building an inclusive and welcoming future for newcomers and residents alike.

- To create a sustainable community space that strengthens collaboration, learning, and cross-cultural understanding.

Mission

- Provide a permanent, shared home for ethnocultural organizations to collaborate and grow.

- Support newcomers through culturally responsive programs, workshops, referrals, and community connections.

- Preserve and promote the heritage, traditions, and stories of diverse ethnocultural communities through exhibitions and educational experiences.

- Foster partnerships among community organizations, government, schools, and local businesses to increase collective impact.

- Build the long-term capacity and sustainability of grassroots ethnocultural organizations through shared resources, leadership development, and collaborative initiatives.

- Create welcoming community spaces, including a café and rentable event venue, that encourage connection while generating sustainable income to support the hub's mission.