Designing a Ceremony that feels like Belonging for the Institute of Canadian Citizenship
Mar 2024 - Jul 2024
THE CONTEXT
The Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC) is a national organization committed to fostering inclusion and active citizenship for newcomers to Canada. Among its many initiatives, ICC is the steward of the Enhanced Citizenship Ceremony — a meaningful civic ritual that welcomes new citizens with intention and care.
In Spring 2024, ICC invited us to support the reimagination of these ceremonies. The goal: to design an experience that consistently honours the diverse identities of new Canadians, while also reflecting the values of equity, Indigenous recognition, and shared cultural belonging — all in a format that could be replicated across cities and contexts.
This was a project about reimagining the citizenship ceremony as a meaningful, inclusive, and culturally resonant experience — one that fosters belonging, honours Indigenous presence, and invites new Canadians into community with care and intention.
THE ASK:
EXPERIENCE DESIGN THAT CENTERS BELONGING
The challenge was both practical and poetic. We were asked to create a set of experiences and activities that:
Felt emotionally resonant for a wide range of participants — across cultures, languages, and generations
Were easy for ICC teams and volunteers to facilitate, regardless of their level of experience
Honoured Indigenous Peoples and perspectives with reverence and responsibility
Could adapt to different locations, team compositions, and atmospheres across the country
Just as importantly, every element needed to feel like an invitation, not a requirement. Participants needed agency in how they engaged — especially given the personal, vulnerable, and symbolic nature of citizenship. Our job was to design a ceremony that didn’t just mark a transition, but opened a door.
OUR APPROACH
When it comes to creating belonging, ceremonies and rituals matter.
When thoughtfully designed, ceremonies can become spaces of collective memory, affirmation, and identity. But too often, public rituals in civic spaces are rigid or impersonal. We wanted to help ICC bring more humanity, joy, and connection into the citizenship process — while staying grounded in respect for protocol and tradition.
The context of this work mattered deeply. Amid a broader national conversation about reconciliation, migration, and belonging, these ceremonies are a unique moment where newcomers meet the responsibilities and promises of Canadian citizenship — and the country, in turn, has a chance to meet them with dignity, care, and welcome.
THE NEW ROOM SOLUTION
We brought a relational design lens to every step — building in room for flexibility, spontaneity, and care. The ceremonies we envisioned were not scripted performances. They were shared experiences where connection could emerge naturally and facilitators could show up as people, not just officials.
Our role and deliverables included:
Deep listening sessions with ICC staff and ceremony leaders
Community engagement to understand the emotional and cultural needs of new citizens
Strategic planning for consistent experience delivery
Immersive event and program design
THE IMPACT & RESULTS
The Enhanced Citizenship Ceremony we design for the ICC is now being offered across the country. Yearly, the ICC guides approximately 60 citizenship ceremonies positively impacting several hundreds of new Canadians. We’re proud to have supported a team that’s not just running events, but shaping a more welcoming country, one ceremony at a time.
What we delivered:
A replicable experience model that maintains warmth and cultural sensitivity
A detailed Playbook and Run of Show for facilitators designed for ease, flexibility, and clarity
The design of inclusive story-based activities that accounted for age, ability, language, and personal comfort
Recommendations for integrating Indigenous perspectives and wisdom with authenticity and intention
Rituals that mark the moment meaningfully, across differences
Guidance for adapting to different spaces, energies, and teams
Each element was crafted to ensure that anyone stepping into an Enhanced Citizenship Ceremony — whether as a participant, family member, or team member — could feel a sense of shared presence and purpose.
“Working with the New Room team was a fantastic experience. Dani and Erin bring incredible creativity, strategic thinking, and an impressive ability to streamline processes. Throughout our collaboration, they asked the right questions, kept us on track with regular check-ins, and worked seamlessly together to bring fresh ideas to the table. Their organization and expertise made a meaningful impact on our project, and I’d highly recommend working with them.”
Salomé Wysocki - Former Partnership Development Specialist at the ICC
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