Hello and welcome to Season 8, Episode 9 of YXE Underground. I’m Eric Anderson, and welcome to OUT Saskatoon’s Newcomer Support Group.

It is a snowy, bitterly cold Thursday night in April, but in the OUT Saskatoon’s headquarters, their main gathering space is packed with people from across the world.

This support group started last May and offers LGBTQ newcomers and refugees a safe space to not only learn about Saskatoon and Canada, but as you will hear in this episode, the group is providing community and friendship to those who come.

Once a month, Iris Akbar welcomes people to the group and leads them through different topics and activities. It could be an art activity or a discussion on how best to survive a Saskatchewan winter. On this night, Iris has invited two-Spirit Elder Shelley Belhumeur, to speak and share about Indigenous knowledge and history.

Shelley begins the night by asking people to introduce themselves and share where they are from. Most people in the room are from African nations such as Nigeria and Ghana.

The person behind this Newcomer Support Group is Iris Akbar. Iris, who uses he/she pronouns, immigrated to Saskatchewan with his partner from Singapore; a country where same-sex marriage and civil unions are not recognized.

Iris started working at OUT Saskatoon in 2019 and was passionate about helping LGBTQ newcomers and refugees get the supports they needed in our city. He was about to start a Newcomer Support Group when the Covid-19 pandemic hit and put that on hold.

When the pandemic ended, Iris continued to help helping newcomers and refugees at OUT Saskatoon in a volunteer capacity; not only in terms of finding supports in Saskatoon, but to make connections and friendships in the community.

Iris started the Newcomer Support Group in May of 2025. As you will hear, what started as a small gathering has now grown into a vibrant collection of people who are eager to learn about their new home and make meaningful connections.

The episode features a conversation I had with Iris a few weeks after I met him at the Newcomer Support Group. We met at Tastebuds Café on Lorne Avenue on a beautiful sunny day; so nice in fact we sat out on the patio!

You will also meet people who were at the Newcomer Support Group that chilly April evening and hear why this group means so much to them.

If you want to learn more about the important work being done at OUT Saskatoon, please visit their website at outsaskatoon.ca

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Thank you for supporting a local, independent podcast here in Saskatoon.

Cheers...Eric

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com
• Recorded: On Treaty 6 Territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis