The Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria was founded in 1971 to mount the inaugural FolkFest. Several ethnic groups came together to share their cultural heritage with the community at large. Approached by Immigration Canada to aid refugees, ICA adopted a mandate to promote cultural understanding and alleviate racism, developing a broad range of services to immigrants including citizenship and ESL classes, counseling, orientation, workshops and a host family program. Today, ICA advocates for the human rights of people from all ethnocultural backgrounds and maintains Luminara Inter-Cultural Arts as one of its most visible means to promote cultural awareness.