A community collaboration recently allowed Brock students to connect their classroom learning to the lived experiences of newcomers to Canada.<\/p>\n
At a hybrid meeting held late last term, students in Livianna Tossutti\u2019s class on Global Migration: Canada in a Comparative Perspective had the chance to hear from newcomers studying English as a Second Language (ESL) at the Niagara Folk Arts Multicultural Centre. The event provided an opportunity for ESL students to share insight into their motivations for emigrating and their experiences arriving in Canada and the Niagara region.<\/p>\n
The ESL students represented 19 countries of origin and spoke more than a dozen languages. By sharing their stories, they helped Brock students understand the human side of issues they had explored in class, including the push and pull forces that drive international migration, the experiences of temporary and permanent migrants, and Canada\u2019s multicultural approach to integrating newcomers. The level 5\/6 ESL students also had the opportunity to practise speaking English and meet new members of the local community.<\/p>\n
\u201cImmigration is a complex policy domain that is the subject of myths and misunderstandings that are propagated by the media and others who don\u2019t quite understand the area or understand immigrants and their motivations,\u201d says Tossutti, an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science. \u201cI think the opportunity for students to ask questions directly to newcomers and to hear the newcomers talk about their experiences helps combat some of the preconceptions that people may have had about immigrants and immigration before they entered the course.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tossutti has taught the class four times and worked closely with staff at Folk Arts to create this experience each time, whether in person or virtually. She says the benefits to students are immediately clear after each session.<\/p>\n
\u201cReadings on migration can be heavily laden with statistical data or dense legal language that only tell one part of the story,\u201d says Tossutti. \u201cGetting the first-hand narratives from people who have been through the experience is an integral part of the learning experience for my students. Some of the theories and concepts discussed in the course begin to make sense after this session.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ramneet Sahota, a fourth-year Political Science major from Brampton, says the meeting helped shape her understanding of the course material, particularly around integration.<\/p>\n
\u201cThroughout the course, we have learned about integration and what steps host countries can take to ensure there is meaningful integration for newcomers in society,\u201d she says. \u201cHaving this experience and directly speaking to newcomers made me understand the real-life implications of the integration process and how important meaningful integration and community resources can be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sahota says she was struck by the openness of the ESL students and by their outlook on the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy biggest takeaway from this experience was the optimism shown by the students and how willing they were to engage in conversation with our class,\u201d she says. \u201cIt was really inspiring to see them engage with our class while they were still in the process of learning English, as this did not prevent them from answering all our questions and offering meaningful insight on their experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n
Taher Matus (BA \u201921), Folk Arts Mentorship Co-ordinator and Communications Chair, says it was great to see ESL students sharing their stories.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving studied sociology myself, it was really a cool event to put together the terminology with faces and real-life experiences, using all the theories the students learn to try to understand different stories,\u201d says the Brock alumnus. \u201cI think it helped Brock students really see the barriers that all newcomers face, and maybe, moving forward, they can use their knowledge to help newcomers in society wherever they see them.\u201d<\/p>\n
LINC\/ESL instructor and Brock Applied Linguistics graduate Lisa Smith (MA \u201917) has been working with ESL students in different capacities for nearly a decade.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a very positive experience,\u201d she says of the meeting. \u201cIt gave my ESL students an opportunity to use their language skills and boost their confidence. I also felt that they were very engaged, and even those who are sometimes more reluctant to speak were inspired to share their stories.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith, who previously taught high school, prepared her students by sharing narratives from other newcomers and helping each student define personal boundaries and comfort levels. Brock students also submitted their questions in advance so the ESL students had time to consider their responses.<\/p>\n
Josefina P\u00e9rez (IELT \u201998), Community Connections Program Co-ordinator at Folk Arts, says the event characterized what she calls the \u201ctwo-way street of integration.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not only about newcomers arriving and coming here to settle, it\u2019s also about the community welcoming them,\u201d she says. \u201cI think we managed to create a space where the two sides could interact in a safe way and there was genuine interest on both parts.\u201d<\/p>\n
P\u00e9rez also says working with Tossutti and building Folk Arts\u2019 relationship with her over the years has helped foster a sense of shared purpose.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was not our first time working with Livianna, so that foundation of trust was already established,\u201d she says. \u201cI always remember Livianna\u2019s research in welcoming communities \u2014 that\u2019s what she teaches and researches, and it\u2019s critical to have such allies in the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
P\u00e9rez, who learned English at Brock when she first came to Niagara, says the conversation had some truly memorable moments.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was the opportunity for our students to ask the Brock students about how they saw newcomers and what were they prepared to do in welcoming new Canadians, and that was very moving,\u201d she says. \u201cWe hope we can co-ordinate more activities like this one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sahota\u2019s strong impressions from the encounter led her to take up an internship at the Niagara Folk Arts Multicultural Centre that started in January to prepare her for a future career in immigration law.<\/p>\n
\u201cI decided it was important for me to work in the community before I enter the legal field, and working in a centre that provides resources for newcomers seemed like the perfect match for me,\u201d she says. \u201cAlso, being a first-generation Canadian, I have seen the gap that exists between newcomers and those who are already integrated into Canadian society. Having this experience, I wanted to work in a placement that will allow me to somehow bridge this gap, even if it is on a small scale.\u201d<\/p>\n
Indeed, helping students engage with the local community is a key part of Tossutti\u2019s overall teaching philosophy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese encounters are a window to the global diversity of backgrounds and lived experiences in Niagara,\u201d she says. \u201cAfter graduation, our students will assume leadership positions in Niagara and beyond, so I am hoping they will apply their enhanced understanding of diversity to their chosen professions.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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