UNPACK
SPRING 2016
VOICES ON CULTURE AND JUSTICE IN HAMILTON | B Y T H E I M M I G R A N T S WO R K I N G C E N T R E
The art of being an immigrant WHEN THE DREAM IS BIGGER THAN THE RISK ITSELF - PAG E 3 -
WEAVING A NEW IDENTITY
DANCE IS CULTURE MADE VISIBLE
WHY DOES IMMIGRATION MATTER TO CANADA’S FUTURE ?
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PAG E 1 6 -
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2 • Spring 2016
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uM AnG pA aZ IcNkE Editor-In-Chief: Ines Rios Managing Editors: Ian Steinberg, Maria Trivino Design & Layout: Maria Trivino Copy Editors: Elizabeth Webb, Morganne King Wale, Amanda Cheung Website: UnpackMag.ca Email: UnpackMag@IWCHamilton.ca
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Art and the immigrant experience THE ART ISSUE By Ines Rios Newcomers bring new approaches, skills, and experiences to their communities and they express and utilize those talents in a multitude of ways. This issue shines a light on newcomers in Hamilton who have brought their artistic talents and vision with them, expressing themselves and sharing their experiences through art. When we talk about migration, we usually think about the movement of people across borders, but migration is a complex emotional and physical process for each individual. People must dismantle their lives to make new ones. According to Haitian-born writer Edwidge Danticat, this process of rebuilding involves “what every great art requires – risk-taking, hope, a great deal of imagination, all the qualities that are the building blocks of art.” This issue has collected stories of newcomers who have found, in art, a medium of expression and economic support in their new community. The individuals interviewed for this issue are artists who have explored their connection to their homeland and Canada, and reflected on their immigrant experience and how they have reshaped their identities through art. In art, these inspiring individuals have found a safe space to start a conversation and a medium for their integration, expression, and investigation of their experiences. This issue of Unpack was produced in partnership with students from McMaster University’s Gender Studies and Feminist Research Master’s program. Student-journalists sought out inspiring and imaginative newcomers in the community, to highlight their talents and their experiences. The individuals profiled in this issue are working at the intersection of gender, arts, and immigration in Hamilton, with all three of these lenses impacting their experiences and their integration into their new community. We hope this issue inspires you to investigate your own identity and helps you discover new means to express yourself!
Ines Rios is the Executive Director of the Immigrants Working Centre.
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Spring 2016 • 3
THE IMMIGRANT LIFE:
“ART IN ITS PUREST FORM”
AMANDA CHEUNG
First raw: Aded Al Wahab, Nazli, Mohamad Ali Ali, Maher, Nasra. Second raw: Samer, Hanan, Ahmed and Maner, Salma, Mohammed. Since mid-April they have been attending evening English classes at IWC.
By Amanda Cheung “All immigrants are artists because they create a life, a future, from nothing but a dream. The immigrant’s life is art in its purest form.” - Patricia Engel, Colombian American novelist. Growing up as a child of first-generation immigrants, I bore witness to artists who dreamt, imagined and created. My father was an electrical engineer in Hong Kong and my mother was a secretary. They immigrated to Canada in 1988 with the dream of providing my sister with a future. My sister was born without a right ankle and the only solution doctors in Hong Kong offered at the time, was amputation. My parents came to Canada with the hope that doctors here would have more knowledge and technology – giving my sister a chance. Chance, hope and opportunity. Immigrants leave their homes for a variety of different reasons. Some leave for their children, others leave in search of better careers, and still others leave because of war and danger. The immigrant experience is individual but the one thing all immigrants share is hope, a feeling or expectation, a trust that something will take place. Mohamad Ali Ali fled his home in Aleppo, Syria to Lebanon with the hope of keeping his family safe. He wanted to give his family a chance at life. In Syria, Ali Ali was a plumber but there was no market for that in Lebanon, so he started working in delivery. “I really had to survive and to earn some money for my children…if you don’t work it’ll be catastrophic. I had to do this for my children, I have 4 children.” Immigrants hope for a better tomorrow, the possibility to pursue their dreams and achieve a dream that wasn’t possible in their homeland. They risk what they know and jump into the unknown because their hopes and dreams are bigger than the risk itself. “In Syria, my dream was to have an education but that dream could not come true,” says Mohammed Al Khaleel. “My dream coming to Canada is, first thing, to study and pursue my studies and education, and after that, having a house, having a job I can go to everyday and be happy,”
Nazli Zohair Koujar’s dream is to be a lawyer. She left Syria in 2011 when she was only 15 years old, and lived in Lebanon for 6 years with her family before arriving in Hamilton early this year. During her time in Lebanon, she worked, helping her dad in farming so that they could provide for her brother’s medical condition. “I couldn’t achieve my dreams in Syria and I couldn’t in Lebanon…but I can achieve my dream here,” says Koujar. She wants to be a lawyer because she saw people being abused and persecuted in Syria. “There was lots of corruption so I wanted to be a lawyer to protect them.”
Finding the way
Arriving in a new country is only the first step in a long and bumpy road. There’s a lot of work to do for these dreams to take place. Koujar understands that and says, “The first step is learning English and getting to know the culture, and then from there go step by step and go higher and higher...I am working so hard on the language because I have nothing from it.” The newly arrived Syrian newcomers have been attending English classes, studying reading, and writing, for more than ten hours a day, five days a week, beginning only a few weeks after their arrival to Hamilton. My dad once told me that one of the hardest things of being a newcomer is the inability to express oneself. Your mind is still the same, you’re still thinking and processing, but then you get stuck because you don’t yet have the tools in this new place for others to understand you. Every moment, you are reinventing yourself. When you venture into something new, you are rediscovering how you fit. You assess the environment you’re in and gather the tools you need, to create the dream you have. “At one moment, our profession, we almost forgot about it,” said Samer Rahhal, about his time in Lebanon. “We had to work in other fields because of the bad living conditions.” Rahhal was an agricultural engineer in Syria but in Lebanon, he worked as in trade and landscaping in order to provide food for his family. Now in Canada, he says, “I would like to start from
the zero from here and have a new life for me and for my children…maybe from now to 10 years to 15 years, my dream will come true, to establish my own research centre.”
A new beginning
“You begin with nothing, but stroke by stroke you build a life. This process requires everything great art requires—risk-tasking, hope, a great deal of imagination, all the qualities that are the building blocks of art. You must be able to dream something nearly impossible and toil to bring it into existence.” - Edwidge Danticat, Haitian-American novelist. My dad went between jobs working in a factory and pizza delivery and my mom worked at a fast food Chinese restaurant. During this time, they were reinventing, learning the language, gathering their tools, learning the skills and understanding the medium in which they would create their lives. “There is no one or nothing around me that will help me achieve my goal,” says Koujar. “It’s all about me, it’s all myself that will help me reach this goal. It’s the passion in me that will help me achieve my dream.” Even if what you’re leaving for is ‘better,’ leaving is never easy. A part of your heart sometimes stays at home. “Syria will always be home,” says Al Khaleel. “Whatever happens, I will miss it.” My parents came to Canada because they wanted to give my sister and I opportunity. They wanted to provide us with peace and stability – but mostly, opportunities to choose what we wanted to do, opportunities for a comfortable life, and opportunities to pursue our dreams – something they sacrificed so that their children could have. They’ve been in Canada for 28 years now and I think they’ve been able to achieve their dream, but, a part of their heart will always remain in Hong Kong.
Amanda Cheung is the Special Refugee Initiatives Coordinator at IWC Hamilton.
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WEAVING A NEW IDENTITY An artistic journey of exploring identities By Maggie Macintosh The inspiration behind Hana Pinthus Rotchild’s art is an attempt to connect herself to her two homes— Israel and Canada. Hana, 48, together with her husband, and children left Israel in 2003. They didn’t plan to stay long, but 13 years later she lives in Ancaster making art, teaching art therapy, and working as a clinical social worker. “[My art] is a process of slowly understanding my new identity and connection to Canada and Israel,” she states. Hana began formal art studies at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem. She graduated from the Department of Industrial Design in 1992, and began working in multimedia design, carpentry and teaching homeless youth. In 2003, Hana began to create artwork for an exhibit she would later name “Migration.” The “Migration” project is an ongoing collection of Hana’s work that focuses on connecting her identities, both as an Israeli, and a Canadian. The pieces contain mixed multimedia ranging from wood to printed transparencies, pizza boxes and thread. Hana often uses thread as a symbol of connection and
the process of creating a hybrid identity for herself. “I think moving [to Canada] pushed me into art because [art] was always a place of processing my feelings and thoughts,” she reflects. It was a cultural shock for Hana, and her family when they first arrived in Canada, bringing with them only two suitcases each. “The nuances of the cultures are very different,” she says. “Israel is very warm, and spontaneous, and the interactions are much closer.” Being away from her family and adapting to a new environment with English language barriers challenged her. “I remember being afraid.” Taking walks around her new neighbourhood and making friends through work helped her come to terms with developing her Canadian identity. Hana has worked with many immigrants and refugees throughout the years in various positions at Settlement and Integration Services Organization (SISO), Thrive Child and Youth Trauma Services and Wesley Urban Ministries. She currently works at the Niagara Region Sexual Assault Centre where she supports men and women who have experienced sexual abuse. Having moved to Canada from Israel, Hana can relate
“[My art] is a process of slowly understanding my new identity and connection to Canada and Israel.”
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to the fear experienced by all Canadian newcomers. “The main difficulty for women is that their close support circle is not here,” she says. “They feel alone.” She notes that women have different rights in Canada that require both changes, in how they view themselves, and adjustments from their partners. Women are reoccurring subjects in Hana’s art. “I feel that my journey represents other women’s journeys.” The shapes and drawings of women in her work are the result of her work in art therapy; representing the individuals she has worked with who have experienced trauma, and herself. “The women in my art are in a process of transformation and growth, letting go of the binding and restricting past,” Hana explains. Thread is a common medium used to create the female figures, but she picks no favourites when it comes to using materials. As for her colours, Hana uses an ample amount of red and black in her work. “Wherever there is red, there is pain and hurt and sadness.” Her artwork has been on display in several spaces, including O-Ma-Noot Gallery, Centre3 and You Me Gallery. www.artisthanarotchild.com
Maggie Macintosh is a Journalism student at Ryerson University.
UNPACKMAG.CA
Spring 2016 • 5
Dance Is Culture MADE VISIBLE
PHOTO COURTESY OF BAHAR DANCE GROUP
By Elisabeth Chernichenko Who are we, and how do we fit in? Sometimes, the only answer is to dance. “I see dancing as a way [to] express my feelings and beliefs about my culture. [Iranian] culture is a big part of my identity and I try to keep in touch with it through the traditional dances that I do. I hope to showcase a tiny part of Iran’s rich and finest art and culture this way, away from politics and religion.” Maryam Vaseghi-Shanjani, 20, is the artistic director, founder, and choreographer of the McMaster Iranian Dance Association, also known as The Bahar Dance Group. “Bahar” means “spring” in Farsi. This represents the philosophy of the dancers as “something that is growing, and something that is blossoming” in a new place and time. “I find it really important because it has come to my attention that there are Iranians in my university and community who have become out of touch from their culture. Some have just not had the opportunity to get involved and some don’t want to keep involved,” she explains. “I hope to get the Iranian community back together and unite them, at least in McMaster University. I see my dance association as not only teaching and learning dance, but really a way to unite Iranians on campus in a very healthy and fun way.” Maryam has loved dance since she moved to Canada when she was 10 years old. She did not train in a conservatory, but instead learned dance informally through her participation in traditional Iranian dance groups in Toronto. Maryam is now a science student at McMaster University. She utilizes her passion for dance to bring together the Iranians that, she says, speckle the McMaster
ground, fragmented from their culture in Iran and their present lives. “I feel like I don’t belong because I don’t feel completely Iranian, and I don’t feel completely Canadian. It’s almost like having an identity crisis. That’s one of the challenges that I’m feeling. ‘Who Am I?’” she wonders. “Sometimes I can’t associate with both groups. We’re just our own special type of people who have had half of our lives back home, and half here.” Maryam has been contesting stereotypes on multiple fronts with her beautiful mix of modern, yet traditionally inspired, dance choreography—stereotypes that come from both within the Iranian community as well as ones that exist to the outside eyes. “I hear a lot, ‘Do Iranians even dance?’ or ‘Do women and men even dance together?’ Yes! Of course! There are nearly a dozen ethnic groups in Iran which encompass their own unique culture, art, costumes and dance. Looking back at Iran’s history, you can see that many of these dances originated a couple of hundred years ago, if not thousands. It’s just that the world doesn’t really know about it partly because of the present political situation of our country, and because what we see in the news is not particularly about Iran’s art and culture, unfortunately.” “We are joyous people. We are happy, we smile, and we dance.” According to Maryam, the stereotypes that arise from the Iranian–Canadian community also come from a place of misunderstanding. “The dance association is not a political one. [Politics] defeat the whole purpose of art, culture and dance. My goal is to just have a safe and friendly environment where I can spread the beauty of Iranian dance away from politics or religion. I see dancing as a way for us to practice
I see dancing as a way for us to practice our culture, as a way of communicating our heritage and identity to the outside world.”
our culture, as a way of communicating our heritage and identity to the outside world.” “Gender doesn’t matter. We’re equal. Attractions between females and males don’t have to be sexual,” she explains. “There are certain stereotypes about gender and sexuality in both communities. It is generally believed that there must be a chemistry between dance partners. Girls and boys in our group are just friends.” “I’m trying to raise consciousness among my audience by showing that human beings, no matter what their gender is, can communicate and understand each other in a way.” Her intention is to mend the fissure in the Iranian community between the newcomers and those who have lived in Canada for a long time by reconnecting them with their heritage. Maryam contends that Iranian newcomers often reject their culture because they associate it with the political and cultural restrictions they experienced in Iran prior to immigrating. Once established in Canada, their Iranian identity can be harder to connect with due to cultural assimilation. The Bahar Dance Group’s most recent performance at McMaster University was on the theme of “Unity.” “Through this performance, I aim to communicate with my audience that there are many different ethnic groups in Iran, yet we are all one nation. That’s my message. I feel that we as Iranians sometimes forget that what ethnic group we belong to, the language we speak, or our different accents, and differences in our skin complexion… all these, they are just irrelevant. At the end of the day, we are all Iranian; we can live together in unison and peace. That’s what makes our culture and heritage so rich and beautiful”.
Elisabeth Chernichenko is a Media Arts and Journalism student at Mohawk College.
6 • Spring 2016
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making
fun By Stephanie Milliken We often use music to express emotions, and to build relationships. Music instruction can also play a key role in a child’s development of invaluable social and life skills. An Instrument for Every Child (AIFEC) is a Hamiltonbased music program that works in conjunction with Hamilton-area elementary schools, to provide young students from grades one to four with extra instrumental music classes. Gosia McCarroll works for AIFEC as a music instructor, teaching violin and piano classes. Gosia immigrated to Canada from Poland eleven years ago, just before marrying her husband, a Canadian musician. The pair met on a cruise ship where both were working as musicians on contracts. After living in Toronto for six years, they moved to Hamilton, and have since been happy to call the area home. Gosia has worked with AIFEC for three years now, after meeting with Astrid Hepner, the Program Director. Prior to this, she worked in a variety of music-related jobs. Most notably, she worked as an instrumental teacher at the Long & McQuade music store in Mississauga, where her husband was working at the time. Gosia acknowledges how lucky she is to have been able to find work in her field so soon after immigrating here, as “it can be difficult for new immigrants to find a job that uses their professional training when they first move to a new country…they often have to do totally different things, at least for their first few years in Canada.” Although Gosia found a job in the music field with relative ease, she still had to get used to working in a new environment. Having been raised in Poland, where she admits, “they are more strict in their music classes,” Gosia has had to adjust to the culture of music instruction here. She attended music-oriented elementary and high schools in Poland before continuing to study music in university, and thus learned how to be very disciplined about it. When she began teaching music classes at Long & McQuade, she said she initially “struggled with the idea that, here, we primarily intend for music classes to be fun, rather than disciplined.” At first, she thinks she was a bit “too ambitious and serious” with her students,
“The most important things that students can bring to the class, even if they learn in different ways and at different paces, is a willingness to learn, and their positive energy.”
IAN STEINBERG
but she has since learned ways of teaching music that fit her new context better. She realizes that music is about fun – and as a teacher, a good relationship with a student depends on a compromise of goals and understanding. There has been a learning curve, but she has developed a balance of fun and discipline in her teaching style that adjusts to fit the needs of the students with whom she is working. Gosia speaks enthusiastically about her students and their accomplishments. Due to the fact that AIFEC instrumental classes are taught in groups, accommodating the needs of individual students while keeping the whole group on track, is something that she always has to keep in mind. “Some students benefit from more individual attention,” she says, “while others pick up the skills a bit more quickly, so flexibility is necessary in these environments.” Aside from learning practical music skills, students in these music classes “learn how to relate to and respect their peers and teachers, and they come to be like a little family.” Gosia believes that “the most important things that students can bring to the class, even if they learn in different ways and at different paces, is a willingness to learn, and their positive energy.” The end-of-year recitals are some of the biggest events for the students, and their parents as well. “The recitals are great opportunities for the parents to see the progress that their children are making, and they can be involved in the exciting work that the kids, instructors, and organizers are doing together,” Gosia affirms. Now that the program is being run at the Kiwanis Boys and Girls Club too, parents have more chances to speak to the music instructors and see how the program is evolving. Gosia stresses how important she feels it is for parents to be involved in the music education of their children. Gosia is optimistic about AIFEC’s direction and continued growth. At the moment, the program is active in eight schools, and every year they implement the program in at least one more school. The expansion of the program to the Boys and Girls Club has also meant that older students can continue to receive their lessons there past grade four. Music is a universally appreciated art, and AIFEC’s organizers and instructors are excited about providing Hamilton’s youths with high-quality music instruction.
Stephanie Milliken is a M.A. Candidate in Gender Studies and Feminist Research at McMaster University
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Spring 2016 • 7
WHAT IS A NAME? A Sassafras by any other name would smell just as sweet ….
AMANDA CHEUNG
By Aquisha Lewis Kathy Charmaz from Sonoma University succinctly captures the power of names: “Names provide ways of knowing- and being. Names construct and reify human bonds and social division. We attach value to some names and dismiss others.” Until I approached Amina Zeenat Surhrwardy, and asked her to speak to me about her experience as both an immigrant woman and an immigrant entrepreneur, she had never stopped to consider how being named in either category carried with it certain implications. Amina recounts to me an “ah-ha” moment after our first conversation at Hamilton’s Makers Market. Not thinking of herself in those terms, in her mind, immigrant entrepreneurs are immigrants running businesses that specifically cater to the needs of other immigrant individuals like themselves. Her decision to start making handmade toiletries grew from the necessity of frugality in her student days. Currently 29 years old, Amina has lived in Canada since the age of 18. Arriving from Pakistan to reunite with a very large extended family and circle of friends, Canada became home. Amina thinks of herself as Canadian and as a Pakistani woman, both identities are inseparable. Given the public’s interest in organic and handmade products, branching her hobby into a business was a natural evolution. White Canadians occasionally ask her if she started her business because it’s a “traditional” thing for her culture, or if she has learned her “craft” from her mom. The qualifier “immigrant” before entrepreneur somehow means that what may be a smart business venture for someone perceived as “born Canadian,” must be a continuation of tradition for someone not fitting into the visibly Canadian category. Amina finds herself troubled by such a differentiation and the regularity of such questions. “I should mention... the moral tension I have in
thinking of myself as an immigrant business owner... the term is useful in helping me identify certain challenges, but I never let those specific challenges define my experience and it’s not a term I have used to leverage myself in any way. I think the term as well doesn’t identify the privilege I might have: being able bodied, English speaking, university educated and having family that supports my decisions. I suppose the way one sees the world and how the world sees it are often not the same thing.” As a business-woman, Amina is also very socially conscious. She wrestles with how to best run her business, how to make a profit and still help other people. She sources her supplies as ethically and sustainable as possible, occasionally harvesting from her own garden. Amina credits the learning and teaching community in Hamilton with helping her get started. According to her, “so many people were willing to share their knowledge.” In turn, Amina hosts hands-on classes on the usage and benefits of natural oils and plant-based products. Her classes generally run in community spaces, such as the Boys & Girls Club of Hamilton, and the OPIRG office at McMaster. It is important for her that the fees for classes operate on a sliding scale. According to Amina, “I would never want cost to be a barrier to anyone that is attending.” Amina is a graduate from McMaster with a B.A in Anthropology; she has spent the years since graduation working as a research assistant at the university while getting her fledgling business off the ground. After her last contract ended in December, Amina chose to focus on her business. Admitting that this is risky, Amina reflects that, “Maybe risk taking becomes comfortable for immigrants, given the chances they take in moving their families to new countries and cultures.” As she concentrates on her business over the coming year, Amina is also preparing to become a certified Aromatherapist. “I highly value self-learning, but I had
reached a point where I was finding it challenging to understand technical material on my own and therefore enrolled myself in the programme. It’s been great and I look forward to being a member of the professional group as well, once I receive my license.” Amina is a representative of the 15.5% of small businesses owned by women in Canada. According to a special report by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, specifically looking at smallbusiness trends with a gendered perspective, femaleowned small businesses tend to be concentrated in three industrial sectors: 1) health care, social assistance, information and cultural industries, and arts, entertainment and recreation; 2) retail trade; and 3) accommodation and food services. Currently, Amina is applying for various financing available to small business owners. But, as a female small business owner, Amina faces a 66.6% likelihood of having her request for financing declined compared to the 35.7% rejection rate for male business owners. Sassafras…the very sound of her business name conjures up exotic images of flowers, foreign scents and bright colours to my mind. Rather than the exotic that I imagine, Amina relates that she wants her business to be reflective of her home in Hamilton. The sassafras tree that is the inspiration for her business name is local to this region. Sassafras trees are deciduous, with pyramid or mitten shaped leaves. They produce a light lemon scented flower in the spring and turn vibrant red and yellow in the autumn. Amina is a Hamiltonian, Sassafras is Hamilton –sometimes it takes a once outsider to shine light on the hidden jewels in a home.
Sassafras - info@sassafras.co Aquisha Lewis is a M.A candidate in the program of Gender Studies & Feminist research at McMaster University
8 • Spring 2016
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By Aquisha Lewis * Except from Legs made of paper, in the Shade by Sozan Jamil (2013) The definition of a Renaissance man is “an outstanding versatile, well-rounded person who has a broad range of intellectual interests.” Based on such an understanding, meet Sozan Jamil—Renaissance woman! She is a writer, poet, translator, mother, homemaker, world traveller, and businesswoman. Sozan is 49 and in many ways, has lived two lives within her lifetime. From Kurdistan, Sozan graduated with a B.A in Agronomy from Mosul University, and taught mathematics, physics, chemistry and English at the local high school in Zakho, Iraq. A born writer, Sozan wowed her father with her abilities at 9 years old, and won several awards during high school. Based on scholastic aptitude tests, Sozan was pushed into a career of agronomist work in plant genetics, food production and land reclamation. The Kurdish system, Sozan reflects, places individuals in the careers that the state feels is best suited to their abilities. After marrying in 1999, Sozan’s life changed dramatically. Her husband proved to be abusive and controlling. This behaviour followed them when they were relocated to Canada by the UN Refugee Relocation program. According to estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), globally 35% of women have experienced either physical and/or sexual violence in their lives. “Intimate partners” perpetrate the majority of this violence. Situations of conflicts, post conflict and displacement, exacerbate the likelihood and forms of violence that women experience. Within Canada, domestic violence accounts for 12% of all recorded violent crime (40,000 arrests) and 22% of overall incidents reported to police. Although overall crime rates are falling, 2010 statistics highlighted that intimate violence (formerly termed domestic violence) rates had
increased by 19%, the third increase in four years. Although men can also experience intimate partner violence, overwhelmingly this sort of violence follows a gendered line, with women accounting for the bulk of victims. For instance, out of 89 police reported spousal homicides, 76 (85%) of the victims were women. Statistically speaking, 49% of all female murder victims are killed by former or current intimate partners contrasted to 7% for men in Canada. For Sozan, her children were the catalyst that finally gave her the strength to leave her husband and build a different life. In defiance of her husband, Sozan began attending classes at Mohawk College and working on her writing. Her husband would tear up her work. Pushed by her eldest son to leave her abusive marriage, Sozan separated from her husband in 2010. This began a new life for her, which she credits to specifically being in Canada. According to Sozan, she would not do what she does now or be who she is today if she had settled somewhere other than here. Initially writing and publishing her work in Arabic, Sozan gained recognition in Arabicspeaking countries. Her first publication, a book of poetry called Swirls of the Rainy Honey (2011) won Egypt’s Best Iraqi Poetry and Short Story Writer for 2011. A second book of poetry also written in Arabic followed, Two Hymns of One Exile (2012). Sozan released her first book of English poetry, In the Shade (2013), at a launch hosted by the Hamilton Public library. In 2014, Sozan won third prize in the Nazik Almalaika Short Story competition held in Baghdad by the Ministry of Education. Recently Sozan became a member of the prestigious Iraqi Writers Union. To gain admission into this association, a writer has to have at least two published books and be an award winner.
She is a writer, poet, translator, mother, homemaker, world traveller, and businesswoman.
AMANDA CHEUNG
In Sozan’s view, helping people make connections and bridge divides is very important. Her work as a freelance interpreter and translator naturally merges with her writing and supports her commitment to being a bridge between individuals, communities and cultures. This has led to her translating books into Arabic and English. Oma Gate, her publishing company based out of Texas, U.S.A., works with writers in many languages with the goal of publication in alternative languages than the one the author writes in. So far, publications by her company are in Arabic, English, French, Spanish and Kurdish. When asked where she draws her inspiration for her writing, Sozan shares that she writes on everything that she feels inside. She is very concerned with women’s rights and human life.
Who: Sozan Jamil , Manager What: Oma Gate Publishing & Translating; Translator Where: http://www.omagate.com/ Web:oma-gate@hotmail.com Phone: 905-962-5078
Aquisha Lewis is a M.A candidate in the program of Gender Studies & Feminist research at McMaster University
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Spring 2016 • 9
Talking about the Taboo Addressing Violence Against Women in Hamilton’s Immigrant and Refugee Communities By Morganne King Wale Hamilton welcomed around 3,900 permanent resident immigrants from 2006 to 2011. Just over half of these immigrants were female and almost half of female permanent resident immigrants were between the ages of 25 and 44. Also, nearly a quarter of female permanent resident immigrants came to Canada as refugees. These women and their families come from around the world and add even more vibrancy and diversity to the city. Hamiltonians and many Hamilton organizations have welcomed newcomers over the years and helped them integrate into their new city. In 2009, the Ontario government’s Ontario Women’s Directorate launched the Neighbours, Friends and Families (NFF) campaign in communities across Ontario. This campaign raised awareness of violence against women in vulnerable groups across Ontario. In Hamilton, Urban Core Community Health Centre worked with immigrant and refugee groups to talk about violence against women and what it means for their families and communities. In order to engage with women about this sensitive topic, Urban Core used a unique approach to talking about violence against women. Instead of using the term “violence against women,” a taboo and private topic in some cultures, Urban Core focused on healthy families and what women feel makes a healthy
family. Women were able to recognize traits they felt contributed to the health of their families and could also talk about what an unhealthy family looked like. By talking about healthy and unhealthy families, Urban Core took a culturally safe approach to this sensitive topic. Violence against women is a topic loaded with history and prejudice; just using the term can insight anger and upset. In some cultures domestic violence is considered a family matter that no outsiders should be engaged in. By talking about healthy families, Urban Core could engage with women across cultures in a safe and supportive environment. Urban core tackled this issue in two phases. The first phase started in 2009 and raised awareness about the NFF campaign and engaged immigrant and refugee communities in discussions related to the campaign. This phase set the stage for the second part of the project. The second phase of the project was launched in 2014. It built capacity of community leaders and worked with them to create projects specifically for their communities. During this phase of the campaign, 18 women were trained to become Community Action Group Leaders and designed their unique initiatives. Using a popular education model to build off of people’s experiences, Urban Core provided six weeks of training to community leaders. In the second phase of the campaign, Urban Core also contacted other community
health centres, sharing their experiences with the NFF campaign in Hamilton and encouraging other centres to take on projects like NFF in their communities. This campaign ended with a series of Community Action Projects designed by Community Action Group Leaders during Urban Core’s training. Leaders used social media platforms, language classes, a zine, and support networks to engage with their communities and talk about healthy and unhealthy families, and the services available for immigrants and refugees in Hamilton. “You don’t have to be a hero or fix the situation. Caring about the people around us, paying attention to them when there are signs of trouble and responding appropriately can make a big difference. Little things count.” Neighbours, Friends and Family Campaign
Morganne King-Wale is the Program Development and Evaluation Coordinator at Immigrants Working Centre.
New to Canada and looking for work? IWC EMPLOYMENT SERVICES offers: Employment needs assessment 1-on-1 Job Search coaching Pre-employment workshops Personalized action plan Job search strategies in Canada
YOU FIRST STEP TO EMPLOYMENT IN CANADA For more information contact us at 905-529-5209 or visit www.IWCHamilton.ca/employment
10 • Spring 2016
@UNPACKMAG
N E I G H B O URS, FRIENDS AND FAMILIES
IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE COMMUNITIES CAMPAIGN
...
The campaign utilized three inter-connected approaches to build off of community knowledge and address communityspecific needs
..
popular education
CULTURAL SAFETY
participants work with each other and an educator as co-learners to critically reflect on issues in their community and take action to
everyone is a
bearer of culture
& should be self-reflective to identify the
role of culture in
interactions with others
create change
17
COMMUNITY trained as ACTION leaders
Women
This group was different than any other program I've done in Canada because it related to me, provided opportunities to discuss relevant issues, and can be taken back to our communities
HEALTHY FAMILIES
move beyond
violence against women and create space for a wider discussion
without stigma
WOMEN ARE...
3
TIMES MORE
likely to take time off from everyday activities because of abuse
2
TIMES MORE
likely as men to be targets of 10+ violent episodes
2+
TIMES MORE
likely to be injured than male victims
3
TIMES MORE
likely than male victims of abuse to fear for their life
WARNING SIGNS OF ABUSE is apologetic and makes
excuses for his behaviour or becomes
seems to be sick more often and misses work
tries to cover her
is nervous talking when he's there
aggressive and angry
bruises
makes excuses at the last minute about why she can't meet you or tries to avoid you on the street
uses more drugs
or alcohol to cope seems sad, lonely, withdrawn and is
afraid
UNPACKMAG.CA
Spring 2016 • 11
S
The NFF Immigrant & Refugee Campaign in Hamilton sought to raise awareness of the neighbours, friends & families project, and draw attention to warning signs of women abuse within immigrant & refugee communities while enhancing cultural competence to respond to violence against women
N
COMMUNITY ACTION PROJECTS
publication & OUTREACH
Community Action Group Leaders ran culturally relevant engagement events across Hamilton
Engaging Chinese senior community through online platform WeChat
Creating supportive network of mothers addressing family & youth-related issues
37
COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTRE
CONTACTS
completed sector surveys
Enhance mediation skills to address
Creation of zine related to violence against women, prevention and resources for Ethiopian community
distributed to community members
379
unhealthy families
Empowering Muslim women through enhanced language skills
0 0 7 NFF FLYERS
000 9UNPACK
magazines circulated focusing on NFF & Healthy
Families
PEOPLE
reached through e-workshops, conferences, and forums
12 • Spring 2016
@UNPACKMAG
the art of SURVEILLANCE
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ARTIST
By: Stephanie Milliken This spring, the Workers Arts and Heritage Centre (WAHC) will be hosting an exhibition featuring the works of artists Riaz Mehmood, and Gail Bourgeois. WAHC has been operational for twenty years as a museum that, according to Program Coordinator Tara Bursey, “conveys the current and historical experiences of working people locally, as well as throughout Ontario and the rest of Canada.” The museum hosts three large exhibitions per year in their main gallery space. Riaz and Gail’s exhibition connects past and present cultures of surveillance, and the rise of surveillance cultures in the workplace and will take place in conjunction with complementary programming and activities. Riaz Mehmood immigrated to Canada from Pakistan in 2009. He studied civil engineering in Pakistan, but realized that he would not be fully satisfied with a career focused solely in engineering when his passion lay in the arts. Once his brother completed his studies at an art institute in Lahore, the two brothers opened up a design studio in Lahore that was quite successful. After three years, Riaz decided to immigrate to Canada to study art. Moving to a new country was “freeing,” he said. “There are no expectations or pressures from other people because no one knows you, which can be quite liberating, as well as intimidating.” He moved to Toronto, and was admitted to the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD). The exhibition at WAHC will feature Riaz’s drone sculptures. The inspiration for this work came when he was studying in Windsor. Windsor is a border city, and his hometown of Peshawar is a border city as well. “A
classmate told me that I should look into drones because the U.S. has a lot of drones at the border to keep track of who is crossing…I had never noticed that…I thought that drones were deployed only in other areas, not here, monitoring citizens.” As Riaz explained, “drones are increasingly used for surveillance of citizens in most areas of the world, but we are often not made aware of it.” The drone sculptures are decorated in a style customarily employed by Pakistani truck drivers to decorate their trucks. Truck drivers in Pakistan, a place with a history of conspicuous drone presence, work closely with artists to decorate their trucks in a variety
Moving to a new country was “freeing,” he said. “There are no expectations or pressures from other people because no one knows you, which can be quite liberating, as well as intimidating.” of ways. Riaz reflects that, “it is like a work of art on the vehicle…it is a complex cultural phenomenon.” Pakistani truck drivers are proud to express their thoughts, political aspirations, heroes, and beliefs, as they travel long distances on the road. “Most of the drivers are not formally educated,” Riaz said, “so to have the opportunity to express themselves and their thoughts this way is really special.” Riaz channelled
this idea into his drone project, and hopes to add to the discussion about drones and surveillance on a local and global level. Riaz has learned a couple of really important things through studying and showing his art for the past decade. First, it is vital for new artists to learn how to format their resumés properly, in a way that promotes their training and the places where they have previously shown their work. Second, he critiques the ingrained idea that “art is supposed to talk for itself.” While art can have different meanings for different people, Riaz has noticed that people want to hear an artist talk about their work and the process behind it – it makes the piece more interesting for them. When speaking on his desire to show his work at WAHC, Riaz said, “it would be an honour for my work to be shown in a place where other artists I really respect have shown their work.” Riaz’s work often has a political message, and a lot of the time the message is infused with humour. At the moment, Riaz teaches a course at a community college in Thunder Bay, and he also works freelance in a variety of areas, including coding and website design. Watch for Riaz and Gail’s exhibition, Harvest, Sweep, Gather, at the Workers Arts and Heritage Centre this Spring. The exhibition will run from May 14th - August 20th.
Stephanie Milliken is a M.A. Candidate in Gender Studies and Feminist Research program at McMaster University
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Spring 2016 • 13
MOLDING THE PIECES TOGETHER
AMANDA CHEUNG
Wafaa Al Rawi was a Ceramic Instructor at the prestigious Academy of Fine Art in Baghdad, Iraq before immigrating to Canada. Seh hopes to open her own studio gallery where she can teach and display her work
By Aquisha Lewis
Hamilton, Wafaa has found part-time employment in her field and continues to work at her art in her home studio. Wafaa Al Rawi, 49, immigrated to Canada with her Her English proficiency is the main barrier to full-time two children. Her son is 26 years old, and working on his employment, but between running her business from English so that he can continue his university education home and working at the Immigrant Culture and Art in Canada; her daughter is 18 years old and will soon be Association (ICAA), she is finding her footing. graduating from high school. Wafaa and her children are With pride, Wafaa pulls out her phone and shows among the less than 1% of refugees me several of her pieces. There is a range that have qualified for resettlement Wafaa and her children of motifs and colour combinations, with from an asylum country to a third many of her pieces several feet tall. Wafaa country. In 2014, only 11,778 are among the less uses a pottery wheel, and she laughingly Iraqi refugees qualified for the than 1% of refugees recounts that during her days as a ceramics resettlement program worldwide. I student, her teachers would marvel that first met Wafaa at the International that have qualified for someone with such small hands could Marketplace held by the IWC in resettlement from an maintain control and shape the works December 2015, drawn by the she creates. Wafaa relates “I am inspired unique colouring of her ceramic asylum country to a by what is in my head...I can’t sit still at vases. It was her first time at the home without anything to do.” As she third country. event. scrolls through the pictures, a beautiful Within minutes of beginning stain glass window grabs my attention; it the interview, Wafaa manages to challenge my pre- is several feet tall and wide, with vivid blues and reds. conceptions. She is a divorced mother, having separated Her creativity is not limited to ceramic, Wafaa works with from her husband several years prior to leaving Iraq, glass as well. Her pieces are wall hangings, vases, plates raising her children on her own. Wafaa was a ceramics and decorative ornaments. Instructor at the prestigious Academy of Fine Art in During her time in Hamilton, Wafaa has had three Baghdad before leaving Iraq. According to her, she will go gallery showings and received an award from the crazy if she has nothing to do with her hands. In addition previous mayor of Hamilton. The table centrepieces for to her creative work, Wafaa was also employed as a news the 2015 Annual fundraising gala for the ICAA were all announcer for Al-rafiden TV, an Egyptian station. Here in her work. She has donated thirty pieces to the ICAA, and
runs the summer sessions of their ceramics course. For the future, Wafaa is looking forward to the day that she can open her own studio gallery. She would love to be able to teach and display her work. In Iraq, she had her own gallery on top of her teaching at the Art Institute. She is attending English classes weekly at the IWC, watches movies with the English subtitles turned on and is very eager to engage in conversation. According to her, “I understand what I hear but ...the words don’t come out.” She is impatient to become fluent and wants to know “how long”. When asked about her difficulties, she relates that it is being a single mom and juggling everything…children, career and business, all while settling into a new country and a different culture. Wafaa credits her success to the support from her children, the help she has received from women like Marufa Shinwari and Sozan Jamil. Wafaa is going to start looking into drawing up a business plan and working with the Small Business Enterprise in Hamilton, to access the available tools and resources to make her dreams a reality.
alrawi.wafaa@yahoo.com - Phone:289-260-5746
Aquisha Lewis is a M.A candidate in the program of Gender Studies & Feminist research at McMaster University
14 • Spring 2016
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Every 3rd Tuesday of the month 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. IWC
Rebecca Site
182 Rebecca St.
LEARN PRACTICE PERFECT NETWORKING SKILLS
REGISTER TODAY!
Contact Aseel at 905-529-5209 e. 221 or admain@IWCHamilton.ca For more information visit:
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AMANDA CHEUNG
Diversity in Poetic Literature is Resistance By Rayanne Banaga Among the greatest allures of poetry, is the opportunity it presents as a home for the overlooked. Poetry has long been a safe space for unheard and misunderstood voices in the literary world. In its simple yet beautiful defiance of the laws of formal literature, it stands as the smallest revolution of a writer. There is no better place for marginalized writers to flourish, yet, there is still a fight for diversity in poetic literature. There needs to be more room made for writers who represent people of colour and especially the diaspora; and not simply in writing that includes diasporic characters as an afterthought or as a support. The difference here is that people of colour are rarely ever the target audience, even when they are the ones who provide the story. The diaspora, which includes the communities of people of colour who are displaced and living outside of their original homelands, is an important but overlooked demographic. Diasporic people balance their existence between two realities: one, in which they are the norm, and the other, in which they exist in a place as strange guests, despite how long they may have been there. The unique opportunity that diasporic poetry provides is one in which the story
belongs wholly to the writer. The beauty of great poetry comes from both the creative presentation and from the vulnerability it presents. Poetry is not only something meant to be read but something that is meant to be felt. The emotions are meant to be shared between reader and writer. The true art of poetry is that it teaches the reader how to empathize. The reader is given full access to the intricacies of the writer’s mind in ways that only art can achieve. In order for the reader to truly experience the art, they must engage fully with the thoughts of the writer and essentially find humanity in the experiences of another person. People of the diaspora have long been robbed of this prospect. So rarely are we exposed to the full human experience of people of colour, be they characters or otherwise. Instead, people of colour are watered down to be one-dimensional at best. It is important to see writers and characters that are both evil and good at the same time, ambitious but lost, happy and also confused. As it stands, characters and writers alike are only afforded visibility if they fit into a specific narrative. People of colour deserve to be complex. People of colour deserve to be recognized for their own complexities. Poetry has always been a safe haven for rebellious and radical minds because of the honesty it allows. Often through poetry, we are introduced to internal conflicts that for the most part are taboo subjects. It is the comfort found in this honesty that makes it a revolutionary art. The reader is meant to recognize him or herself in the writing. This can only be the case if more writers of colour are writing for their own audience. In accepting the complexities of diasporic writers, it is important to recognize that the experiences of people of colour do not mirror the experiences of white men and women. Our complexities differ. This is why representation matters, especially in such an intimate genre of writing. Young generations of children in the diaspora are not relating to the content that they are being taught. Poetry is taught as something that should be relatable and something that should elicit an emotional response, however, the poetry that is introduced to them was never targeted towards them. It is written both for and by a completely different demographic. It does not account for their experiences. Instead, this generation of young children are being reminded that they are not the norm. Readers who have to search for poetry and art that recognizes their feelings ,are forced to believe and are constantly reminded that they are an inconvenience and an exception. The reality of the matter is that a safe space in which people of colour are the norm does not currently exist. In literature, it does not exist because writers of colour are not permitted creative autonomy. In everyday reality, people of colour are not afforded humanity at all. Poetry should be the starting point for both of these things. Diversity in poetic literature provides a significant opportunity for readers to engage directly with the minds of the people of the diaspora. Further, it is important that in engaging with writers we learn to empathize with the complexities of different demographics in order to afford them humanity. Only when we accept the differences in experiences to be recognized and told through various perspectives, can we accept them as fully human. People of colour deserve to curate their own realities, realities in which they are multifaceted beings. This is the first step to a reality in which people of colour do not exist out of convenience and obligation but as the norm—as beings who are entitled to the space that they take up.
Art has always been and should continue to be a safe space for the marginalized.
Rayanne Banaga is a Sudanese Canadian student at Mohawk College.
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Why does immigration matter to Canada’s future? 65% ofcanada’s net annual population growth is due to immigration
CANADA's population IS
Without immigration,
CANADA
receives on average
36,048,521 250,000 permanent
5,000,000 canadians will be ready to retire in
newcomers
1 out of 5
per year
people is foreign-born this could lead to: Conference Board research associate Kareem El-Assal
Canada's
population growth could be close to zero in 20 years.
2035
1. labour
2. smaller
shortages
tax base
by 2035, Canada will need
350,000 immigrants to meet its workforce needs
made up 21% of
CANADA’S WORK FORCE in 2011
system and pension funds
Immigrants
UNIVERSITY DEGREE holder:
IMMIGRANTS
3. strain on our medical
immigrants Canadian-born
34%
24%
who have been in Canada for more than 10 years
have higher rates of business ownership than individuals born in Canada
“…o u r wo rki n g-age po pu lati o n wi ll sh ri n k fro m 69 % to 60 %—
fewer hands feeding more mouths.” scott gilmore - macleans magazine
top 5 industries where immigrant-owned businesses are found:
1.
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
2.
Retail and trade
3.
accommodation and food services
4.
transportation and warehouse
5.
construction
References: *Conference Board of Canada. Why Immigration is important to Canada? *Conference Board of Canada. Why Canada Needs a National Immigration Action Plan. The Halifax Partnership & The Canadian Lebanese Chamber of Commerce. Economic Benefits of Immigration: The Impact of Halifax’s Lebanese Community. * Statistics Canada. Immigration, Business Ownership and Employment in Canada. *OECD. International Migration Outlook 2013. *IRCC. Immigration overview: Permanent residents. *Macleans Magazine. Why it’s time for Canada to grow up.
UNPACKMAG.CA
Spring 2016 • 17
IWC Worklink:
Bridging the Soft Skills-Gap
Now in its 5th year, IWC’s Summer Institute offers a suite of practical skillsdevelopment programs to prepare newcomers for employment. The goal of the Summer Institute is to bridge the “soft skills gap” and provide practical, direct skills training and certifications for available local jobs.
food in dustry
Soft Skills vs. Direct Skills
Soft skills include a range of abilities related to the way we interact with each other. Communication, initiative, leadership, adaptability, self-awareness, perceptiveness, teamwork and resilience would all be considered soft skills. On the other hand, direct skills (also known as hard skills), are the practical learned skills required for a job, for example, carpentry, accounting, computer skills, or welding. Both soft and direct skills development are key in the Summer Institute – workshops deal with a range of skills for a full-picture of employment readiness for newcomers.
WorkLINK: Four Weeks to Work
New this year, IWC is introducing WorkLINK, a 3-phase work readiness program. The program focuses on work in specific industries, and builds skills over three distinct training phases. In phase 1, participants enhance soft skills and English language skills with a focus on language of the industry. In phase 2, participants gain the certifications and direct knowledge required to perform the job, for example WHMIS, Health and Safety, Food Handling or using a cash register. Finally, in Phase 3, participants gain an orientation to the workplace itself. This includes a workplace tour, a practice interview, support making transportation and/or childcare arrangements, mentoring and job shadowing, and an interview with a partner employer.
Summer Institute
1
ORIENTATION, LANGUAGE & SOFT SKILLS
Info Session:
June 15 - June 16 4:00pm - 5:00 pm 8 Main St. E.
Language of the industry
Contact Wasan 905-529-5209 x 233, or register online at IWCHamilton/SummerInstitute
manufacturing industry
phase
Introduction to the industry
Register Today!
construction in dustry
Workplace
communication
phase
2
DIRECT SKILLS & CERTIFICATIONS
WHMIS Health & Safety Food Handling First Aid Training
A 3-phase, intensive, industry-specific, work readiness program.
phase
3
WORKPLACE ORIENTATION & CONNECTIONS
Tour to industries & Job Interviews Transportation
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18 • Spring 2016
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What you should know about
the Government of Ontario’s “Free Tuition” Grant
PIXABAY.COM
By Morganne King Wale On March 14, 2016, the Government of Ontario released their 2016 Budget. As part of the budget, the government announced changes to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) and grant options for college and university students in Ontario. Included in those changes is the new Ontario Student Grant, which is designed to provide more support to low-income and economically vulnerable students. The Government of Ontario estimates that 150,000 Ontario students will have their tuition costs covered under the new Ontario Student Grant. This means that almost half of Ontario’s postsecondary school students will be granted enough money at the start of their school year to cover most or all of their tuition costs, reducing the financial burden on students. What you should know about the new Ontario Student Grant
1. IT WON’T BE AVAILABLE UNTIL 2017/2018 SCHOOL YEAR
Grants and loans currently available through OSAP will continue to be available to Ontario post-secondary students for the 2016/2017 school year. The new Ontario Student Grant will not be available to students until the start of the 2017/2018 school year.
2. It provides money up front at the start of the school year
When students apply, they find out immediately how much funding they will receive through the grant. The grant money is applied immediately to students’ tuition expenses and the student will see a final total of what they owe, if anything, after the grant money is applied to their tuition cost.
3. It bundles all existing Ontario government grant funds into a single grant
Under the new Ontario Student Grant, all previous grant funds offered through OSAP will now be bundled together under the Ontario Student Grant. This new grant includes one hundred percent of the Ontario Tuition Grant, the Ontario Student Opportunity Grant, Ontario Access Grant, and other Ontario grants. Under the new grant system students will only have to complete a single grant application in order to be considered for the available funding.
4. It makes receiving grants easier for married and mature students
The grant will no longer take into account the number of years a student has been outside of high school in calculating eligibility. In addition, the expected amount of a spouse’s contribution to the student’s education has been reduced.
5. It’s dependent on a federal government promise
During the federal election, the Liberal party pledged to increase the federal Canada Student Grant for lowincome students by 50%. This hasn’t been approved at the federal level yet, but the proposed change was included in the calculations for the Ontario Student Grant. This means that if the federal government does not uphold this funding promise, some Ontario students will have to pay more in their educational costs.
Who can apply?
The same eligibility requirements for OSAP apply for the proposed Ontario Student Grant. If you are a permanent resident, convention refugee, or citizen who has been living in Ontario for at least 12 months, or are married to or a dependent of someone who is a permanent resident, convention refugee, or citizen that has been living in Ontario for at least 12 months, you can apply for the Ontario Student Grant starting for the 2017/2018 school year.
How is the new grant different from the old grants?
Here are some examples that show how the Ontario Student Grant will provide funding to different people.
Raymond: in college, living at home, $80,000 family income Tuition:+$8,000 Parental Student Contribution Contribution $1,533 $3,000 Student Contribution Loans $3,000 $2,445 Loans $2,740 Grant $1,641
Grant $3,468
Current Proposed
UNPACKMAG.CA
Spring 2016 • 19
Jacqueline: in college, living at home, $40,000 family income
Salim: in university, married with one child, $40,000 family income
Tuition:+$8,000
Tuition: $18,000
Student Student Contribution Contribution $3,000 $3,000 Loans $3,143 Grant $2,771
Loans $531
Grant $5,383
Current Proposed
Tuition:+$12,000
Spousal Spousal Contribution Contribution $11,507 $14,483 Loans $7,400
Grant $9,436
Claire: in university, living in residence, $80,000 family income
Loans $7,140
Grant $12,572
Current Proposed
Where to learn more:
Parental Student Contribution Contribution $2,257 $3,000 Student Contribution $3,000 Loans $8,958 Loans $7,400 Grant $5,343
Grant $6,042
Current Proposed
Check the OSAP website and the information on the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities for updates and further information on when and how to apply to the grants for the 2017/2018 school year. If you’re in college or university already, you can also talk to your school’s financial aid office to learn more about this new grant system. Morganne King-Wale is the Program Development and Evaluation Coordinator at Immigrants Working Centre.
PROGR
AMS & SERVICES
ENGLISH LANGUAGE TRAINING
IWC EMPLOYMENT SERVICES
Improve your English reading, writing, listening and speaking skills through our LINC program from Literacy to Levels 1-7
Build a resume, develop job search skills and gain confidence as you integrate into the Canadian workforce
- DAY TIME & EVENING CLASSES
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This summer, enhance soft skills and direct skills through workshops that incorporate Essential skills for employment