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Immigrant reference groups came together in Halifax, Charlottetown, St. John's and Fredericton in February and March 2008 to engage in open and candid discussion forums about their experiences with adult learning since their immigration to Canada. In each city, a local immigrant-serving agency was identified as a host. The organizations are all members of the Atlantic Region Association of Immigrant Serving Agencies (ARAISA):
Although the issues presented at each meeting varied, the most common concerns were related to language, culture, community, and working.
All participants noted the importance of learning English, not only as a functional ability, but also from a social and cultural perspective. Generally English was seen as the lynchpin to gaining access to Canadian society, to the workplace and to their local communities.
The ways that we communicate are related to body language, tone, vocabulary, level of formality and assumptions about a person's previously held knowledge. These are as important as learning the language. Engaging in “small talk” was one of the most commonly identified barriers to making friends, participating in the workplace and engaging in social activities. Recommendations included more programs focused on conversational English, more free language training programs and more opportunities to learn workplace English, particularly for internationally educated professionals.
Participants noted that learning these skills were crucial for immigrants to gain access to their fields of experience in Canada.
Participants noted difficulties with Canadian food, lifestyle, media and family relationships. A notable concern was the difficulty in learning to balance one's previous beliefs with adapting to Canadian values. Learning to adapt to life in a Canadian community is the most difficult and time-consuming learning process during settlement. Recommendations focused on what immigrants and the community need to learn. Immigrants should have the chance to teach other subjects relevant to their lives in the community. They and Canadians need to be patient. They recommended that there be more organizations to facilitate their inclusion in the community.
Finding employment to match immigrants' educational backgrounds and experience can be a major hurdle. Obstacles included learning about wage systems, application and accreditation procedures, professional associations, computer skills and labour laws. Their primary concerns were about integrating into Canadian community, and by extension into the Canadian workplace. Recommendations included providing opportunities for Canadian employers to learn about immigrants' motivations for coming to Canada and the value of immigrant workers; providing programs to increase access to their fields of experience; and providing clear pathways and resources for immigrants seeking recognition for their work and educational credentials.
Adapting to life in the community is something that can be remedied with time, but participants agreed that immigrants must be open to change and willing to see mistakes as learning opportunities. They voiced concern about how native-born members of the community viewed them. Adult educators have the tools and the responsibility to help immigrants and native-born Canadians develop more cooperative and understanding communities. Recommendations included providing reading materials about Canadian law in multiple languages; increasing community involvement in programs for immigrants; and offering programs for immigrant parents at their children's schools to explain the local educational system.
While adults mentioned that they were appreciative of the educational opportunities, especially for their children, they felt that many programs were inaccessible. Barriers to accessing educational opportunities include costs, lack of recognition of previous experience, lack of information, inconvenient times and discrimination in the school system. For those who have immigrated because of war, post-traumatic stress can make education difficult. If they come from countries where men and women are not equal, accessing education for women is an issue. Language is an obvious barrier, but many newcomers are also coping with work and family issues, or they may have come to Canada and left family members behind.
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