Program encourages immigrants to share their stories
Posted February 6, 2013 10:29 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – All week, News1130 has been reporting on the changing face of Metro Vancouver’s multicultural hubs, with cities like Surrey seeing an influx of 1,200 new people every month, mostly immigrants.
More often than not we don’t get to hear about their stories and struggles as new arrivals, but a program called Passages to Canada is trying to change that.
“The goal is to get the conversation started, to get people talking about their stories and to get them thinking about what kinds of moments in their own life they could share, as speakers, to the next generation, to youth in the community,” says Calina Ellwand, Program Coordinator at The Historica-Dominion Institute.
The Institute recently hosted a storytelling workshop in at the YWCA in downtown Vancouver, encouraging people to share stories of diversity.
“We had people from all walks of life wanting to share stories of their cultural identity. We had a packed room and it was an amazing night where complete strangers started talking about where their families were from, where their names came from, what sort of arrival stories they experienced. The room was full of interesting stories.” Ellwand tells News1130.
Participants in the workshops, which are being held across Canada, are encouraged to take those stories to schools and community groups as volunteers of the Passages to Canada Speakers Bureau.
“We’ve had people come up to us afterward and say they’ve never been asked about their stories before. It’s not something you often ask someone. You may know a lot of immigrants but you may never have asked them what it was really like the first day they stepped off the plane and experienced snow for the first time. Perhaps we are a little bit shy or we feel it’s not our place but we create an environment where people are comfortable to share stories,” says Ellwand.
For many people it is cathartic to share their stories with strangers for the first time.
“We all have compelling life experiences to share that could be educational, change other people’s lives, and perhaps people are struggling with some of the same things like learning a new language, dealing with racism and discrimination, finding a job. There’s also that motivational aspect of the program — it builds community,” Ellwand adds.
If you are interested in booking or becoming a speaker, contact Passages to Canada, where you will also find an archive of stories of life before Canada, journeys to Canada, and adjusting to life as a new Canadian.
