From Loss to Learning

Lisa Bamford de Gante, Executive Director, Multicultural Association of Fredericton Inc., talks about her experience welcoming Syrian refugees.

Transcript: From Loss to Learning

Video length: 2:05

Light music plays.

An image fades up of a small child with his family as he waves to the camera.

Text appears: Operation Syrian Refugees – Phase 5

The image fades to black and turns into a blurred background.

Text appears: From Loss to Learning

Screen fades to black and music stops.

Transition to a woman speaking to the camera, against a blurred background.

Text appears: Lisa Bamford de Gante, Executive Director, Multicultural Association of Fredericton Inc.

lisa banford de gante: One of the other 2 first families … he was giving a lot of information about his wife's extended family to see if, when they arrived, [they] could be destined also to Fredericton when we heard they were coming to Canada, and [so were] other people back home. And I said: “And your family?” And he (claps hands together) … and I thought, oh he has no more connection with his family … but he meant they were all gone. We were concerned when people first arrived, especially when we saw the lower level of English.

The image fades to a group of men in a classroom. The image then fades to a close-up of a man looking at the teacher at the front of the class. The image then fades to Lisa.

lisa banford de gante: We've never had so many literacy classes as we opened at that time to accommodate. And over 70% of the … those who arrived in the extended stay hotel, had level – this is 70% of those who had work experience – had level … grade … education of Grade 9 or less. And many people had zero years of formal education …

The image then fades to 2 students at a computer with the teacher giving instructions. The image then fades to another classroom where a teacher is wearing a hijab. In the foreground we see students listening to the teacher, also wearing hijabs. The image then fades back to Lisa.

lisa banford de gante: but despite that, I've seen a faster language progression through levels with most people in the first year, having moved multi-levels from – and with other client groups it can take years to move from literacy into an intermediate level of language. So, I've … I'm really actually impressed. And people who had skills that they were able to apply without having a high proficiency in English or French, like the barbers, were … started working early in barbershops. A shop came to recruit people; they knew that we had some barbers from Syria and they knew that they could use a straight razor, and this barbershop specialized in that, so they've been working, several people, full-time as barbers. Others … another gentleman opened a tailoring shop making suits and traditional dress for women.

The screen fades to black.

The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada corporate signature along with the copyright message “Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, 2020.” are shown on screen followed by the “Canada” wordmark.