Back in 2009, instructor Poonampreet Sidhu developed a new program at the University College of the North (UCN) in Thompson to help refugees and permanent residents improve their communication skills.
While these English as a Second Language (ESL) classes were put on hiatus between 2015 and 2017, Red River College, through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, stepped in to provide funding and got this program back on track in 2018.
Red River College program manager Naomi Frey says they got involved because Sidhu’s classes serve a vital function for refugees and permanent residents who chose to start their new lives in Northern Manitoba.
“Thompson is a hub for international newcomers in general, because it’s kind of a gateway to employment and to settling in Canada,” she said. “They are here to stay, this is their home, and we’re trying to make it so that this home feels exactly like the home that they came from.”
Even with this organizational restructuring through Red River College, Sidhu said the program in Thompson is virtually unchanged.
Once the winter semester officially starts on Feb. 4, Sidhu will continue to teach these newcomers English to help them better integrate into the local culture and tackle everyday activities.
“I usually divide my classes into big units. One unit is on housing. One unit can be on recreational activities that are available in Thompson,” she said. “One unit can be on health. So how to go to the doctor, how to talk to the doctor, how to describe your symptoms at length, how to fill a prescription and how to take the medicine.”
Sidhu also mentioned that improving her students’ employment readiness takes up a big portion of class time, including how to compose a great resume and fill out a job application.
On a personal level, Sidhu also knows how tough this transitional period can be, since she and her family immigrated to Canada in 2009 after years of teaching ESL in India.
“I know it’s very hard, but when they come to the classes they will get a lot of information,” she said. “Some of my students, they have been living in Canada for four years, five years, but when they come to the class every day they hear something new.”
Even though she is stepping away from teaching this upcoming semester to focus on other responsibilities at UCN, Sidhu told the Thompson Citizen that she will always have a special place in her heart for the program that she developed from scratch a decade ago.
“I would like to come back as soon as possible,” she said. “This is my baby. I developed it and now we have tons of resources. We had not even a single resource when we started. So that’s my passion. Teaching ESL is my dream.”
The latest ESL course at UCN runs twice a week (Monday and Tuesday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.) from Feb. 4 to June 28.
To sign up for these free classes, contact Red River College administrator Tammy Cober at tcober@rrc.ca or visit www.rrc.ca/ltc/contact/thompson.
