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Overview
This project aims to empower newcomers to learn English through their own stories. It involves 3 main components; stories of newcomers written in their native language, translation of that story into English, and multiple versions of the same story in various levels of English comprehension according to Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) Standards. The stories will be collected in our ESL library, available for ESL educators and learners to download or print.
For the pilot project, we are testing this workshop model with the goal of eventually being able to deliver broader impact through a “train-the-trainer” model and through online and open-source printable materials. We have developed printable and digital templates to capture the stories of newcomers. The stories are then translated by volunteer translators before added to our ESL library.
We are looking to partner with local libraries, community centres, newcomer agencies, and programs such as the TD Summer Reading club to promote and make the ESL library accessible to anyone that may need it.
The goal of the project is three-fold:
- Empower newcomers by giving them a platform to share their stories and feel that they have a voice as a citizen of Canada and contributing to the overall social fabric of the country;
- Create books out of the stories with side-by-side English and native language translations; and
- Educate established Canadians about the journey of newcomers to Canada through first-person stories.
Goals
In 2016 we met adult ESL teachers, Anne McGreggor-O’Neill and Anne Cairins (our Design Champions), who shared with us a challenge: teaching newcomers English with books that don’t reflect personal settlement journeys. They find it challenging to find relevant stories at appropriate reading levels. They talked about trips to the public library where librarians offered native English speaker books to ESL students that utilize reading tactics for toddlers. The formulas of rhyming and repetition work well for children under 5 learning to read for the first time, but the appeal is lost on adult newcomers who are simultaneously navigating the stress of settling in a new country.
At the core of our work the mission and drive is to create a sense of belonging for citizens across Canada. We see newcomers as core to what makes Canada unique and that engaging them early in their settlement journey is the one of the easiest ways of starting this conversation. We recognize that the settlement journey can be jarring, exciting, challenging, and joyous all at the same time. For newcomers this includes leaving behind the familiar and re-learning everything from housing, to work, and of course, language.
The storytelling templates are intended to reduce the feeling of evaluating an individual’s settlement journey and instead to serve as a reflective activity and learning opportunity. The hope is that this activity will lead to greater human insights and not feel like yet another assessment in the settlement process.
The Need
According to the 2016 Census, 21.9% of the Canadian population reported being a landed immigrant or or permanent resident and 1 in 5 are foreign born. We believe Canada has always had the reputation of being welcoming to others and continues to be. The need and desire to be able to speak English and confidently build community is one of the key struggles we have heard from newcomers. We believe a strength of Canada is to recognize individual identities and journeys of each Canadian and to do so we want to help preserve native languages as well as increase access to learning English.
This project is unique as it is a first-hand telling of experiences arriving and living in Canada written by and for newcomers. These stories capture the very real personal struggles newcomers faced as they settle in Canada. The project identifies common struggles and solutions that have been used by newcomers.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_cta h2=”Browse the library” add_button=”bottom” btn_title=”Browse” btn_style=”flat” btn_color=”danger” btn_align=”center” btn_i_icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-book” btn_button_block=”true” btn_add_icon=”true” btn_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fdia.space%2Fprojects%2Fstory-stitching-project%2Flibrary%2F|||”]Visit our ever-growing library of books available for ESL learners.[/vc_cta][vc_cta h2=”Use the curriculum” add_button=”bottom” btn_title=”Sign Up” btn_style=”flat” btn_color=”danger” btn_align=”center” btn_i_icon_fontawesome=”fas fa-book-reader” btn_button_block=”true” btn_add_icon=”true” btn_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fdia.space%2Fprojects%2Fthe-stories-of-us%2Fcurriculum%2F|title:Curriculum||”]If you’re an ESL teacher, sign up to access our free curriculum designed specifically for you to use in your classroom.[/vc_cta][vc_cta h2=”Add your story” add_button=”bottom” btn_title=”Start” btn_style=”flat” btn_color=”danger” btn_align=”center” btn_i_icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-pencil” btn_button_block=”true” btn_add_icon=”true” btn_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fdia.space%2Fprojects%2Fthe-stories-of-us%2Fhow-to-submit%2F|||”]Fill out our online workbook and add your story to our library.[/vc_cta][vc_cta h2=”Become a Translator” add_button=”bottom” btn_title=”Volunteer” btn_style=”flat” btn_color=”danger” btn_align=”center” btn_i_icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-heart” btn_button_block=”true” btn_add_icon=”true” btn_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fdia.space%2Fprojects%2Fstory-stitching-project%2Fdia-translator%2F|||”]We’re looking for volunteers to help us translate stories from newcomers to Canada. Sign up today![/vc_cta][vc_cta h2=”Become a Partner” add_button=”bottom” btn_title=”Sign up” btn_style=”flat” btn_color=”danger” btn_align=”center” btn_i_icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-pencil-square-o” btn_button_block=”true” btn_add_icon=”true” btn_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fdia.space%2Fprojects%2Fstory-stitching-project%2Fcommunity-partner%2F|||”]We’re looking for community organizations who work directly with newcomers to bring the project to. Sign up today![/vc_cta][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vcex_divider style=”dashed” color=”#999999″ width=”100%” align=”center” height=”1px” margin=”top:0|bottom:40″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1538345500113{margin-bottom: 40px !important;}”]
Our participants
[/vc_column_text][vc_gmaps link=”#E-8_JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwc3JjJTNEJTIyaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZ3d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbSUyRm1hcHMlMkZkJTJGdSUyRjAlMkZlbWJlZCUzRm1pZCUzRDFpRzVTcVk4RHFMdnhLM210QmF1eWVuWU9sQkZSV1hjVSUyMiUyMGhlaWdodCUzRCUyMjQ4MCUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRmlmcmFtZSUzRQ==”][vcex_testimonials_carousel include_categories=”95″ css=”.vc_custom_1544464959790{margin-top: 20px !important;}”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vcex_divider style=”dashed” color=”#999999″ width=”100%” align=”center” height=”1px” margin=”top:40|bottom:40″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][vc_column_text]Project Manager
Mathura Mahendren[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][vc_column_text]Design Champions
Anne Cairns
Anne MacGreggor-O’Neill[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][vc_column_text]Start Date
September 2017[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][vc_column_text]Current Status
Year 3 of IRCC funding[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1544465100982{margin-bottom: 40px !important;}”][vc_column][vcex_divider style=”dashed” color=”#999999″ width=”100%” align=”center” height=”1px” margin=”top:40|bottom:40″][vc_column_text]Generously supported by
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1544465358578{margin-top: 40px !important;margin-bottom: 40px !important;}”][vc_column][vcex_recent_news grid_columns=”3″ order=”DESC” featured_image=”true” title_tag=”h3″ excerpt=”false” read_more=”false” orderby=”date” header=”News about The Stories of Us” include_categories=”26″ month_background=”#000000″ month_color=”#ffffff” img_width=”200″ img_height=”200″ exclude_categories=”97″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1544465358578{margin-top: 40px !important;margin-bottom: 40px !important;}”][vc_column][vcex_recent_news grid_columns=”3″ order=”DESC” featured_image=”true” title_tag=”h3″ excerpt=”false” read_more=”false” orderby=”date” header=”Reports” include_categories=”97″ month_background=”#000000″ month_color=”#ffffff” img_width=”200″ img_height=”200″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row disable_element=”yes”][vc_column][vc_round_chart style=”modern” stroke_width=”2″ values=”%5B%7B%22title%22%3A%22Algeria%22%2C%22value%22%3A%221%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22blue%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22China%22%2C%22value%22%3A%224%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22pink%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22India%22%2C%22value%22%3A%222%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22turquoise%22%2C%22custom_color%22%3A%22%238d6dc4%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Italiy%22%2C%22value%22%3A%221%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22sandy-brown%22%2C%22custom_color%22%3A%22%23555555%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Korea%22%2C%22value%22%3A%223%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22sky%22%2C%22custom_color%22%3A%22%2350485b%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Mexico%22%2C%22value%22%3A%221%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22green%22%2C%22custom_color%22%3A%22%2375d69c%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Philippines%22%2C%22value%22%3A%222%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22mulled-wine%22%2C%22custom_color%22%3A%22%23ff9900%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Punjab%22%2C%22value%22%3A%221%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22sky%22%2C%22custom_color%22%3A%22%2350485b%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Serbia%22%2C%22value%22%3A%223%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22violet%22%2C%22custom_color%22%3A%22%23fe6c61%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Vietnam%22%2C%22value%22%3A%222%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22orange%22%2C%22custom_color%22%3A%22%23b97ebb%22%7D%5D” animation=”easeInOutQuint” css=”.vc_custom_1538346594560{margin-top: 40px !important;}”][/vc_column][/vc_row]