“Starting a new life in a new country is very challenging– especially when you have a family. I have experienced it firsthand. I was very fortunate that I speak the language; I didn’t have to do any education equivalency; I didn’t struggle too much to find a job, and I had my family here; I have friends here, but not everyone is as fortunate as I was. So I realized that some people were struggling in my community, and I wanted to give back and help them start on the right foot.”
“For the newcomers that are joining Together Project: you will benefit from this program just as much as you share with the people that you’re working with, so don’t be shy to bring up questions. Don’t feel like you’re asking for too much— we signed up to this program for a reason: we’re here to support you.”
“When I first thought about joining Together Project, I was really worried about my time management because I’m working a full-time job that I love, and then I’m also a mom of two, and juggling it all can be challenging at times. But what I love about this program is there is a great flexibility in working with the families remotely and supporting whichever way or form that you and the families agree on.
The other thing I would say is not to be too hard on yourself. I call it “the volunteer guilt syndrome” and it has happened to me sometimes where I felt like, ‘Oh my god, there’s a lot going on with this family and I want to be there more. I want to spend more time with them.’ But I think it’s really important that you understand where you can contribute and where you can respect your capacity as well. Build that relationship with the families that you’re working with. Sometimes, all they need is a listening ear.”
“I got assigned to two cases with Together Project. My first one was a family of six members, but I took care of the mom and the elder daughter. The daughter, when they landed here, she was in high school. As you can imagine, it’s really tough starting a new country, a new place, and starting high school at the same time. So she needed a lot of support with understanding the school system, and also learning English and making friends. She came a long way and she recently graduated from college, and she’s an active contributor to the Canadian economy, and I’m so proud of her.”