Red Deer 2

Orientation program in Red Deer helps newcomer youth adjust to a new school

Jeisson Torres, a Grade 10 student at Notre Dame High School in Red Deer, gives top marks to Newcomer Orientation Week (NOW), a program that introduces young newcomers to the Canadian school system.

Funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada with training provided by Central Alberta Refugee Efforts, the NOW program was piloted at two schools in Red Deer – Notre Dame High School and Lindsay Thurber Composite High School –  in August 2010. Torres, who immigrated to Canada from Columbia with his family in 2009, was one of the first students to participate in the program at Notre Dame.

“The orientation helped me a lot,” said Torres, 15, who plans to one day participate as a NOW Peer Leader to help other newcomers. “We had a tour of the school, discussed credits, subjects and other important parts of the school system, and met many people. It definitely made my transition into the school easier.”

Started in Ontario five years ago, the NOW program includes a scavenger hunt to help newcomers learn the layout of the building, skits about the challenges of school in a new country, a visit to the local library, and an introduction to the school system and sources of help and support in the school.

Jennifer Kofin, an English as a Second Language teacher at Notre Dame High School, is also very pleased with the results of the orientation. “Starting at a new school in a new country can be extremely overwhelming for young newcomers,” explained Kofin. “NOW is a powerful program that really helps them, and it also teaches the Peer Leaders. I’m proud to say that many of them came away changed by the stories they heard and the friendships they made.”

For more information about Newcomer Orientation Week, visit the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website at www.cic.gc.ca.

Date Updated: Aug 03, 2011
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