‘A tremendous achievement’
Acadia Community Learning Program ends a successful summer program
The Acadia Community Learning Program came to a proud end for the summer on Aug. 18.
Minister of Immigration Lena Diab attended the ceremony and offered congratulations in three languages.
“I know how much it takes,” said Diab. “All of Nova Scotia thanks you for the dedication, not just to the little ones, but to people of all ages whose first language is not English.”
Diab said about 1,200 Syrian refugees represent 35 to 40 per cent of all new Nova Scotians and many are privately sponsored and living across the entire province.
“Those of you from Africa are welcome,” she said, “and the entire Middle East.”
Rob Morrison, representing Acadia University where the program was held, brought greetings and said the effort was “all about the bonds of community.”
He offered Acadia’s ongoing support to the effort.
Sharon Churchill Roe, the manager of English-language programs at Acadia University, wrote 101 letters of thanks to give out to volunteers “who pitched in where needed with kindness and respect.”
The influx of refugees led to Acadia’s first-ever Englishlanguage summer school for newcomers and Churchill Roe called the learning that went on “a tremendous achievement on the part of all of our learners.”
She said the response to the many newcomers in the Annapolis Valley came from all aspects of the community.
Thirty volunteers worked directly with 40 newcomers — 25 children and 15 adults. While some volunteers spent time in the classroom, others drove the students to and from school and monitored the children during lunch hour.
Pat Pearce, who taught the adult class with Susan Campbell, said students of varied abilities shared the same classroom and became like a family.
Most of the students were from Syria, but some families originally came from Somalia and Eritrea.
The children are split between a class for those between ages five to eight and a junior class for those ages nine to 15.
The adult program began June 1 and the children started at the end of June. The classes ran Monday to Thursday for two hours each morning.