Lending a helping hand by teaching French
Thousands of women from over 100 countries have passed through PetitesMains since it was founded in 1995. The organization helps women recently arrived in Quebec to better integrate into society, by finding their way through work programs and by learning French. Co-founder Nahid Aboumansour wanted to provide training for these women because, like them, she was once a new Canadian. When she moved to Quebec from Lebanon in the late 1980s, she didn’t speak French and her diploma wasn’t recognized here. “I absolutely didn’t want to stay home with nothing to do,” recalled Aboumansour. “That’s why I started volunteering at the beginning.” She first picked up French doing house visits for an organization that helps women who, for various reasons, are unable to leave their homes. It was later on, while spending time at a food bank on Côte-des-Neiges Road, that the idea for Petites-Mains came about. “I noticed a lot of new arrivals would come in all of the time, especially women with children,” she said. “They would come twice a week to pick up food. As an immigrant myself who hadn’t been in Quebec all that long, I was sensitive to their situations. We started to think about ways we could help these women so they wouldn’t have to rely on food banks anymore.” Aboumansour’s philosophy for helping people? “I didn’t want to hold people’s hands. I wanted to show these women a job they could do so they could build lives of their own.” That’s why Petites-Mains teaches skills like sewing, working in kitchens and receptionist training. Aboumansour wanted to give women who otherwise would’ve been stuck at home, a way out of isolation. It’s also why Petites-Mains offers French courses. Without language, Aboumansour believes it’s that much harder for new Quebecers to find steady work or a place in society. “When I arrived, it was very important to learn the language that’s spoken here because my kids would be going to French school and I wanted to help them with their homework,” she said. “But I’m also interested in politics and culture, and I didn’t want to miss out on all of that aspect of being here, too.” When it came to her children’s schooling, Aboumansour also wanted to speak French so she could communicate with teachers and other parents. It was the incentive she needed to learn. Aboumansour has seen many women come and go after visiting Petites-Mains, and some have come back years later to thank her or let her know how they’ve been doing. Time and time again, she’s witnessed firsthand the benefits of learning French. “The fastest way to integrate is by working and gaining your own life,” she said. “And the best way to find work is to speak the language. Even if it’s not your dream job, just finding that first job when you arrive here is such an important step in finding your way.” Learning a new language upon arrival might be easier said than done with so many other things for a new Quebecer to get accustomed to, but for Aboumansour, the best way to learn from scratch involved being mindful of what was around her. The most memorable piece of advice Aboumansour received came from a teacher, early on in her French studies. “He said: ‘You’ll be learning 20 per cent of the language in class. But it would be up to you to learn the rest by talking, listening, watching television and reading.’ I learned that if you don’t make an effort outside of the classroom, you’ll never learn a language properly.” At Petites-Mains, they believe it’s important to create a warm and welcoming environment for women, because they want anyone who comes through and takes a class to feel confident enough to practise their French. “Even I had to learn once, and I still make mistakes,” Aboumansour said. “Everyone at every level makes mistakes, so at Petites-Mains we really try to make it feel like a big school, where the goal is to learn and not worry about embarrassing yourself. Because while it’s true that if you don’t try, you won’t make a mistake, it won’t do you any good in the end. You need to be active and not passive.”