One of our exceptional clients achieved her employment goals and decided to give back to her community!
We first met Parvin in 2017 when she began attending our English classes, social programs, and receiving one-on-one employment support. Her English teacher Charlene described her as the “ideal student,” noting that Parvin immediately “took responsibility for her learning” and was “steadfast in her desire to attend and learn.”
It is no surprise that Parvin excelled in class as she has a Master’s of Physical Education and Sports Science from the University of Isfahan in her home country, Iran. Immediately after her arrival she worked as an Educational Assistant with Saskatoon Public Schools but she was determined to find work in the physical education sector. When a newcomer is looking to work in the field that aligns with the education or work experience they gained prior to immigrating here, it is often a long road to get there. More often than not, Canadian employers do not recognize international education or experience for skilled work. Despite 10 years of experience as a Physical Education Teacher and Corrective Exercise Specialist for the Ministry of Education in Iran, Parvin spent an extended period trying to get an opportunity in her field here in Saskatoon. All the while, she was working with us: “GGP’s programs helped me a lot to adapt to a new environment, understand the culture, and also make the process of finding a job easier.” Then, in the fall of 2022 she was finally granted an opportunity!
“I applied for the camp director position (at YMCA Saskatoon), and when I was invited for an interview, the program manager told me they had a fitness-related position open…I was surprised and so happy,” Parvin recalls. She applied for the position and was soon hired as Saskatoon YMCA’s Fitness Manager! YMCA also helped her to get further Canadian certifications in her field.
When asked what advice Parvin would give to a recently-arrived newcomer, she says “They should never give up and remember is that they live in a new country with new culture and new language. So, they need to work to adapt to this situation.”
Not long after she was hired, Parvin reached out to us to ask if we would be interested in partnering with YMCA to offer accessible aerobics classes to our clients. We were excited by the opportunity and in the end, we offered the classes in both English and Farsi, reaching a wide range of newcomers. We are always so moved when clients who achieve success in their settlement journey use their position to help us support other newcomers. “For me, GGP was my second home in Canada. I miss it and will never forget the fabulous times I had,” Parvin said.
