Volunteer’s First Step to What She Hopes is a Lifelong Involvement with Service
I first started volunteering as a homework helper at St. Marguerite School with Global Gathering Place when I was in high school, and my visits to the classroom soon became a highlight of my week. I was struggling with my mental health and wanted to feel more connected in my community. Getting involved with service through GGP was a great way to learn new skills and gain meaningful experience. Life does not come with an instruction manual and finding purpose can be a daunting task, especially as a young person. Meeting new people and using my energy to serve others was a wonderful way to help navigate this time of my life.
After high school, I ended up getting degrees in Philosophy and English at a University in the United States, and recently moved back to Saskatoon upon graduation. My love for community involvement continued throughout college, and I knew I wanted to reconnect with organizations like GGP. My degree in English and tutoring experience both lended themselves well to small group tutoring and assisting in classes at the English Language centre. I now help out in the classroom on Tuesdays from 9:15am-noon and then lead a small group study for a couple of women in the class who requested extra time to practise. I love the classroom environment and have enjoyed getting to know Fatima, Zahra, and Latifa. They have grown a lot in the short time we have spent together and I am so excited to continue supporting their progress.
Now that class has resumed, our group sessions happen shortly after Tuesday morning class with Darla. We meet to review what we learned that day and then decide as a group what we should work on that day. I usually begin with a few writing exercises to practise grammar, penmanship, and comprehension. Sometimes I write sentences and ask them to copy them and describe the meaning, or for an added challenge, I will speak a sentence out loud and ask them to try their best to write down what I have said. Then, we usually spend some time reading books to practise pronunciation and reading comprehension. After we have finished reading, I usually take some time to ask them about words they have been struggling with and then we do some phonics exercises to work on more challenging pronunciation. It has been a pleasure to work with this group of ladies and I am looking forward to continuing to watch them grow!
I decided to come back to volunteer with GGP because of the importance of the organization’s work, the strong community feeling at the Main Office and the English Language centre, and the increased politicization of immigration. While Canada is a diverse and welcoming nation, anti-immigration rhetoric, particularly stemming from the United States, is spreading. I think that one of the best ways to stand up to these damaging narratives is to spend time getting to know people with diverse backgrounds and working to ensure newcomers to Canada feel cherished and welcomed. Language and communication are such important aspects of feeling connected in a new place, so being able to help newcomers feel empowered and confident in their English skills is definitely my favourite part of volunteering with GGP!
One of my favourite memories of my early days volunteering with GGP was spending time in the homework help classroom at St. Marguerite’s. When the kids were finished their homework they were given time to work on art projects or other activities they were interested in. One of the little girls in the class used to like to write plays that she and I would perform for the whole class. Her instinct to use language to create art was wonderful to witness. I was so proud of her confidence to showcase her art to the class and always looked forward to hearing her stories.
Meeting with people from such diverse backgrounds has encouraged me to become more personally invested in world events. I have always tried to stay aware of what is happening globally, but hearing from people directly is far more impactful than what can be captured by the news alone. I am looking forward to continuing my involvement as a volunteer with GGP, but even if I end up moving away, these experiences and the relationships I have built will help me to be a more well-informed person. I think that all native-born Canadians would benefit from building relationships with newcomers. Friendship and connection make a huge impact on becoming a more gracious and welcoming Canadian.
Further, like many other nations, Canadians are struggling with feelings of isolation. For young people, mental health and loneliness are huge struggles—branching out, finding community, and serving others are great ways to find purpose and feel less alone. Becoming a volunteer with GGP was the first step in what I hope will be a lifelong involvement with service. This work helped me to navigate my adolescent mental health challenges, and has been instrumental in shaping who I am today. There are so many wonderful reasons to get involved with GGP, and I would encourage anyone to use their time and gifts to contribute.
“Alice reached out to us after finishing her university degree in the States and returning to Saskatchewan. She was eager to get involved with GGP again, and was happy to help out in any capacity. Shortly after our meeting, one of our ESL teachers, Darla, reached out to inquire about finding a volunteer for some new students in her CLB 3-4 class. Darla had three women in her class who recently graduated from the literacy level classes and were now entering the mainstream CLB classes for the first time. These students were looking for some extra English reading and writing practice and were very eager to keep practicing during the ELC summer break. In comes Alice! In addition to her calm and sunny personality, Alice had the unique experience of assisting newcomer students with their reading and writing skills at university. Alice readily agreed to guiding a reading/writing circle with the three women once a week during the summer. It was such a success, that even though the ELC classes are back in session, she volunteers within Darla’s class with the students and then guides a reading/writing circle for 1 hour after the class once a week. We are so grateful for capable, flexible, and dedicated volunteers like Alice!”
– Jasmine Shahbazi Doran, Volunteer Coordinator at GGP
“Alice is an absolute delight to work with. She is eager to help, sensitive and extremely patient and caring. The women have thanked me repeatedly for the special attention and care that Alice has given them. Because of Alice’s willingness to help these women, I have seen these two ladies not only grow in reading comprehension but also in their confidence and willingness to take risks. Alice has a gentle and kind presence that instantly eases the anxiety that literacy learners can have coming into a mainstream class. I’m so grateful to have her volunteering in my class.”
– Darla Boese, Language Instructor at GGP
