Take a walk down Franklin Avenue and you will quickly see that the small capital city of Yellowknife is hugely multicultural! We wonder, “How did they end up here?” Or more importantly, “How are they surviving in Yellowknife?” The first question is their story to tell, but the second one is our concern.
One of the first and most important considerations for survival in any new country is language learning. In Yellowknife, Aurora College offers the LINC program (Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada). The program is free and open to permanent residents and refugees. This year (September, 2015 – June, 2016) 43 newcomers enrolled! These include people from: Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, Somalia, Morocco, Algeria, China, Viet Nam, The Philippines, Japan, Pakistan and Venezuela.
The LINC program offers classroom instruction in four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Assessments are based on the Canadian Language Benchmarks. The program also plays a role in assisting these enthusiastic and hard-working individuals to prepare for citizenship and life in Canada. For example, the curriculum includes basic information about Canada’s government, geography, and history as well as lessons in theme-based topics such as: housing, banking, health and safety.
Presently, the LINC program offers only levels 1 – 5. There is no provision for very low-level speakers of English – that is, those who test at a pre-benchmark level. This may become a future concern in light of recent international events and the expected arrival in Yellowknife of Syrian refugees who may have had little or no exposure to the English language. There are, however, additional helpful services provided by the College through the Settlement and Integration Office and the Literacy Outreach Program.
Yellowknife may be a difficult place for newcomers to settle, considering the high cost of living and the long cold winters. Yet, three little English words are among the first ones learned: “Canada is awesome!”
-- Lynne Zentner
