ESL Students talk over the issues they face every day, and the solutions.
Maps of Canada and the world drape the walls of room 100 in Mississauga's Streetsville Secondary School. The Canadian flag spreads across the windows. A 'Justification for Higher Education' poster hangs next to an image of Mayor Hazel McCallion holding a 'Welcome to Canada' sign.
English as a Second Language students of different colour and creed fill the room. The classroom's rules stretch on the blackboard: NO HATS. NO GUM. NO PHONES. SMILE.
"We have a great time talking about multiculturalism here," says Renee Laba, ESL teacher at Streetsville since 1990. "If a new kid comes, I say, 'Welcome to the family,' because they need to belong."
But for many ESL students, smiling becomes a difficult task when they have to face racial stereotypes and beat the misconception that ESL students are below academic standard. Many feel prejudged because of the way they look, speak or dress. Fitting in with the rest of the student body may pose a constant challenge.
"They are our future everything," says Letecia Rose, education director at Harmony Movement, about ESL students. "We can't fail to recognize that a lot of them don't feel like they belong."
Harmony Movement is a non-profit organization that encourages young people to spread harmony and equality amongst diverse people. It recently led a Peel District School Board conference and workshop called "New North: Exploring youth identity in Canada," which discussed ways to break stereotypes. More than 250 of Peel's ESL students attended.
"We wanted to provide a forum where ESL students could voice their thoughts, talk about what's bothering them, and how we can help them," says Scott LaMantia, the Peel Board's communications project coordinator.
During the workshop, students expressed their thoughts on how ESL is not celebrated. Many felt that being an ESL student is a disadvantage; it sometimes takes them longer to graduate, or they have to put with people uttering racist comments and making fun of them. Others believed that they are viewed as intellectually inferior because their English isn't perfect.
Rose says ESL students must realize that speaking another language is a "beautiful asset." Canada is built on diversity. She wants students to embrace the fact that they are immigrants and be proud of it.
"We should never judge people before knowing them better," says 15-year-old Hammad Saeed who came from Pakistan a year ago. Discussing people's misperceptions about immigrants and ESL students regained his confidence. "We shouldn't be ashamed of what we say or how we say it."
Toronto's motto is Diversity Our Strength, and Statistics Canada projects that, by 2017, visible minorities will make up more than half of Toronto's population.
"Remember that you're not alone," Laba told the conference. "Look around. Feel the strength in numbers. And be patient with those who aren't ESL and don't get it yet."
Nadia Qasmieh is completing a Master of Liberal Arts in Journalism degree at Harvard.
