Iolanda Toma, here with her daughter Elena, enjoys the pace of life in Nova Scotia, one of the reasons she and her husband chose to make their home in Truro. They are originally from Romania.
Teaching Immigrants English (T.I.E.) is an ESL program designed to assist im- migrants with language needs. It is offered in locations throughout Nova Scotia by Metro-Region Immigrant Language Services (MILS); in partnership with MILS, CALA delivers this exciting program in the Truro area. This year the T.I.E. program saw 23 participants from China, Colombia, Ecuador, France, India, Korea, Kosovo, Lebanon, Peru, Taiwan, and Romania.
Although the focus of the program is language development, newcomers to the area face many challenges as they adjust to a new culture and settle into their new community. This is where T.I.E. steps in to help ease the transition. We were pleased to be able to link these three goals this year by using copies of the Saturday newspaper which were generously provided by the Truro Daily News through the program Newspapers in Education. These proved to be a rich resource both for boosting language acquisition and for broadening community and cultural awareness. The group has also established valuable ties with CoRDA and the Multicultural Association of Colchester County.
T.I.E.
Teaching Immigrants English
Locations throughout Nova
Scotia since 1991
Sponsored by Citizenship and
Immigration Canada
Contact :
Colleen Hatfield @ 895-6419
or CALA @895-2464
Easing the transition into a new culture, new language, and new community
The built-in flexibility of the T.I.E. program encourages input from participants so that the different needs of each group and community can be met. The CALA group enjoyed a variety of learning experiences during the year that included the International Festival Reception at the Marigold Cultural Centre, an evening painting at Thrown Together Pottery, Crime Stoppers’ fall auction, a morning in Provincial Court, pumpkin carving, and a visit to the Glooscap Heritage Centre.
Moving to a new country involves more than learning a new language. Everything takes place within a social framework, and that is one of the strengths of the T.I.E. program. The class is immeasurably enriched by the contributions of immigrants who bring with them knowledge, talent, and enthusiasm to share with fellow participants and our community.