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Newcomers looking for English help find fun, friendships and family

Barrie English Conversation Circle program connects local immigrants to learn conversational English, share information and forge personal connections

It all started with a simple conversation.

The Barrie English Conversation Circle program at the Barrie Public Library may have started with a handful of local immigrants coming together to share stories and learn English, but over the past three-and-a-half years has now blossomed into a group that has seen nearly 300 participants representing 37 countries walk through the doors to support each other through the challenges of immigrant life in Canada.

On a recent Saturday in March, BarrieToday sat down with some of the attendees of the program, volunteers and organizers to find out what makes the program so successful.

That Saturday was Flavia Camargo’s first day as an official volunteer.

Camargo and her husband first visited Canada from Brazil in 2012. They moved to Barrie five months ago so Camargo’s husband could update his certification as an acupuncturist through Georgian College. One month in, Camargo found out about the conversation circle program, and decided to participate as an attendee.

“It felt so good to connect with people,” says Camargo. “We had been kind of isolated without being able to meet new people.”

After a few weeks of attending, Camargo decided she wanted to do more as she had previously worked as a teacher.

“I know how to elicit response from people and engage with people, like the quiet ones,” she says. “I just did my training yesterday and here I am, my first shift as a volunteer.”

Camargo says she joined the group as a way to make connections and to beef up her resumé.

“When you apply to any job, you need to have Canadian experience,” she says. “It makes us feel more connected. It’s all about feeling like you’re part of a group. We want to belong. Becoming a volunteer makes me feel like I belong.”

The Barrie Conversation Circle program started in 2015.

“I struggled to get maybe three people out regularly. Sometimes, we’d have none,” says Judy Morozuk, public services facilitator at the Barrie Public Library.

Morozuk credits the efforts of library volunteers for getting the word out back in early days, making flyers and promoting the program.

“It wasn’t that there wasn’t culture here. On the first day, a woman who had (immigrated) from Sri Lanka came to the program after seeing posters and said, ‘Where were you seven years ago when I really needed this program?’”

“Since that very first day, I knew we were going to have to fight for it,” says Morozuk.

After tweaking the program and building partnerships with local agencies such as Georgian College and the YMCA, the popularity of the program exploded. Now, between 30 and 40 people attend weekly.

The program is now so successful, that in March it started running on Monday nights as well at Saturday mornings.

“They come not just for the English, but also for the social connections,” says Morozuk.

Mayra Aldana and Juan Carlos Sanchez were among the first regular attendees of the program back in 2016.

When arriving at the library, Juan Carlos shows the volunteers of the program a photo of himself dressed in a shirt and tie.

He had attended a job interview that week, and had taken their advice on how to dress. He said he was the only person interviewed who wore a tie.

Aldana and Sanchez arrived in Canada from Mexico in 2016, and heard about the group about a month after arriving. At the time, Sanchez did speak some English, but Aldana did not.

“We weren’t eligible for English classes through The Learning Centre unless we paid money,” said Sanchez. “We saw posters when we were out and thought it was a good way to start practising and learning.”

Aldana says that when she first started attending, she didn’t understand most of what was said.

“Each Saturday we came, I gained more confidence,” says Aldana. While Aldana says the group started with maybe five attendees per week, the group has grown and changed over time with more cultures and languages being added to the mix.

“It’s very nice because you can learn (about) different cultures. The world is so big,” says Aldana, with a laugh. “The volunteers make you feel like you’re with family.”

Eduardo Galluggo immigrated to the area from Brazil in 2010 with his wife and three kids to pursue career opportunities in information technology (IT). Galluggo has been successful in his career over the past nine years, working remotely with companies in Brazil and even starting his own IT business in Barrie. Now, he works with Bombardier Canada.

While Galluggo’s English is very good, his motivations for attending the circle are to look for new talent to send up the flagpole to his bosses at Bombardier, and also to help him learn some new skills.

“Recently, I separated from my wife, but we have shared custody. I’m trying to improve my skills with baking and cooking. I’m trying to do my best,” says Galluggo with a laugh.

“I like the idea of being here and offering my help. I need to learn a couple of things. I want to see if my experience will help them to find a better path toward good results and avoid mistakes.”

Back in October, the Barrie Conversation Circle program had a hand in the library winning accolades at the County of Simcoe Newcomer Recognition Awards. The Immigrant Mentor Award went to Ulisses Schimmels, a regular attendee, the Culturally Diverse Workforce Award went to the Barrie Public Library and the Service Excellence Award went to Morozuk for her role in creating the conversation circle program.

“Having someone sit in a circle and say, ‘I wanted to come today to tell you that, because of you, I know I can be here in Barrie.’ We would cry,” says Morozuk with a laugh. “So, I was always advocating to management and the CEO that we have to have this.”

According to Morozuk, the struggle to get the program going in Barrie has been worthwhile.

“We’re like a family now. People will come in and say, ‘I’m here to see my friends,’” she says. “The English is the draw, but they come back for the connections.”


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Jessica Owen

About the Author: Jessica Owen

Jessica Owen is an experienced journalist working for Village Media since 2018, primarily covering Collingwood and education.
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