When Mitra Mahmoodi came from Iran to Canada last September, everything was different.
She couldn't speak the language and had trouble with the mundane but necessary things in life: going to the bank, renting an apartment, shopping for groceries.
Now, from a room in New Westminster's Lower Mainland Purpose Society for Youth and Families, she sits at table and talks about how she got involved with the Newcomer Youth Connection Program, a specialized program designed to help new immigrants adapt to Canadian life, learn the language and get their education back on track.
Mahmoodi wears a scarf over her hair, knotted beneath her chin. She speaks softly and weaves her long, thin fingers through the air as she tells her story. The 24-year-old moved to Canada 7from Iran with her newlywed husband so he could further his education. Back in Tehran, Mahmoodi was studying economics in university.
"When I came, I couldn't speak English at all. I couldn't communicate with another person," she said.
Now, she's working on a written English assignment, outlining her opinion on Quebec's proposal to ban the veil, worn by some Muslim women.
Three months ago, Mahmoodi signed up with the Newcomer Youth Connection Program. It's for New Westminster and Burnaby youth, between the ages of 15 and about 24, who have moved to Canada within the past five years. It's designed for youth who don't fit in the traditional school settings.
"We take all the youth who drop (out) from mainstream school," says program coordinator Tully Mtatiro. They get help with things like life skills, English and counselling so they are ready to go back to school -- either high school or adult education, depending on how old they are.
Each student gets an individualized program, and they work one-on-one and in groups with their instructors. The program is for all the ones who can't cope with school for whatever reason: language barriers, cultural barriers or emotional problems. Mtatiro says some come from refugee camps; they may have witnessed atrocities and now need counselling. More than 65 youth have successfully graduated since the program started last September, Mtatiro says.
Alex Gist is Mahmoodi's life skills teacher. He works with a team of seven that includes a teacher, a therapist, a youth worker and outreach workers. He says the school usually has about 15 students, and they stay for about two months, but it varies depending on need.
"We're like a bridge program, a transition program," he says. "It's not a high school, it's not a university, but we're trying to get them into those things."
Most of the students are from East Africa or the Middle East, Gist says. Some are referred to the program through local high schools. New Westminster Secondary, for example, and Burnaby's Byrne Creek Secondary both have a high population of refugee kids.
Gist says a lot of students come to Canada when they are young and can pick up the language and assimilate, but it's the older kids that have a harder time.
"They come into high school, they have to adjust, they have to learn English," Gist says. "They are kind of the ones that slip through the cracks."
And that's what the program is trying to address.
The Ministry of Advanced Education fund the program, which is free. There are bus tickets and food available, based on need.
For Mahmoodi, the program is helping her prepare for an academic environment. She wants to go back to school and change her major to become a kindergarten teacher.
"I think it's so good for everyone," Mahmoodi said of the program.
Meanwhile, Mtatiro hopes to get more youth involved. And to help spread the word, the Purpose Society is holding an open house to showcase the relatively new program. Mtatiro hopes to spread news to the community so more youth get referred.
"When the youth drop out from school, it's very hard to get them," Mtatiro says.
The event is Friday, May 28, from noon to 4 p.m. at 720 12th St. in New Westminster. To RSVP, e-mail [email protected].
