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Campus radio initiative shares the newcomer experience

Canadian immigrants and refugees tell their stories through radio workshop
By: Will Sloan
March 23, 2017
Jacqueline Tucci, Horace Kim and Aurore Sainte-Luce (seated)

Photo: Aurore Sainte-Luce (seated), with project co-ordinator Jacqueline Tucci and Horace Kim, at CJRU 1280 AM.

A lot of radio personalities have been weighing in on the immigrant experience. Wouldn’t you rather hear about it from the immigrants themselves? Since last spring, Ryerson’s campus community radio station The Scope (opens in new window)  (CJRU 1280 AM) has hosted radio workshops for Canadian newcomers, immigrants and refugees. A partnership between the station and CultureLink (external link, opens in new window)  settlement services, the four-week courses offer both practical, hands-on training in radio production, and a chance for the newcomers to share their experiences.

“We wanted to provide a platform for newcomers to have their voices more represented in community media,” said Jonathan Rodil, project co-ordinator. “We don’t have much newcomer or immigrant programming. This helps build a cross-cultural exchange. Toronto isn’t made up of just one thing: this helps us understand that we’re a whole bunch of different cultures, living together.”

The four-week course covers the basics of radio production, from how to write and conduct interviews to how to record good sound. Participants also work in groups to produce radio documentaries, and collaborate on a live broadcast. Their show, New Canadian Life (external link, opens in new window) , airs Mondays and Wednesdays at 5pm.

“A lot of the skills they learn are transferable,” said Jacqueline Tucci, project co-ordinator. “People might say, ‘Oh, radio, that’s not the first thing you need to know arriving in a new country.’ But it has communication skills, teamwork, and use of technology they might not otherwise be exposed to. A lot of employers also want to see some Canadian experience. This is something they can put on a resumé, with skills they can show to any future employers.”

“It’s a great way to practice English,” added Rodil. “It’s also a chance to meet new people, build networks, and share different backgrounds and cultures.”

Aurore Sainte-Luce (external link, opens in new window) , a French West Indies-born Paris resident, moved to Canada in late 2015, living first in Montreal and now in Toronto. “You meet other people in the same situation as you,” she said. “When I came here, I knew nobody—I just came with my suitcase and me. You meet a lot of people with similar stories. We come for the same thing: to share our experience.

“People here are so welcoming. I’m from France, and France is very different: if you don’t know anybody, the people aren’t so welcoming. Here, everybody really, really enjoys having you here.”

As part of the program, Sainte-Luce collaborated with two partners on a radio documentary. “My radio documentary talked about food for newcomers. It’s really important when you come to a new country to find your balance. Food is very important in France, and when I came here, I felt a little bit lost.”

In addition, New Canadian Life has been recording and collecting the newcomers’ personal stories about coming to Canada. On March 30, CJRU will launch its “Coming to Canada” series with a Lunch and Listen event. Students, staff, and members of the community are invited to listen to stories of Canadian immigrants, told by the immigrants themselves. A free lunch with be offered by Oakham Café featuring foods from the countries in the U.S. travel ban.

“We’re inviting the public listen to the newcomers’ stories, and really see how diverse Toronto is—how newcomers are engaged in the community,” said Rodil. “Newcomer art and stories might not be something you’d normally see in the media, and to hear it from the newcomers themselves is special.”

The Lunch and Listen will take place March 30 from noon to 2 p.m. at the Ryerson Student Centre (55 Gould St.). For more information, visit New Canadian Life (external link, opens in new window) .

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