For Ayse, the Digital Skills for Employment class at House of Friendship’s Sunnydale Community Centre is a lifesaver.
Ayse has been in Canada for three years, after leaving her native Türkiye (formerly known as Turkey) behind. There, she was a teacher.
Meghety and Ayse work hard on improving their computer skills at Sunnydale Community Centre.
Today, she has found part-time work as an online English tutor, and relies on the skills she’s learning at her weekly class to help her with the technology.
It has also helped her in other ways.
“This class helped me improve my English, too,” said Ayse. “Before last year, I couldn’t speak much English. Now I can.”
This program, offered in partnership with Focus for Ethnic Women, is geared towards supporting immigrant women with the practical skills they need in today’s tech-driven world.
Hajira, the course facilitator, said that the curriculum of the program is adapted to meet the participants where they are at – for some students, they need help with the most basic steps of sending an email; for others, they need help with more complex tasks.
“The first four classes are very basic,” said Hajira. “But the next four classes focus on employment – cover letters, resumes, and so on.”
The goal of the Digital Skills program is to help community members build the skills they need to get jobs, but they can also get support outside of regular class time on specific things they’d like to learn.
Ayse has also found a community of support at Sunnydale Community Centre through this program.
“I was always at home, not knowing what to do,” said Ayse. “Coming here makes me so happy. Everyone is so good, so encouraging. I am confident here. When I have problems, Hajira helps solve them for me. She has opened doors for me.”
Hajira said that she loves the passion of the students who come to her class.
“I love to see their dedication to learning,” said Hajira. “They don’t waste a moment. They all want to learn.”
Neighbourhoods programs like the Digital Skills for Employment offer fresh starts for newcomers to Canada, and support for others who are struggling. Your faithful, generous support of these programs helps transform lives like Ayse’s every day – thank you!
