An international student from the Philippines. A newcomer. Someone who entered this North American country with little familiarity with the surrounding physical and social climates. What I had was my sheer determination to be part of the social service and welfare workforce in the future and continue in Social Work which was my profession back home.
Leaving the Philippines was one of the greatest gambles I have ever done in my life. I had a steady and promising career as a registered social worker in the national government with opportunities for promotion. However, my heart yearned to expand my service to other people of various backgrounds. That was my vision nine years ago. Here I am now: making my way toward that vision through education, field practice, and volunteer work.
Before coming here, I was determined to learn hard as I wanted to give my best (which I still am) in the field of social service and welfare, just as I did in my home country. I was heavily interested in working with immigrants and refugees. Their life experiences interest me because I am also a newcomer. I want to work with and for the newcomers - especially the less privileged families - because I always believe that they have something that would contribute to Canadian society. They could greatly contribute if the system would allow them to do so by giving access to newcomer services and opportunities for development. But an important question we need to ask is: Do the various types of economic assistance guarantee newcomers’ success?
How you define success varies from person to person. For me, success goes beyond materially. Growth is holistic and it spans several aspects. You name it - health, psychosocial, economic, intellectual, and the list goes on. But there is one highly important aspect I value which I found is present and it complements best all other aspects of one’s life. It is the relationship with God and living His Words. I was blessed to witness the presence of this God’s graciousness during my field placement this winter term at Toronto City Mission (TCM).
I was directly involved in the Kids in the Community (KIC) after-school program and Education Provided in the Community (EPIC) tutoring program and the new insights and skills gained were life-changing. I learned that developing authentic and deep relationships with the people we serve is far more important than merely ending my work in case management and provision of assistance alone. In my field placement at TCM, I have experienced in the KIC Program that the meaningful relationships we build and nourish with them create more impact because these relationships are intentional, professional, and personal. Without these relationships, we cannot actualize TCM’s mission to build them up emotionally, physically, socially, and spiritually as most of the people we served are children of newcomers and from low-income families in the Jesse Ketchum neighbourhood. The EPIC tutoring program taught me to not only look at academic achievement but their personal growth in terms of life skills and good character like honesty and helpfulness that the children will apply for the rest of their lives.
Another reason why I am extremely blessed to have my field placement at TCM is its strategies to care for its staff through professional and spiritual development. Since my mind is wired from a program development and management perspective after working in this field for a decade in the Philippines, I can say that their programs are complementary to the surrounding community’s programs, projects, and services. Here, I was able to identify some of the family dynamics and the associated struggles of the people that we served because I was strategically located on the ground and this opportunity is what I am grateful for which is helpful in my future career as a settlement worker. The way they program and implement their activities simply hits their goals. True to its mission, the organization focuses on the emotional, physical, social, and spiritual growth of the programs’ beneficiaries. I also have witnessed how the community Outreach Workers and volunteers assigned in the Jesse Ketchum area, Abigaille, Karen, Luke, Chantal, and the rest of the team love the children matched with discipline as secondary parents outside of these children’s homes. As a parent, I am a firm believer and follower of Proverbs 22:6 which stipulates, ‘Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.’
I thank the entire family of TCM for accepting me as one of their field placement students in the previous semester. My overall experience with the organization is an amazing journey of learning, unlearning, and re-experiencing. While the Philippines had given me unforgettable opportunities to keep my knowledge and skills intact in the social work field, Canada started giving me the opportunities to expand more of these through TCM. I am grateful that I started with TCM.