How a Halifax program became a lifeline for newcomer families during the pandemic

A newcomer support program is helping families overcome difficulties presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and settle into their new lives in Halifax.

The YMCA school settlement program works with students and their families throughout the region. And while it has been running for about 25 years, staff say its current work through spells of online school learning has been indispensable in a challenging time.  

"We are a lifeline for the newcomer families, we build trust," said program co-ordinator Achala Hewaarachchi. "It's so important you feel you belong and our school settlement staff make that happen."

Eighteen staff from the YMCA program work on site in HRM schools where they provide academic help along with a range of other supports.

Schools are currently observing COVID-19 safety protocols, so workers are taking extra steps to stay connected with families through calls outside school hours.

They're also trying to keep children engaged by offering new ways to help them learn English.

"We have an evening online reading program for the children in the schools so it's wonderful how innovative we can be," Hewaarachchi explained.

Tilak Arora is a school settlement staff member at Bedford South school.

A big focus for him lately has involved working through another pandemic-related issue of helping families get used to working with new technology to be able to support them virtually as well as for the adjustment to online schooling.

"It's been difficult, most of the children coming to our schools come from countries where technology may be a big issue so we go out of our way to help them understand how to use it," Arora said. He's helped set up students with chromebooks provided by the school for online learning.

Nearly half of Bedford South's approximately 600 children are immigrants to Canada, Arora said.

He supports the staff as well as the children there, in a partnership that principal Helen Healy acknowledges is shaping the school's approach.

"How we can recognize where they have come from and to show our respect and importance of where they have come from and how we can include that in our teachings," Healy said.

Mohammad and Nawal Alharoun, who are originally from Syria and moved to Canada from Jordan six years ago, have two children at Bedford South.

They've been in direct contact with Tilak Arora since registering at the school. 

Their boys Malik and Ali have both made lots of friends and are now confident speaking English.

"It is very good because when we come here we don't speak English and for the children it was a different country, different system, the school everything is different," Mohammad Alharoun said.

Virtual programming has been extended to people who recently arrived in Nova Scotia from Afghanistan.

About 25 Afghan children got a virtual tour of a school while still in quarantine.

"We've been doing online programming for them, for the young children who are school age, and they're excited because we're helping them learn English and making activities that are fun," Hewaarachchi said.

Nearly three thousand people got support from the school settlement program in 2021. 

With more newcomers already arriving in Halifax this month, from  Afghanistan and Syria in addition to Somalia and Ethiopia, Hewaarachchi is preparing to welcome more families. 

"Our days are really long and busy."