'I feel proud to be here': ESL students share their stories through art
'I feel proud to be here': ESL students share their stories through art
Students learning English as a second language got the chance to express themselves in a different way on Wednesday.
More than a dozen ESL students from NorQuest College in Edmonton took part in an art experience at Alberta Council for the Ukrainian Arts (ACUA) with local artists.
The students have primarily arrived in Canada over recent years, and the experience was designed to help them share their stories about leaving their countries and coming to their new home.
"The heart in the middle, you can see it is broken, because half is in my home country, and the other half is now here. It’s my home now. But because I’m a Canadian citizen now, I’m very proud for that," Jissell Munguia told CTV News Edmonton.
Munguia came to Canada five years ago from Honduras.
She plans to go to school to become a nurse after she finishes her ESL program.
She's excited about her future, but coming to Canada wasn't easy.
"When I separated from my family it was very hard. It challenges so many things when I came here, especially the language, the culture shock, and missing your family. Being away from them is so hard, I am alone here."
Theodora Harasymiw was one of the visual artists tasked with helping Munguia and others tell their stories.
"It was important for them because they all have a story. Instead of talking, talking, talking, which so many ESL students have to do, this is a visual interpretation, and I think, let them off the hook to play a little bit," she said.
"You pretty much have the whole globe sitting in one room, and you don’t want to put too much pressure on them about telling their story, but I think by creating a safe environment the story comes through."
Harasymiw said the stories she heard on Wednesday were emotional.
"I was brought to tears once or twice. They were pretty powerful stories."
A visual artist herself, Harasymiw is currently displaying an exhibition of her own at ACUA.
"The show that I have hanging right now is the Camino de Santiago, A Pilgrimage in Mosaic. I hiked the Camino with my 15-year-old son a year ago. Thirteen days from Portugal to Santiago, Spain, and I documented all 13 days in a visual format using photos, using found objects."
She believes art can be a powerful tool for anyone looking to express themselves.
"I think this is important for anybody. It doesn’t matter where you’re at."
NorQuest students show off their art pieces.
Munguia is proud of her art, and of her story.
"This was hard for me to put all my story in one piece of paper. But then when you realize this is your life, it was easy when I start making the path and all the challenges that I’ve faced, so now I feel proud to be here."
At the moment, wildfires are burning across six provinces and one territory in Canada — and they’re still spreading in what’s being called an unprecedented fire season. While firefighters work tirelessly to battle the merciless flames and prevent further destruction, scientists say the wildfires are linked to climate change and that this will be the new normal.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he raised concerns about reports that LGBTQ2S+ rights and democracy are under threat in Poland during a Friday visit with its prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, in Toronto.
Air Canada says travellers should be prepared for further flight disruptions as it works to return service to normal following a technical malfunction Thursday.
As more Canadians pass their family cottages down to the next generation, 'major shifts' in the ownership of recreational homes will occur, according to Re/Max. But amid concerns around the cost of housing, some may be wondering whether they can afford to keep that family cottage. Here's what younger generations need to know about inheriting a recreational property and the market today.
A 38-year-old sergeant in the Canadian Army was fined $3,000 and issued a severe reprimand after he made what a military judge described as 'utterly disgusting' anti-Jewish comments while conducting an infantry training course in 2021.
Pierre Poilievre is off to Manitoba to rally Conservative supporters ahead of a byelection that Maxime Bernier is hoping will send him back to Parliament. The far-right People's Party of Canada leader lost his Quebec seat in the 2019 federal vote and lost again in the 2021 election.
The number of people in Canada with inflammatory bowel disease is increasing rapidly and is expected to grow to 470,000 by 2035, according to a new report from Crohn's and Colitis Canada.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he is committed to keeping David Johnston in place as Canada's special rapporteur on foreign interference, despite a majority of MPs voting in favour of his stepping down from the gig.
A dozen sheriffs and Calgary Police officers roamed Calgary's core for three months, but the provincial pilot program is officially over as of this week.
A Calgary father and son face a lengthy list of criminal charges after being arrested in connection with the sexual exploitation, assault and extortion of multiple teen girls.
The Weyburn Police Service (WPS) says it has charged a 27-year-old woman following the theft of several "high-powered" firearms and a large amount of ammunition from a residence in nearby Yellow Grass.
Three Toronto men have been charged with attempted murder after they allegedly shot an innocent dog walker in Schomberg, Ont. in a case of mistaken identity.
Planning to pass time in Montreal's many parks this summer? Check yourself for ticks, warns one woman who recently contracted Lyme disease. Jasmine Rochereul, 23, says she spent much of last summer sprawled in city parks, where she believes she picked up the tick-borne illness.
Gatineau police arrested an 18-year-old man in connection to the investigation into a hidden camera discovered in the washroom at an elementary school.
Residents turning up the air conditioners on the hottest June 1 in Ottawa history likely caused hydro systems to overload, knocking out power to customers in the west end, Hydro Ottawa says.
There will be a lot of music, revelry and fun in downtown Sudbury on Friday evening as the Downtown Sudbury Business Improvement Association launches its 'Ultimate Summer Kick-Off' Party. For many, it also marks the unofficial start to patio season.
A popular beach in Bracebridge is open to the public two days after sewing needles were found in the water, but a second beach has since closed over safety concerns.
A bronze statue of Queen Elizabeth that was toppled and damaged by protesters two years ago was put back in its place Friday on the grounds of the Manitoba legislature after a lengthy set of repairs.
A 38-year-old sergeant in the Canadian Army was fined $3,000 and issued a severe reprimand after he made what a military judge described as 'utterly disgusting' anti-Jewish comments while conducting an infantry training course in 2021.
NorQuest students show off their art pieces. 
