It takes a village

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This article was published 24/05/2019 (2552 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

After the final bell rings, the library is the place to be for close to 40 students at George Waters Middle School and St. James Collegiate. 

The group is part of the Peaceful Village, an after-school drop-in program for newcomer youth and their families. 

“Everyone in here, they all come here for each other,” said Daud Frotan, a Grade 12 St. James student. “You can get help with your homework and you can also hang out with your friends.”

The Peaceful Village was started by the Manitoba School Improvement Program in 2009 and operates six sites in Winnipeg. 

The program was introduced to the middle and high school at the corner of Ferry Road and Portage Avenue in September and, due to its popularity, has expanded from two to three days a week. 

Participants are in Grades 6 to 12 and come from more than 15 different countries. They meet in the library every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The first half of the three-hour drop-in is dedicated to homework and academic support and the second half is reserved for sports and art activities. 

For Frotan, the program staff have helped him decide what to study in university. 

“It’s not just limited to the homework, they help us find the best career for ourselves,” he said. “I think it’s the hardest decision you have to make in your life.”

Frotan was born and raised in Pakistan. He came to Winnipeg from Afghanistan with his family in November 2017. He plans to complete a double major in computer science and global politics at the University of Winnipeg.

“Computer science is my main interest, it’s my passion, and then I’m going to do global politics because I think my country needs some good politicians who are educated outside the country,” Frotan said.

He is receiving a $600 scholarship towards his post-secondary education for being a regular attendee of the Peaceful Village.

Surafel Kuchem is the team leader at the George Waters/St. James site. While mastering English is a large part of the curriculum, staff also help with everything from reading to math to practical life skills.

“We try to continue literacy and numeracy in order to get them caught up to their peers in their language” Kuchem said. “We have seen good feedback from parents, but also students having their work done on time and improving their marks.” 

The Peaceful Village also runs classes for adults and Kuchem expects the program to expand to other schools as more newcomers settle in Winnipeg. 

Eden Hailu is a Grade 8 student from George Waters. She is originally from Sudan and her favourite part of the Peaceful Village is spending time in the gym where she can work on her basketball skills. 

“My goal is to be a basketball player,” Hailu said, adding that her parents are proud of her newfound commitment to the sport. “They think it’s good for me because before I started playing basketball (last year) I never had a goal in life, but now I actually do and I’m working on it, so they think it’s good that I already know what I want to do in the future.”