I'm originally from Jamaica and came to Canada in 2014, with my four children. I had a tough start in Canada. I found leaving home and my family, packing up and coming to a different culture very challenging. I had to try to navigate and learn a new system and to learn how to survive in a sense. Not necessarily financially, but as a woman coming to a new country from a different culture.
I'd left my profession as an administrative assistant in Jamaica when I moved to Canada. When I first arrived, I wanted to be financially independent, so I took as many jobs as I could. At one point I was juggling three part-time jobs and raising a newborn baby, which wasn't part of the plan!
I wanted to get back into a stable job. My older children didn't need my support so much, but I needed to have time to care for my young son while also putting things in place to allow me to process my Canadian citizenship.
I remember trying to figure out how to apply for my citizenship, but it was all very complicated. To be honest, the computer age left me behind. With that happening, I needed some help navigating a computer and understanding the skills I needed to be able to get by.
My friend and I used to go and get free books from a table in the Fernie CBAL office, but at the time I didn't know what CBAL was. Then one day, someone told me I could go to Patty at CBAL for assistance filling out my citizenship forms. The team at CBAL was so helpful, and occasionally I took part in the Studying for Your Citizenship Test sessions too, depending on my work schedule.
I started with One-to-One Digital Learning which worked best for me. We all learn differently, some people like reading books, but for me having the practical sessions, to see it and try it myself was a much easier way to learn. Before these sessions, everything I knew about computers I'd taught myself as I wasn't given the opportunity to learn to use them at school.
Recently, my computer broke and I had to buy a new one. These new computers are not like the ones back when I was growing up, so Chrisy from CBAL helped me to navigate my way around my new one. I'm using a finger to unlock my computer, something I never imagined you could do.
Their encouragement not to be afraid of the computer has made me so much more confident. I'm now retraining myself to get my Office Administration Certificate so I can get a more stable job in the future. I've learned how to use Microsoft Word and Excel which has been so important for my certification. CBAL let me work in their office in the Elk Valley so that if I need assistance filling in documents or using a certain program, they are there to help. I'm hoping that upon completion of my course, I can go on to get a job in an office, the sky's the limit!
Different people need different things. Improving adult literacy to me is for people who don't speak English as a first language; for people who don't know how to fill out forms as they've come from a different country; who don't know about the requirements, for example, to do your tax return. It's a combination of being knowledgeable about the country you're in, the things around you, and the information you need on a day-to-day, short or long-term basis to have a normal life in a new country.
Having someone to guide you and assist you takes the burden off you. You feel that breath of fresh air - I'm achieving and I'm not behind. CBAL has helped me with that, and for that, I'm eternally grateful.
Roseleeta's story was transcribed from a conversation with CBAL.
To find out more about the adult literacy programs and services in your area, please visit cbal.org.
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