By Suzanne Robicheau |
A collaboration between Saint Mary’s University and Halifax Public Libraries will make the Candian citizenship test far less intimidating for a small group of immigrants.
“The test is tough even for those born in Canada,” says Saint Mary’s alumnus Jonathan Shaw. “Imagine how difficult it is for someone who speaks English as a new and second language.”
As part of the practicum for his Masters of Education in Curriculum Studies, Shaw volunteered to teach a Citizenship Test Preparation class at Dartmouth’s Woodlawn Library. With his guidance and encouragement, immigrants, from as far away as Iran, Bhutan, China, Syria, Thailand, Slovakia, and Germany, now feel ready to take the test and become Canadian citizens.
“They have become more knowledgeable about Canada and more patriotic than most people I know,” says Shaw.
