You’re new to the country and you’ve chosen to live in St. Albert. That’s big, but there are a million little things you need to learn about our city and community along the way. For all these newcomers who are men, there’s a new group to help them catch up to that steep learning curve, and likely make some new friends along the way, too.
That’s how St. Albert Further Education describes the Men’s Newcomers Group.
"This is a group of volunteer men who see the importance of doing a group like this to welcome and initiate men into Canadian culture and our ways of thinking," started Cheryl Dumont, the executive director at Further Education, trying to explain the scope of topics that come to the group's meetings.
"There's lots of different things that I'm finding I never even thought about, because you just take them for granted. You'd have to really put yourself in the other person's shoes — where they're coming from and what they're used to — and then start to think how different are we, culturally. There's many, many cultures in this group."
The group started in the middle of last year and meets every six weeks with a new instructional topic for discussion or a different social activity to participate in. All events are done to create meaningful connections and build useful information about the new country and culture they are living in, Dumont added.
"They are all motivated to help other newcomer men become part of the fabric of our community," she continued.
It is run by six volunteer men who are all current or former newcomers themselves. The group has grown to include more than 20 members representing countries such as Nigeria, Philippines, Chile, Iran, Mexico, and Zimbabwe.
"I think it's a very good group. We see a lot of value in what we do," offered Idy Agbonison, the Nigerian-born man who has lived in the city with his family for more than a decade.
He remembers how much he didn't know when he first arrived. That's why the friendly cohort is so important in making their transition to North America as smooth as possible.
"When they come in, there’s a lot of information they don't know. It's something that I also have gone through."
Since it started, the group has met with MP Michael Cooper; received presentations about income taxes and fraud; and learned about banking and budgeting. While the main objective is to help these men adapt to Canadian life, the importance of keeping one's own culture is emphasized as well.
The next meeting event is planned to start at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, May 6 via Zoom. The topic of community policing will be presented by Const. Trung Tran and Const. Morgan Kyle from the St. Albert RCMP detachment. That will be followed by having some RCMP members in their vehicles — and maybe even some representatives from the St. Albert Fire Department — at the St. Albert Further Education office the next day to meet and speak with newcomer families about their roles in the community
Other planned events for the future include parenting in two cultures; school matters (such as parent councils and parent teacher interviews); becoming an entrepreneur; and activity-based events such as soccer and bowling.
Dumont noted interpreters are also available, which can really help "very new newcomers who haven't learned anything about the language yet" to join in and better understand the presentations.
There is a group for female newcomers called Women Building Bridges as well. It is just re-starting now after being put on hold during the pandemic. A Mother’s Day Tea is being planned for May.
