Iryna, Community Connections Program Volunteer
“It’s easy to take things for granted, but some people have never been to school, never had good food or good clothes. I tell my children, ‘Be thankful for what you have, because you have a lot’.”
Iryna and her family left Ukraine in March of 2023. She weighed different provinces and cities in Canada by noting climate, taxes, schools, work opportunities, etc. in a big notebook. She decided on Lethbridge.
They moved to Canada under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) program. Iryna, her husband, and their three children aged 18, 14, and 6, plus Iryna’s 83-year-old grandmother.
LFS was the first organization they contacted when arriving. Karin, LFS Immigrant Services Admin Assistant, provided Iryna instructions for important next steps, including arranging social insurance numbers, bank accounts, schooling, housing, English courses, and basic supplies.
Both Iryna and her husband were able to find jobs in the Lethbridge area. Iryna likes to work with people—at her current job, she was offered a switch to the night shift for more pay but turned it down so she could practice English with customers during the day. She values face-to-face interaction. The family adapted quickly to life in Lethbridge and decided they were okay without further assistance from LFS.
“After that, I asked, ‘Maybe I can help somebody else?’ Because it’s boring to sit in the house—I wanted to do something!” Iryna started by helping other newcomers learn English through the LFS Newcomer Conversation Circles. “Every Friday for me was work, college, and conversation club.”
Not long after, Iryna joined the LFS Community Connections Program as a mentor. She has already assisted many families with settlement in Lethbridge, Ukrainian and non-Ukrainian alike. Supporting other newcomers has provided Iryna with a healthy perspective on her own family’s journey.
“I am really happy with what we have. There are other people who have less”. For example, one family she helped belongs to an entirely stateless ethnic group, and has fled persecution their entire lives.
"When my youngest son hears families speaking another language in the grocery store, he says, ‘Mom, you have to talk to those people, they are from another country, they may need help.'”
Iryna is new to Canada but is already exhibiting amazing philanthropy and community spirit. “We know everybody new who comes, and we help each other.“ At her Ukrainian church, they organize free English courses, for anyone to join. They also host holiday events, including Ukrainian Independence Day.
Her children motivate her to lend a hand to newcomer families, regardless of their origin. Even outside of her volunteer work at LFS, she has found ways to connect with newcomer families and see what support they may need. Some need assistance with basic supplies, a doctor, education, food bank access, or setting up bank accounts. She is involved in many groups and rallies other people to help.
Newcomers understandably feel more comfortable with people from the same country, and often take care of people within their own communities. But Iryna is special because she helps people not just from Ukraine, but from all kinds of different cultures and origins. She admits, “I like to travel, but I haven’t had much opportunity to. When I speak with people from different countries, I feel like I was there! I cannot visit, but I can ask about culture and traditions. What do you like to eat? How do you spend your time?” She enjoys talking to newcomers and asking them questions, because it gives her an authentic view of a country, different from what a tourist would see.
Iryna and her family want to stay in Lethbridge to work and study, and are hoping permanent residency is possible for them.
Volunteering for the LFS Community Connections Program is a great way to learn about other cultures and meet new friends. Learn more about this and other volunteer opportunities at www.lfsfamily.ca/volunteer 💙
📷 Iryna with Zyna Taylor, Community Connections Program Practitioner.
