CEBCI: Learning “small talk” and beyond

by: Jay-Ann Arandia

I immigrated to Canada in the summer of 2012. At that time, resource-rich Western Canada was going from strength to greater strength, with elevated oil prices and expansion in the oilsands projects as the main drivers of Alberta’s economy. Just like everyone else, I had hoped to work for the energy industry. Alberta’s unemployment rate at that time remained among the lowest in the country at under 5%, more than two points below the national average. I was confident I had the technical and soft skills that companies were looking for. And so, in 2013 I began the rollercoaster ride of my job search journey. I thought I should be able to get a meaningful job in less than six months. How wrong I was! That was major lesson learned number one. The frustration led me to pivot my job search strategies. I decided to join a professional bridging program offered through an immigrant serving organization in Calgary. One of the things I learned was how to network. I thought I had a good command of the English language and possessed enough confidence so networking should be easy, only to find out that I was bound to meet major lesson number two with those assumptions. Networking in the Canadian context was a lot different. In other words, I realized that I had so much to learn about the practical aspects of a job search, let alone re-establishing a career in a foreign land. That was the time when I became conscious about the importance of “small talk.”

This article is not entirely about my career journey here in Canada, but I’m using this as a springboard to talk about how the CEBCI Project of the UPAAAC came about and how it is benefitting several of our newcomer “kababayans.”

Since Filipinos are better than most East Asian non-native English speakers, Filipino newcomers in Canada give the least priority on improving their conversational English abilities. It is not an undertaking that even long-time immigrants in Canada would advise to any Filipino newcomer. But in my years of observation, and as part of my retrospective analysis as a newcomer once, I believe that there is a lot of benefit when the right number of practical tips and techniques could be provided to any newcomer regardless of his/her English-speaking ability. A belief that resonates well with the current Board of Directors of the UPAAAC. This is one of the means the UPAAAC can give back to our community.

And so, CEBCI’s idea was born. CEBCI stands for Conversational English for Better Community Integration. The project aims to:

· Create a space where relatively settled Filipinos engage with fellow Filipino newcomers in a free-flowing conversation that aims to improve participants’ English conversation skills, develop confidence in public speaking, share settlement journeys, and build social networks; and

· Equip participants with practical tools to help facilitate their assimilation into the Canadian society.

The idea of partnering with the Centre for Newcomers (CFN) drummed up interest organically. I was fortunate to meet Dario Ontolan, the Centre’s Director for Settlement Services, way back in 2009 (he was a Settlement Practitioner back then). After a series of meeting and planning with CFN staff, we got the green light from the Centre’s leadership to pursue the CEBCI partnership.

The UPAAAC’s initial set of facilitators – Maricar Dilan, Nancy Pascual, Jay-An Arandia, and Ariell Arevalo – developed the syllabus, visual materials, and delivery strategies. The materials and delivery are a departure from traditional offerings that I have experienced personally. Conversational English is the language used by everyday speakers, it is casual and informal. It is the type of English that is used in grocery stores, when you meet someone at a bus stop, or when speaking with friends and family. Therefore, the facilitators made certain that the topics are practical, a reflection of a Calgarian’s/Canadian’s daily life, and that participants can immediately practice them if they wish to do so. The topics covered include: “small talk,” idiomatic expressions, Canadian colloquialism, common pronunciation mistakes, and lots of pep- and TED-talk like discussions in between on starting life here in Canada, and the joys and challenges that come with it. The facilitators also ensured that there was enough time for expectation setting, emphasizing that English is a language used to communicate, not a measure of one’s intelligence or capability.

The initial cohort of the CEBCI came from the clients of the Filipino Group of the Settlement Program. An overwhelming 30 participants signed up, a pleasant surprise even for the CFN staff. Historically, conversational English, or anything similar, has not been popular among Filipino clients of the CFN.

The sessions were conducted for 90 minutes, 6:00-7:30 pm every other Monday from February 21 to April 4, 2022. At the first session we had over 20 participants, whose age ranged from 15-50s, and from all abilities and educational attainments. The participants in the succeeding sessions fluctuated between 12 and 20, with around 10 who had consistently attended all four sessions. At the end of the fourth session, everyone felt the project was a resounding success.

Some of the participants feedback include:

“A step in the right direction.”

“Very informative, educational, and fun!”

“I never expected that I would learn this much. I have so much to learn about living in Canada and being a Canadian.”

“I made the right decision to invest my time on these four sessions.”

Among the comments from our CFN partners include:

“Excellent – well planned and executed. I never expected that UPAAAC facilitators are this prepared for this.”

“Participant engagement was noteworthy. They ask questions, they participate in the conversational practice.”

“This is something that we should always have – a stepping-stone to being assimilated to the Canadian culture”

“Huge success!”

Kudos to all the facilitators, with support from the UPAAAC BOD, and our CFN partners – Dario Ontolan, Regina Pulos, Merrilli Pinaroc, and Marvinn Antonio - who put forth a great deal of effort towards this initiative.

If you are a newcomer or know any newcomers who might benefit from participating on this initiative, please feel free to email jay-ann.arandia@upaaac.org. The next intake is being planned for the fall 2022.