The film Everybody’s Children shows us the story of two refugees who found asylum in Canada. Sallieu is a teenage boy from Sierra Leone. He was forced to leave because he was not on good terms with his father, and his mother had been killed by rebels. After his mother’s murder he was taken by the rebels and went through terrible things. When he was able to return home, his father wanted him to participate in some painful ritual activities. He refused, which put them on bad terms. The first thing that really struck me about Sallieu was that he did not know where he was going. He only found out that he was going to Canada when he arrived. I guess I just never really thought of it, but I would have assumed that any refugees coming here, or anywhere, would know where they are going. Leaving home would be overwhelming enough, I couldn’t imagine not knowing my destination. Joyce is a 17-year-old girl from Congo. She left for Canada with the help of the Salvation Army because her father and his wife were attempting to force her into prostitution. It made me very proud to be Canadian when I saw the joy she felt upon reading that her asylum being granted.
I was surprised to find out that there is no formal program in place to assist refugees to get their life in Canada started. I like that Matthew House and the Salvation Army church were able to provide a community for Sallieu and Joyce, respectively. However, I have always taken pride in Canada being a welcoming land for all, so I am a little disappointed that there isn’t more done to help refugees other than $630/month welfare (which is barely enough money to live). Even a bit of start-up money (say $1000-$2000) to help get started would be very helpful. Sallieu shouldn’t have to eat butter sandwiches, and it shouldn’t take Joyce an entire summer to save $550 to apply for permanent residency. That being said, I was very happy with the level of freedom they both felt in Canada, even comparing it to Heaven.
As a teacher who would like to work in urban school, I think it was very important to watch this documentary. I will likely be teaching students who are refugees, so it was good to familiarize myself with the experience that they go through. It also brought to my attention the fact that some of these students may be all alone, and so I may have to differentiate workloads based on this.
I was surprised to find out that there is no formal program in place to assist refugees to get their life in Canada started. I like that Matthew House and the Salvation Army church were able to provide a community for Sallieu and Joyce, respectively. However, I have always taken pride in Canada being a welcoming land for all, so I am a little disappointed that there isn’t more done to help refugees other than $630/month welfare (which is barely enough money to live). Even a bit of start-up money (say $1000-$2000) to help get started would be very helpful. Sallieu shouldn’t have to eat butter sandwiches, and it shouldn’t take Joyce an entire summer to save $550 to apply for permanent residency. That being said, I was very happy with the level of freedom they both felt in Canada, even comparing it to Heaven.
As a teacher who would like to work in urban school, I think it was very important to watch this documentary. I will likely be teaching students who are refugees, so it was good to familiarize myself with the experience that they go through. It also brought to my attention the fact that some of these students may be all alone, and so I may have to differentiate workloads based on this.