[URBAN NOTE] "Syrians and Canadians trade languages at weekly U of T workshop"
CBC News' Laura Howell describes an astoundingly sensible project at the University of Toronto, for Syrian refugees and students of Arabic alike.
On a Saturday afternoon in Toronto, two young people are teaching each other how to say "archeology."
Asmaa Alzoubi pronounces it in English, and helps Callan Furlong say it in Arabic. They laugh as she corrects him: they're not just each other's language teachers, they've also become friends.
At this weekly workshop, Syrians newcomers improve their English - but they're also teaching University of Toronto students how to speak Arabic.
"It's a really helpful workshop because we can learn some English and we can teach others Arabic. It's really fun," said Karam Jamalo, who came to Toronto from Lebanon last April.
"We're making friends every Saturday, new faces every Saturday. They are really funny, really amazing."
For the last eight months, University of Toronto students and young Syrians have been meeting every Saturday.
They teach each other words from English and Arabic, share a meal, then go on trips to different places in the city, like a Blue Jays game or Toronto Island. This Saturday they went to the Royal Ontario Museum.
On a Saturday afternoon in Toronto, two young people are teaching each other how to say "archeology."
Asmaa Alzoubi pronounces it in English, and helps Callan Furlong say it in Arabic. They laugh as she corrects him: they're not just each other's language teachers, they've also become friends.
At this weekly workshop, Syrians newcomers improve their English - but they're also teaching University of Toronto students how to speak Arabic.
"It's a really helpful workshop because we can learn some English and we can teach others Arabic. It's really fun," said Karam Jamalo, who came to Toronto from Lebanon last April.
"We're making friends every Saturday, new faces every Saturday. They are really funny, really amazing."
For the last eight months, University of Toronto students and young Syrians have been meeting every Saturday.
They teach each other words from English and Arabic, share a meal, then go on trips to different places in the city, like a Blue Jays game or Toronto Island. This Saturday they went to the Royal Ontario Museum.