Ukrainian newcomers becoming family with English language classes

‘We are here like a big family’ A grassroots program is giving Ukrainians now calling Manitoba home the chance to learn English. Joseph Bernacki explains.

“Доброго ранку як справи (Dobroho ranku yak spravy),” said Kateryna Buriak which means ‘Good morning, how are you?’ in Ukrainian.

As a newcomer to Winnipeg, she and her classmates hope to speak these words in English with ease, with the help of St. Anne Ukrainian Catholic Church at Chief Peguis School.

“For me and many newcomers, it's a big, great help,” Buriak said.

“Everyone has a different goal, that's why we are here.”

Buriak and her daughter fled from their home in Dnipro, central Ukraine following the Russian invasion in 2022. Thousands of Ukrainians have come to Manitoba following the invasion and many with very limited knowledge of the English language.

One year ago, members of St. Anne Ukrainian Catholic Church were looking for ways to help newcomers like Buriak and her family be able to learn English to thrive here in Winnipeg.

“Their proficiency level was low, which meant their challenges were high because they couldn't find a job that was conducive to the way they lived back in Ukraine,” said Susan Zuk, ESL Coordinator for the Ukrainian Catholic Women’s League of Canada of St. Anne Parish.

In May 2023, St. Anne Ukrainian Catholic Church started teaching one English-language class to Ukrainian newcomers with a Ukrainian newcomer as the instructor who already had a background in teaching.

Through word of mouth, one class quickly turned to eight and Zuk needed more instructors. 120 people from all age backgrounds are currently enrolled in weekly language instruction with dozens more on a waitlist.

“We only told people in the church that these classes were available because there are thousands of people, so we couldn't put them on Facebook because otherwise we would be overwhelmed,” Zuk said.

Luckily for Zuk and her team, help came from more newcomer teachers with extensive knowledge of the English language. The classes were moved to Chief Peguis School where they have continued since and all eight Ukrainian instructors now call Winnipeg home.

Olena Gordiyenko, originally from Zaporizhzhia has been teaching for over 20 years in Ukraine and got a job as a visiting scholar with the University of Manitoba. She said meaningful connections have been made for students in the language school.

“We are here like a big family, like a big community, because we are sharing our emotions, our feelings, and it's a very good opportunity for us to enlarge our network here,” Gordiyenko said.

“I think it's impossible to live in a foreign country and like in Canada, an English-speaking country, such a multicultural country and not knowing English. For my students, it's absolutely impossible to live here without all the skills.”

The curriculum is made up of a program called Smart English which is designed to help newcomers pass their language proficiency exam needed for permanent residency.

“We are very fortunate to have Ukrainian teachers that have a command of the English language,” Zuk said.

“They can understand the challenges that the Ukrainian people are having and can guide them to say, okay, this is what it is in Ukrainian, this is how it is in English, so it moves them forward faster.”

Buriak completed her language proficiency exam last year. She and her daughter are grateful for the program hoping it will lead to more opportunities here in Manitoba.

“We met a lot of great people who helped us and now we try to make our life better in the English-speaking country,” Buriak said.

“We have to learn English. That's why we are here. We start our new page in our life.”

For Zuk, seeing dozens benefit from teaching connects with her on a personal level.

“I love the Ukrainian culture, my great-grandparents came here in the early 1900s with the first wave of Ukrainians,” Zuk said.

“I'm incredibly thankful that they came and they struggled to give me and my family the life we have today. I wish I knew Ukrainian and I wish I was fluent in Ukrainian. Right now I'm taking classes (in Ukrainian) and I'm struggling so I can understand their struggles.”

Zuk said the church has privately funded the language instruction and would like to offer more sessions in the fall for newcomers should the funding continue.

“The eight classes that we're hosting today, it costs $30,000, the first classes were wholly covered by the Ukrainian Catholic Women's League with St Anne, so that was $7,000, it's taken a lot of money,” Zuk said.

“The people are very appreciative of what they're learning and the opportunities that they're having to not only learn the language but be part of a community, see how they can be cared for in Canada, that is what we as Canadians and Ukrainian Canadians can do to help others.”

For Gordiyenko, in times of hardship, life experiences have reminded her to always keep moving forward.

“Life is challenging and when you face such problems like we unfortunately face, you shouldn't stop,” Gordiyenko said.

“You just must continue your life. You should fight, you should learn, and you should support one another.”

St. Anne Ukrainian Catholic Church (35 Marcie St.) is currently one of four Winnipeg churches offering English language instruction for Ukrainian newcomers.

The other three include Saint Basil’s Ukrainian Catholic Church (202 Harcourt St.), Holy Family Ukrainian Catholic Church (1001 Grant Ave.), and Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral (1175 Main Street).