Hello dear reader!
I am Aysegulnur and I just finished my CAP program “Global Citizens” this year. First, I would like to start by saying that you are going to have an awesome year, learning new things and having exciting experiences.
One of the best parts of my learning experience this year was TREK. I got to know about this opportunity via Dr. Greer’s SOCI100 class. If you are reading my blog, there is a choice before you. You will either choose the TREK option or the discussion section.
I chose the TREK option and I am really happy with my choice. I volunteered as a class assistant in Queen Alexandra Elementary School. Personal experience-wise it was interesting for me as an international student to go into a new community without any beforehand knowledge about it. My volunteering experience has helped me get used to my community really fast. I loved my bus rides to my placement, it was great to step out of the campus on my own once a week and learn to fit in. At first, it felt like a discovery trip because I was so foreign to everything around me. But once I got used to my placement, it became a familiar situation. I was fascinated by the school system here. Something really unusual can become a really interesting experience for an international student.
Participating in TREK program has helped me learn more about how Canadian institutions work. The organizations that we participate in, serve the Vancouver community and they pose a solution for the problems that they face. My placement was a school which is a government institution connected to Vancouver School Board. Observation is the first step to solution and I had the chance to observe what I learned in class, and started to think about solutions for problems that our community faces such as low funding for schools and vacant teacher spots. I also had the chance to learn about after school and meal programs while working in the school. TREK program helped me understand the course content in a different light and I had the chance to apply my knowledge into real world situations. The assignments that were given to us by Dr. Greer shaped how I thought about my placement because they drew a road map for me.
I had many questions about the TREK option before I started my school year. I will try to answer some of the questions I had then, for you.
- Will I be missing out on my academics if I prefer the TREK option instead of discussion section?
- You will not be missing out on your academics at all! I realized that most of the first-year assignments are for preparing students for later years. In your other classes such as ASTU, POLI and GEOG, the assignments are similar and they teach how to write a research paper about a topic. But the TREK option is a once in a year experience. TREK option also has assignments and workshops that are designed to help you with your placements.
- Is it hard to do TREK if I am not comfortable with my language skills yet as an international student?
- Don’t even worry about your language skills because it will get better in a month, you will not even realize it! Your supervisors are going to be patient and lovely. I worked with children in my placement. If you think that you might feel uncomfortable, you can choose to work with kids like I did.
- I don’t have experience with volunteering, what happens if I don’t know what to do in a situation at my placement?
- Your supervisors and peers are there to help you. The workshops and community dinners held by CCEL are helpful with providing resources for uncomfortable situations. Also, the monthly group meetings with Dr. Greer and your classmates are helpful in discussing difficult situations in a safe space.