News Release - Backgrounder

February 1, 2011

About Roots and Connections: Rural ESL Enhancement

Roots and Connections is a user friendly, four-part English as a Second Language (ESL) resource that provides the foundation for English language learning using a community orientation and cultural integration approach.

With decreasing population growth and increasing immigration, Canadian communities are going through a cultural shift. For rural communities, this change has been dramatic. Shrinking workforces have led employers to look for new ways to ensure essential services and maintain production. Simply, immigration has become essential to support a sustainable future for Canada. In Alberta, many rural communities are making greater efforts to attract and retain newcomers. The Alberta Government's "Welcoming Communities" initiative supports these efforts to be welcoming and inclusive of immigrants and their families.

Roots and Connections began in response to challenges for newcomers in rural immigration, especially isolation brought about as a result of both physical separation from their in-group and social/cultural distance. The resource also supports the challenges rural communities face in welcoming newcomers including developing cultural awareness, responding to change, and sometimes the lack of services and resources to respond to increasing numbers of newcomers with greater cultural distance.

Who will be interested?

Adult education organizations who respond to the needs of learners with English language development requirements who also need to bridge cultural differences to meaningfully connect with people, organizations and services in their community.

About the Centre for Excellence in Intercultural Education

Dedicated to involving and transforming businesses and community organizations through customized, innovative and practical intercultural training grounded in applied research, the Centre for Excellence in Intercultural Education is part of NorQuest College's commitment to develop intercultural and communication competence in Canada.

The Centre specializes in a broad range of language and cultural training services:

• Training and professional development through customized courses, on-site workshops and RBC Speakers Series presentations.
• Coaching on intercultural and workplace integration solutions
• Integrating intercultural and language instruction into educational programs
• Consulting with private, public and non-profit organizations on cultural and intercultural diversity issues
• Developing solutions through applied research

About NorQuest College

NorQuest College is Edmonton's community college with campuses in Edmonton, Wetaskiwin and Stony Plain, community learning centres in seven other Alberta communities and online distance learning available in more than 200 communities in Canada. NorQuest delivers post-secondary diplomas and certificates in a variety of health, human services, business and industry career programs, and has expertise in adult literacy, academic upgrading, English as a Second Language (ESL), Aboriginal education, and learner supports for students with disabilities.

As the largest community college in Alberta, NorQuest serves about 10,000 full- and part-time students each year. NorQuest is designated by the Alberta government as the regional steward responsible for the Edmonton region, from Camrose to Jasper and Drayton Valley to Whitecourt.

For more information, visit www.norquest.ca.