By Chad Klassen

TRU professor offering another course to help immigrants adjust to Kamloops

Mar 15, 2018 | 3:52 PM

KAMLOOPS — It’s a course designed to help new immigrants and refugees to Kamloops navigate the system and learn the basics of the city, and it’s back for another offering starting Friday. 

TRU Assistant Professor Sasha Kondrashov runs the Welcome To Kamloops course and is bringing it back, hoping to build on what he did last year. The course is open to anyone and will go through basic skills immigrants need to succeed in a new place. 

“It’s primarily what immigrants need in terms of housing, banking, health care, employment, how to do all the forms, how to ensure you know where the arts are, where to travel, destinations in Kamloops, where to relax, where to have recreation. Any needs, anyone who is new to Kamloops,” said Kondrashov. 

The course starts on Friday, March 16, the first of six sessions. Each session will be held twice, first from 4-6 p.m. at the Smorgasbord Deli downtown on 7th Avenue, and then again from 7-8 p.m. in the Arts and Education building at TRU. Kondrashov hopes to make immigrants feel welcome like he was when he came to Canada from the Ukraine two years ago. 

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“It is challenging because every country has different ways of organizing things,” he said. “When I was doing last year’s course, I had to remind students that tap water is drinkable, because in a number of countries people cannot and it takes a lot of money and resources to buy every time when you realize you can actually drink it. Kamloops has one of the best water treatment plant, where newcomers do not know that.”

WELCOME TO KAMLOOPS SCHEDULE

Friday, March 16
Smorgasbord Deli: 4-6 p.m.
Arts and Education Building, Room 312: 7-8 p.m.

Monday, March 19
Smorgasbord Deli: 4-6 p.m.
Arts and Education Building, Room 312: 7-8 p.m.

Thursday, March 22
Smorgasbord Deli: 4-6 p.m.
Arts and Education Building, Room 312: 7-8 p.m.

Friday, March 23
Smorgasbord Deli: 4-6 p.m.
Arts and Education Building, Room 312: 7-8 p.m.

Monday, March 26
Smorgasbord Deli: 4-6 p.m.
Arts and Education Building, Room 312: 7-8 p.m.

Thursday, March 29
Smorgasbord Deli: 4-6 p.m.
Arts and Education Building, Room 312: 7-8 p.m.