BengalNews Reporters
Julia Child may
not have envisioned these students when it came time to teach a cooking class,
but then again, she wasn’t teaching refugees.
Journey’sEnd sponsors a six-week cooking program that teaches refugees simple kitchen
tasks such as using a knife and measuring ingredients. The vocational training
class was created for members to learn essential job skills.
“Learning is as sweet as American
cookies,” said Ismail Altaim, a refugee from Iraq that participates in the
program.
 |
| Ahmad Ismail, a refugee from Iraq |
Centered on equipping immigrants with
skills specific to the food industry, the class was funded by a state grant and
began in January. The program is free for participants.
“The class gives refugees big benefits
including giving them an insight into what work in the United States is like,
especially since many of our refugees have never had a job,” said Jeff Ogilvie,
Employment Services Coordinator of Journey’s End.
Not
only does the class teach refugees skills to apply in the labor force, Ogilvie
said that it also teaches the work ethic within an established kitchen.
“It
is a really good program because not only do they learn how to cook in the class,
but the instructor also adds an ESL component by teaching them vocabulary
words,” Ogilvie said.
The
students learn basic equipment procedures and the names of kitchenware they can
identify in the work force. They also learn work procedures such as calling in
sick or punching in and out of a time clock.
“We
also encourage the participants to share their country’s customs and cook their
own food so I could learn about it and we could also come together as a class,”
said class instructor Steve Doherty.
The
program sees participants from various countries such as Iraq, Nepal and Burma.
The students meet three times a week in the kitchen of the Lunchbox, a
restaurant located within the same building as the organization at 2495 Main St.
Amy McCarthy, president/CEO of the LunchBox, talks about the Journey's End culinary class:
“The Lunchbox has been very supportive by allowing us to use their kitchen and their equipment,” Doherty said. “Sometimes the owners are not even here when we are, so there is a lot of trust involved.”
The
refugees also help with food production for food sold at the Lunchbox.
Aside from trust, Doherty expressed that through the program,
relationships have been established by simple gestures.
“I
truly enjoy working with people who come and in some cases, my students give me
little treats for my kids,” Doherty said. “It is little exchanges like that
that build mutual respect.”
Ogilvie
expressed that as a direct result of the program, an average of approximately
250 refugees are placed with a job each year.
“Because it is a state employment program,
when the students go through and finish the program, they will certainly be on
the radar when it comes to employers, and have a better chance at a job,”
Ogilvie said. Edited by Tom Gallagher
While conducting the interview with Steve Doherty, the instructor of the vocational class, the refugees were asked what they thought of the program and what they enjoyed the most about it. One of the refugees, Ismail Altaim, said, “To learn American cooking is sweet like your American cookies.” Through these words, his excitement and delight for the class was easily understood. He continued to gush about learning of the American culture within the program, and it was a fascinating aspect because although his English was broken and his accent was heavy, his pride for what he was learning came out in just one breath. -- Lakisha Forde and Narmeen Karzoun
ReplyDelete