9–11 Years Old (Junior)

Maher is a nine-year-old boy who arrived in Canada in summer 2017 with his younger brother, Bassel and his parents. He has come from a country that seem to have harsh conditions. One key thing that stands out in the video is Maher's interest and enjoyment in playing soccer. His friendship with his "special friend" seems to have blossomed through soccer as he mentions how great of a player he is. Throughout the video, the game of soccer is brought up several times. This includes an incident where a classmate tried to ruin the soccer game Maher was playing, which had made him upset. Overall, Maher is a happy, social boy who also enjoys being around his family for celebrations. 

 Maher's transcript

Katrina is a ten-year-old learner who speaks a number of languages such as English, French, Spanish, Hungarian, and Amharic. Katrina first lived in Ethiopia before moving to Canada. In her video, she notes that she has also lived in Toronto, Montreal, and California, each for 1-3 years. Katrina's interests include traveling around the world, where she has visited Ethiopia, the US, Canada, Europe, and other places. Furthermore, she enjoys reading books in French and English on topics such as horses and ponies. Katrina has attended both English and French schools.

     Katrina's transcript

Mansoor is a nine-year-old learner who left Syria when he was four years old. He has also lived in Lebanon. He is an active child who likes to swim and play soccer. In fact, he wants to be a soccer player when he grows up. He has two younger siblings, a brother and a sister, and lives with them, his parents and grandparents. Mansoor’s favourite subject is math as it is easy for him while his least favourite is science. He can speak Arabic, English and French. He speaks English and French at school and when he travels, he speaks English. Mansoor can write in both English and Arabic. He feels really good when he is praying as he is able to do so in Arabic, his L1. In his community, he speaks both English and Arabic. For example, when he goes to the doctor, he communicates with the doctor in both languages.

Mansoor's transcript

Kairavi is a ten-year-old learner who was born in India and lived in the United States  before moving to Canada. She speaks Hindi as her first language, English and French. Kairavi’s has completed grade three and has strong and positive memories of schooling in India. She enthusiastically reports learning Hindi language and culture there, as well as having access to “lots of books.”  Kairavi expresses a strong cultural and religious identity. Cultural celebration and praying are important to her sense of self and self-expression. After praying, the most important things to Kairavi are dancing and sports - particularly badminton. She is knowledgeable about professional badminton, and her favourite player is Saina Nehwal (an Indian badminton singles player). Kairavi loves to draw: Her favourite subject in Canada is gym, while her favourite subject before coming to Canada was art. 

Kairavi's transcript

Aakifah is a Grade 6 learner who moved to Canada from Afghanistan in 2015, when she was in Grade 3. Aakifah is from a large family and plays an integral role supporting in her parents and siblings at home. She is a middle child with three brothers and one sister. Apart from her immediate family, Aakifah does not have any relatives in Canada, as they still reside in Afghanistan. Aakifah speaks many languages including English, French, Farsi, Afghani, and Urdu. She mentions that she began to gain a sense of understanding for the English language a year after moving to Canada, which demonstrates that she is an incredibly ambitious and a fast learner. She has plans to continue into post secondary education and aspires to be a doctor. Aakifah also enjoys gymnastics, dancing, and singing.

Aakifa's transcript

Zakiya is an 11-year-old student from Afghanistan. She can speak English and Farsi. Zakiya is a bright, cheerful and energetic student. Zakiya lives with her parents and four siblings. She mentions different things about her family quite a few times in the video, which shows the importance and love she has towards her family. She values her friendship with another student who also speaks Farsi. Zakiya is eager to improve her English, is able to take on challenges , and aspires to be a math or language teacher, artist or soccer player. Zakiya indicates in the video that she had attended school at the age of six in Afghanistan, and arrived in Canada at the age of 11. From this, it seems that Zakiya had some schooling experience and already knew Farsi before coming to Canada.  

Zakiya's transcript

Jamila is in Grade 6. She is originally from Iraq, but has also lived in Syria. She now lives with her mother, brother and sister in Canada. Her father passed away while she was in Iraq. She is the youngest in her close-knit family. Jamila attends Arabic classes in the evening and is continues to keep up with her first language, Arabic, through evening classes. Jamila also knows a little French. Jamila is a strong student in the class and a leader among her peers. She is a self-directed learner and is always looking for ways to challenge herself and improve in her reading, writing, and math. Jamila has a keen fashion sense and enjoys singing and helping her mom and teacher.

Jamila's transcript

Malik is in grade 6 and this is his first year in a large middle school. He is originally from Syria and is very proud of his heritage. Malik is from a large family, and his family consists of his mom, dad, three older brothers and one younger sister. Malik has been to three different countries (Syria, Jordan and Canada). Malik is also able to speak three different languages: English, French and Arabic.  Malik enjoys talking about his life in Syria including the challenges he experienced in his journey to Canada. He is well adjusted socially and is a considered a leader in the classroom and among his peers. Currently, Malik has a good friend  in 8th grade whom he appreciates very much. Malik aspires to become a soccer player and his favourite team is Brazil. Additionally, Malik has interests in music, ranging from singing songs of diverse backgrounds (Arabic and English rap), to playing the trumpet and saxophone.

Malik's transcript

Runako is a vivacious Grade 6 student who was born in Zimbabwe. He came to Canada after five years, but was living with other family members (grandmother, aunt) before being joined by his brother and later, his father and stepmother. His home language, Shona, is one that he says he forgets a lot. He attended school intermittently in Zimbabwe, but the majority of his education took place upon arriving in Canada. His skills include cooking eggs and playing basketball. He also has strong literacy skills and loves to read, especially about science. He places great importance on family and friendships, and emphasizes the fact that he has a younger brother. Runako says that English is his strongest language. He finds it helpful when his peers assist him with English and when his teacher tells him what to do and helps him with his schoolwork;

Runako's transcript

Lina is an eleven-year-old girl who is currently residing in Toronto, Canada. Lina was born in Pakistan, and she moved to Canada with her family when she was nine years of age. Lina speaks three languages; Urdu, Farsi and English. Throughout her time in Canada, Lina has been moved and infused within three different elementary schools ranging from Toronto to Niagara Falls. Lina expresses her goals and aspirations to complete her schooling and become a police officer. It is evident that Lina has a caring and courageous disposition, thus educators may benefit from selecting Lina to help within the classroom by assigning daily leadership roles. She is an outgoing student with a passion for sports (gymnastics and dance) as well as makeup.

Lina's transcript