Lessons for migrant farm workers celebrated for excellence

Guelph, Ontario - October 22, 2004 - City-based educators partner with rural businesses to provide free ESL teaching to migrant farm workers - a lesson that has earned the program a prestigious award.

Frontier College's Labourer-Teacher Program in Toronto is the winner of the Outstanding Partnership with Business award. This learning initiative was one of seven programs to receive recognition at the 6th annual Awards of Rural Excellence on Oct. 18, 2004.

The awards, hosted by the Foundation for Rural Living (FRL), recognize and honour rural communities, organizations and groups who, through programs, projects and initiatives act on their vision of a better rural Ontario.

In this unique partnership, farmers provide housing and paid work for Frontier College teachers and in return the teachers offer free after-hours tutoring, translation and support services to migrant workers.

Everyone benefits from the program, said Brent Poulton, Manager of the Labourer-Teacher program. "The students gain free access to learning and improved language skills as well as social support. The farmers benefit from having on-site translation and the teachers gain work experience as well as first-hand knowledge of farming and rural life."

Travelling from overseas destinations such as South America and the Caribbean, migrant workers who often don't speak English can feel isolated, explained Poulton. The Labour-Teaching program is a welcome diversion, Poulton suggested. "It is not unusual to have keenly motivated learners attend an English class at 10 p.m. in the bunk house after a long day of work."

The program began over ten years on one Ontario farm. Since then, it has continued to grow and today operates across approximately 30 farms from spring to fall. This past summer, Frontier College opened its first school house in Leamington. It also published its first pocket ESL dictionary for farm workers.

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For more information: www.frontiercollege.ca
Brent Poulton, Labourer-Teacher program, Frontier College. Tel: 416 923 3591

The winners in the remaining six categories are:

• Winner Outstanding Rural Youth Achievement: Community Futures of North & Central Hastings and South Algonquin's Business Builders Program, Bancroft
  Winner Excellence in Formal Co-operative Models: The Progressive Pork Producers Co-operative Limited, Breslau
  Winner Excellence in Community Leadership: The R.E.S.P.E.C.T (Resources, Empowerment, Safety, Prevention, Education, Community building and Training), North Bay
  Winner Excellence in Economic Development: Trent Hills Economic Development Committee, Municipality of Trent Hills
  Winner Outstanding Philanthropic Action: The Bruce Grey Public Education Foundation, Oliphant
  Winner Outstanding Volunteerism and/or Partnership in the Voluntary Sector: Erinsville Recyclers Group, Tamworth
  

Proud sponsors of the 2004 Awards of Rural Excellence program are Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont Company and founding sponsor, The Co-operators, the Province of Ontario - Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Union Gas and The Ontario Rural Council.

The awards were held at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel in London, Ontario on Oct. 18, 2004.

For more information please contact
Joanne Peach, communications specialist
Foundation for Rural Living
Tel: 519 826 3815
Email: frl_communications@on.aibn.com

Background: The Awards of Rural Excellence
The Foundation for Rural Living's (FRL) Awards of Rural Excellence program began in 1999 to recognize the excellence emerging from rural Ontario and to promote those initiatives to other organizations throughout the province. Contribution to community and a view toward enhancing and sustaining the future are the cornerstones of the awards criteria. Enterprises being recognized with each award must take place in rural Ontario. "Rural" includes communities with a population under 50,000. Amalgamated municipalities of small towns where the population may exceed 50,000 are also eligible. Proud sponsors of the 2004 Awards of Rural Excellence program are Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont Company and founding sponsor, The Co-operators, the Province of Ontario - Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Union Gas and The Ontario Rural Council.

The Foundation for Rural Living
FRL was founded in 1979 as a non-profit, registered charity. Our mission is to build sustainable rural capacity and enhance the quality of life for rural citizens through the growth and development of community investment in the form of philanthropy, citizenship and collaboration. Various programs and partnership endeavours aim to advance the role and interests of the charitable sector for the benefit of rural communities.

The foundation has initiated and partnered in key programs including The Ontario Rural Council and the Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program. During the ice storm of 1998 we established the Ontario Rural Relief Fund, which raised over $500,000 for rural communities affected by this disaster.

Disclaimer: The Foundation for Rural Living does not endorse or maintain the information contained within the above article, with the exception of news releases from the foundation itself. In all other instances, any questions reagarding the information contained therein should be referred to the author of the news article listed as the source.