TORONTO, Nov. 2, 2016 − Students taking a course on Canadian citizenship at York University’s Glendon College will be given a unique experiential education opportunity on Thursday, as they meet with about 50 new Canadians an hour before they officially receive their Canadian citizenship.
The bilingual citizenship ceremony, organized by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, and the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, is being hosted by Glendon’s Canadian Studies program, which offers the course “La citoyenneté canadienne” twice a year – once in English and once in French.
Dyane Adam, formerly Principal of Glendon College and Canadian Commissioner of Official Languages and currently Chair of the planning board on a French-Language University, will preside over the ceremony. Peter Milczyn, MPP Etobicoke-Lakeshore will attend the ceremony on behalf of the Hon. Marie-France Lalonde, Minister of Francophone Affairs.
Audrey Pyée, assistant lecturer in Glendon’s Canadian Studies program, said students in her course learn about past and present notions of civic, political, social and cultural citizenship in Canada. Students will lead roundtables with the new Canadians just before the ceremony.
“This will give our students a wonderful chance to speak to the new Canadians and their families about the meaning of Canadian citizenship to them,” said Pyée. “They will hear, firsthand, about the experiences of immigrants coming to Canada, so they can better understand the difficulties many face and the opportunities that they seek in becoming citizens.”
WHAT: Bilingual Canadian Citizenship Ceremony and experiential education opportunity
WHEN: Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016 – Roundtables at 12:30, Citizenship Ceremony 1:45-2:45
WHERE: Glendon College, York University, BMO Skyroom, YH A300 Centre of Excellence (roundtables) and Auditorium YH A100 (Citizenship Ceremony).
MAP: http://maps.info.yorku.ca/files/2013/02/GLENDON-Map-Colour.pdf (see buildings 7 and 10)
York University is known for championing new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-discipline programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. York students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world’s most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. York U is an internationally recognized research university – our 11 faculties and 26 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide. Located in Toronto, York is the third largest university in Canada, with a strong community of 53,000 students, 7,000 faculty and administrative staff, and more than 295,000 alumni. York U's fully bilingual Glendon campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education.
Media Contacts:
Janice Walls, Media Relations, York University, 416 736 2100 ext. 22101 / wallsj@yorku.ca (in advance)
Barb Joy, Media Relations, York University, cell 416 333 3374 / barbjoy@yorku.ca
Michael Ah-Choon, Coordinator, Experiential Education, cell 416 648 6169 /
mahchoon@gl.yorku.ca (on site)
