Refugees And Migrants Star In Short Film

MEDIA RELEASE

WELLINGTON MULTICULTURAL LEARNING & SUPPORT SERVICES

23 JUNE 2009

Refugees And Migrants Star In Short Film

Wellington residents from countries as diverse as Cambodia, Iraq, Ethiopia and the Philippines play starring roles in a short film which aims to raise awareness of refugee and migrant jobseekers in the city.

The film features two skilled migrants and three former refugees who have been helped by Multicultural Learning and Support Services (MCLaSS) either to find a job or learn English – in some cases both.

They talk about the difficulties they faced settling into the capital, and how they overcame them to find employment.

The three refugees came to New Zealand with virtually no English, but even the migrants – who had a reasonable grasp of the language – struggled to find work. In the film they are shown in supermarkets, libraries, mock job interviews and on the streets of Wellington, as well as at their homes and workplaces.

There is also footage of adult students in English classes learning to read medicine labels and identify the names of parts of a giant squid following a visit to Te Papa.

Ethiopian refugee Shewaynesh Yirsaw stayed at home for most of her first two years in Wellington because she lacked confidence and could not understand English. Today she works for Te Aro company Pacific Perfumes and has the confidence to take a bus to the shops, where the English labels are no longer such a mystery.

The others featured in the film are Nadia Adam from Iraq, Ponna Eng from Cambodia, and Filipino couple Joey and Geevah Domdom.

For all of them the first weeks, months or even years in Wellington were a challenge, and feelings of frustration and loneliness were common, said MCLaSS manager Mary Collie-Holmes.

Shewaynesh, Ponna and Nadia learnt English at MCLaSS, which gives migrants and refugees a foundation in the language, and in many cases the confidence to take on new learning experiences outside the classroom.

Shewaynesh supplemented her learning with regular visits to the Newtown Library.

All five of the film’s subjects found jobs following sessions with the MCLaSS employment support team.

Joey worked in the facilities departments of schools and a university back in the Philippines. His English was good, but he could initially only find work in Wellington as a caregiver and laundry person.

“I was referred to MCLaSS by other Filipinos... and they helped me with my CV and with the interview New Zealand style.”

After two or three sessions with the MCLaSS job broker, Joey applied successfully for a job in the facilities department at the Wellington Institute of Technology.

Before coming to New Zealand Geevah worked as an administration assistant. After trying unsuccessfully to get a job in Wellington, she also turned to MCLaSS for help.

Interview practice with job broker Harvey Buchman was particularly useful.

“He was acting as my employer. He really helped me with his comments on how to improve the way I spoke, my confidence answering the questions and everything else.”

Geevah got a job as an administrative assistant at Harvey Norman.

Ponna had worked in a restaurant in Cambodia. MCLaSS job broker Marlene Strickland helped him get work as a customer services assistant at the Koru Club at Wellington Airport.

Nadia needed help from a job broker to get her first few jobs, but her English has improved so much she has been able to find and apply for other jobs by herself.

The MCLaSS employment team continues to support migrants during their first six months in a new job.

“During my first few months work at Weltech there were some issues that came up,” said Joey. “I would usually call on (job broker) Harvey Buchman, who would shed light on them.”

The film had its first screening at the recent annual general meeting of MCLaSS, which is a non-profit incorporated society.
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