— School District looking at local proposal —
(OSOYOOS TIMES — June 13, 2007) —
By Julie TurnerrnOsoyoos Times
With the large number of Portuguese families who immigrated to the South Okanagan in the 1950s and '60s to buy land, work in the orchards and build their families, Osoyoos resident Louisa Carvalho hopes the second- and third-generation Portuguese descendents will soon be able to learn the language of their parents' homeland.
At its May 30 meeting, Osoyoos resident Louisa Carvalho asked the local School Board for its support in developing a Portuguese program in the schools. She told the Board there has always been a desire from the Portuguese community to have their children attend Portuguese classes.
Carvalho told the meeting that classes were offered some years ago through the Osoyoos Portuguese Canadian Cultural Society but because of a lack of structure and qualified teachers the program was short-lived.
She points to the fact that two years ago, Dr. Carlos Teixeira “ assistant professor of Urban, Social and Human Geography at UBC Okanagan “ conducted a study of the Portuguese communities in the South Okanagan.
The study revealed that Portuguese people in large urban areas like Vancouver and Toronto retain their culture, whereas those in small rural areas are on the verge of losing our language and our culture due to integration into Canadian society.
Teixeira says, The Portuguese communities are isolated in the South Okanagan, unlike communities in larger urban centres, although people of Portuguese ethnicity are among the top five immigrant populations in this region.
The new generation “ those born in Canada “ are asking questions about who they are, where they came from, what their roots are. According to the 2001 Census “ based on language “ 800 people in the Okanagan-Similkameen region declared Portuguese as their mother tongue.
Based on his research, he believes that number is higher than what was declared “ as much as double “ for two reasons: some people do not declare their ethnic origin on the Census forms, instead indicating 'Canadian'; and the Census doesn't account for the Canadian-born children of Portuguese immigrants.
Teixeira introduced Carvalho to Dr. Graca Pacheco, co-ordinator for all Portuguese language programs in Canada. In March, Pacheco gave presentations in Osoyoos and Oliver which drew children and adults “ both Portuguese-speaking and non-Portuguese “ interested in taking classes.
Pacheco advised that the best way to ensure the success of a Portuguese program would be to introduce it into the school curriculum. The program can either be developed locally or provincially.
Carvalho approached and received support from Osoyoos Elementary School Principal Bo Macfarlane and High School Principal Mike Safek, and adds her own survey of young people interested in taking Portuguese classes found 30 elementary and 20 high school students would take the classes if offered.
Of her presentation to the School Board, Carvalho says, I received very positive comments. She says she's hopeful a program can start up in both the elementary and high school.
School Board Chair June Harrington says although the program would have to get Board approval it definitely will be considered.
The Board has committed to investigating the possibility of offering a Portuguese program in the school district. We will be looking at the provincial curriculum and at the possibility of developing our own course content in the format of a locally developed Board-approved course. Regarding a teacher, the position would be posted after determining the criteria for selection, Harrington says.
She adds the earliest it could start up would be February 2008, and the course would likely be offered outside the regular timetable, perhaps on Friday afternoons, which is our short day.
Teixeira says he's hopeful the School Board will develop a program. Portuguese is the fifth most spoken language in the world. Canada is a cultural mosaic; that's what makes this a great place. We don't lose anything by learning another language.
