The Tikkun Project
About this unit
Learning about immigration through personal interviews and research provides opportunities for students to think critically about: the needs and obligations of individuals and societies; the benefits and challenges of supporting diversity in communities; the most important factors that create welcoming and inclusive communities. In an increasingly interconnected world, understanding immigration helps students appreciate the rich tapestry of cultures that make up a diverse society, fostering tolerance, empathy, and a sense of global citizenship. When students consider the immigration stories of close friends, family, and other community members, they can strengthen their sense of connection to the people and places that shape their community. An investigation into experiences of immigration at different historical moments often raises important ethical questions, such as the rights of refugees and asylum seekers, issues of human trafficking, and the treatment of undocumented immigrants.
critical challenge
Students will create a two-part plan to support newcomers to Canada: (1) a direct action students can realistically implement themselves, given their time, resources, and skills; and (2) a set of recommendations for what else could be done — through advocacy or collaboration with government or other institutions — including who, specifically, those recommendations should be directed to.
critical challenge Criteria
- • Both parts of the plan are grounded in real barriers newcomers or their welcoming communities experience, identified through research (interviews, historical documents, demographic data)
• The direct action is feasible for students to implement themselves
• The recommendations are addressed to a specific, appropriate person or organization actually positioned to act on them
• The plan is developed in collaboration with experts or organizations who work with refugees and/or other newcomers
• The plan has real benefit for both the newcomer and the community
Unit Goals
Curriculum Connections
- Have we done enough in the past to support newcomers?
Students work to identify the most common reasons that people move from one country to another by considering a number of immigration stories from interviews and research. Students consider what criteria might be used to decide how well or poorly the hopes for a new life in Canada were met during different historic waves of immigration.
How can we best meet the challenges and seize the opportunities of welcoming newcomers to create the best communities possible?
Students consider the ways that communities have been shaped by the arrival of newcomers. Students will practice looking at the benefits and challenges from different perspectives and hypothesize about what would be needed to maximize the positive impacts of immigration while addressing important challenges.
What are the most effective ways that we can take action to better support newcomers to Canada?
Students will work collaboratively to make, revise, and implement an action plan to support recent newcomers to Canada. They will work with local experts to understand how immigration impacts individuals and the communities that receive them.