Written by: Melissa Hermiston Co-Executive Director Cariboo-Chilcotin Partners for Literacy The power of a simple connection, and how it can change the path of someone’s life, is something Elke Baechmann tries to keep in mind every day working with children and families in the South Cariboo.
As a Family Literacy Coordinator with Cariboo-Chilcotin Partners for Literacy (CCPL) in 100 Mile House, Baechmann is keenly aware of how a friendly conversation when she was a newcomer to Canada helped set her on a course to eventually come full circle in the community. Baechmann and her young family immigrated to Canada from Germany in 2005, leaving behind a career as an Early Childhood Educator to start a new life just outside of 100 Mile House. Though she learned enough English at school in Germany to be able to understand simple conversations, she lacked the confidence in her English skills to do much speaking. A chance meeting with a CCPL English Language Learning coordinator at the Fall Fair that year would open the door to Baechmann becoming a learner with the volunteer ESL program. She was connected with a tutor who helped “tremendously” to give Baechmann the skills, knowledge and confidence she needed to become more connected with her new community. “She made me read old novels with words I had never heard before,” Baechmann recalled. “We went through the vocabulary and we would read together and she would explain why things were written a certain way.” Baechmann’s family quickly became close with her tutor’s family – another bonus of the tutor-learner connection. “They became family friends and they would invite us to their gatherings so our circle grew quite a bit,” she said. “I then started waitressing at Little Horse Lodge on Green Lake to really test out my English skills on the tourists and retirees out there.” Eventually, Baechmann returned to the ECE field, volunteering at Kindergym, working at a local daycare and becoming a StrongStart facilitator with School District 27. In addition to her Family Literacy work with CCPL, she works at Blue Sky’s Autism Centre. She said she loves working with families in all capacities and never forgets the importance of making that friendly connection that she did back in 2005. “If I had not been at that fair where the booth was set up, it probably would have been a long time before I reached out, if ever,” she said, encouraging both learners and potential volunteers to take the leap and consider reaching out to CCPL. “Our experience was not just rewarding for us, it was rewarding for our tutor and her family, too,” she said. “I’ve seen so many friendships, and it really is beneficial for both sides.”
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