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VIVA CANADA
Ottawa Citizen, Canada
Dec 10 2006
Internet radio service gives immigrants the lowdown on what it's like
to move here
It's called Viva but Canada 101 might be a better description.
Radio Canada International's newly launched Internet radio service
for new and prospective immigrants has already produced revelations
like a Viva street survey in Senegal last week when a reporter asked
people what they knew about Canada.
The most popular answers? Cold weather, nice people, Celine Dion.
VIVA is an interactive complement to Radio Canada International's
conventional international radio service, which has been telling
the world of all things Canadian since 1945, and its multilingual
satellite radio service launched last December on SIRIUS.
RCI broadcasts in French, English, Arabic, Mandarin, Spanish,
Portuguese, Russian and Ukrainian. The SIRIUS channel provides the
first venue for RCI to reach a domestic audience.
"We needed to be more relevant," said RCI program director Roger
Tetrault. "Forty per cent of immigrants to this country speak neither
French nor English and we felt these people need a place where they
can find out about Canada and reach out to other communities. Because
we already broadcast in eight languages, it was a natural thing for
us to do."
New immigrants are more Internet savvy than many established Canadians,
added Mr. Tetrault.
"About 85 per cent of them are connected with high-speed Internet,"
he said. "They use the web to keep in touch with their families in
other countries. Viva is a way of supporting them."
Recent critics of Canada's domestic multiculturalism policy have
complained that little is being done to educate prospective immigrants
in the ways of Canada and some of the money spent on multiculturalism
would be better spent on orientation programs before immigrants leave
their home countries to come here.
"Dancing and singing is OK, but it doesn't fill my stomach and feed
my family," former Liberal MP Sarkis Assadorian told the Citizen last
year during an interview for a series of articles about citizenship.
Mr. Assadorian, born in Syria to an Armenian family, said the
multiculturalism program was valuable during the flood of immigration
in the 1960s and 1970s, but more pressing today is the integration
of immigrants into Canadian society.
"Our offices overseas don't do a good job of telling people what
they're getting into. There should be programs before immigrants
leave telling people what to expect and offering language training.
We should have a department in government to help integrate people
so they will be productive."
Through streaming audio, podcasts and -- by early next year -- video,
Viva is providing some of that orientation.
Programming, presented by eight hosts broadcasting in Viva's eight
languages, includes tips on what to expect in Canada and how to
fit into Canadian society, as well as myriad shows about arts and
entertainment.
Listeners can also contribute to discussion boards where they are
encouraged to share their experiences as new immigrants -- discussions
that can be read by anyone in the world with access to a computer.
It's early days yet but Mr. Tetrault said questions to the website from
prospective immigrants or the merely curious have already started,
with people typically asking about the weather, religions, laws,
customs, social issues, sports and politics.
"They ask questions about everything," he said.
Early indications suggest that Viva may also become a two-way street.
Mayors of two small towns -- Gladstone, Man., and Williams Lake
("Stampede Capital of B.C.") -- have already been on shows extolling
the virtues of their communities in an effort to attract prospective
newcomers.
Montreal-based RCI has 80 employees and operates on a $15-million
annual budget within the CBC. It has co-production partnerships with
400 stations across the world -- the bulk in Latin America and China
-- along with its own 24/7 service. Its audience, while impossible to
measure accurately, is certainly in the tens of millions, according
to RCI.
Audience size, relatively easy to measure on websites, will be
available for Viva before the end of the year. Mr. Tetrault is
optimistic.
Viva prides itself on broadcasting the unvarnished truth about
Canada but, as yet, there is apparently no decision on whether to
risk deterring prospective immigrants by revealing that Celine Dion
has moved to Las Vegas.
A Sampling of Shows
Here are some program summaries of Viva's shows at www.rcinet.ca:
Ask Nick: "Nick" Naeem Noorani answers typical immigration-related
questions, including queries to help prospective immigrants prepare
for their arrival to Canada.
Model School: We'll visit a school in Calgary that is taking a
different approach to teaching immigrant children English.
On the Job: When it comes to getting a job, it's all down to the
interview. Advice on how to find work.
Health: Dr. Nayeema Siddiq of Toronto discusses health issues as
they relate to new immigrants. We're beginning to feel the chill of
winter and that means the flu season is on its way. "Should I get a
flu shot? Should I immunize my children?"
Friday Food Discovery: Every week a different restaurant or ethnic
food outlet brings stories and recipes from around the world.
Discussion Panel: Canada's big cities draw most immigrants. Now towns
and rural communities are trying to compete. But how do you attract
people to these often remote and underdeveloped areas?
Credential Assessment: These days, the more educated you are,
the better your chance of getting into Canada as an immigrant. But
whether that education will help you get a job when you get here
depends on whether an employer can understand in Canadian terms what
your education is worth. For that, very often a Canadian assessment
of credentials is necessary.
Photographing Immigration: Indefinite detention, secret evidence and
deportation to countries that routinely use torture. An exploration
of the darker side of Canadian immigration system.
Regional Column: Life in the Maritimes is often a world apart from
what newcomers have experienced in their home country. Still, an
increasing number of people are choosing Canada's Atlantic coast to
start afresh, away from refugee camps and in search of better economic
opportunities. The adventure -- if mostly rewarding in the long run --
is often emotionally draining for these new immigrants.
Hockey Atlas: There are two things that really define us as
Canadians. First, we spend endless amounts of time discussing what
a Canadian is. And second is hockey. We love to play hockey and we
love to talk about it. Hockey historian Stephen Cole gives a primer.
Ottawa Citizen, Canada
Dec 10 2006
Internet radio service gives immigrants the lowdown on what it's like
to move here
It's called Viva but Canada 101 might be a better description.
Radio Canada International's newly launched Internet radio service
for new and prospective immigrants has already produced revelations
like a Viva street survey in Senegal last week when a reporter asked
people what they knew about Canada.
The most popular answers? Cold weather, nice people, Celine Dion.
VIVA is an interactive complement to Radio Canada International's
conventional international radio service, which has been telling
the world of all things Canadian since 1945, and its multilingual
satellite radio service launched last December on SIRIUS.
RCI broadcasts in French, English, Arabic, Mandarin, Spanish,
Portuguese, Russian and Ukrainian. The SIRIUS channel provides the
first venue for RCI to reach a domestic audience.
"We needed to be more relevant," said RCI program director Roger
Tetrault. "Forty per cent of immigrants to this country speak neither
French nor English and we felt these people need a place where they
can find out about Canada and reach out to other communities. Because
we already broadcast in eight languages, it was a natural thing for
us to do."
New immigrants are more Internet savvy than many established Canadians,
added Mr. Tetrault.
"About 85 per cent of them are connected with high-speed Internet,"
he said. "They use the web to keep in touch with their families in
other countries. Viva is a way of supporting them."
Recent critics of Canada's domestic multiculturalism policy have
complained that little is being done to educate prospective immigrants
in the ways of Canada and some of the money spent on multiculturalism
would be better spent on orientation programs before immigrants leave
their home countries to come here.
"Dancing and singing is OK, but it doesn't fill my stomach and feed
my family," former Liberal MP Sarkis Assadorian told the Citizen last
year during an interview for a series of articles about citizenship.
Mr. Assadorian, born in Syria to an Armenian family, said the
multiculturalism program was valuable during the flood of immigration
in the 1960s and 1970s, but more pressing today is the integration
of immigrants into Canadian society.
"Our offices overseas don't do a good job of telling people what
they're getting into. There should be programs before immigrants
leave telling people what to expect and offering language training.
We should have a department in government to help integrate people
so they will be productive."
Through streaming audio, podcasts and -- by early next year -- video,
Viva is providing some of that orientation.
Programming, presented by eight hosts broadcasting in Viva's eight
languages, includes tips on what to expect in Canada and how to
fit into Canadian society, as well as myriad shows about arts and
entertainment.
Listeners can also contribute to discussion boards where they are
encouraged to share their experiences as new immigrants -- discussions
that can be read by anyone in the world with access to a computer.
It's early days yet but Mr. Tetrault said questions to the website from
prospective immigrants or the merely curious have already started,
with people typically asking about the weather, religions, laws,
customs, social issues, sports and politics.
"They ask questions about everything," he said.
Early indications suggest that Viva may also become a two-way street.
Mayors of two small towns -- Gladstone, Man., and Williams Lake
("Stampede Capital of B.C.") -- have already been on shows extolling
the virtues of their communities in an effort to attract prospective
newcomers.
Montreal-based RCI has 80 employees and operates on a $15-million
annual budget within the CBC. It has co-production partnerships with
400 stations across the world -- the bulk in Latin America and China
-- along with its own 24/7 service. Its audience, while impossible to
measure accurately, is certainly in the tens of millions, according
to RCI.
Audience size, relatively easy to measure on websites, will be
available for Viva before the end of the year. Mr. Tetrault is
optimistic.
Viva prides itself on broadcasting the unvarnished truth about
Canada but, as yet, there is apparently no decision on whether to
risk deterring prospective immigrants by revealing that Celine Dion
has moved to Las Vegas.
A Sampling of Shows
Here are some program summaries of Viva's shows at www.rcinet.ca:
Ask Nick: "Nick" Naeem Noorani answers typical immigration-related
questions, including queries to help prospective immigrants prepare
for their arrival to Canada.
Model School: We'll visit a school in Calgary that is taking a
different approach to teaching immigrant children English.
On the Job: When it comes to getting a job, it's all down to the
interview. Advice on how to find work.
Health: Dr. Nayeema Siddiq of Toronto discusses health issues as
they relate to new immigrants. We're beginning to feel the chill of
winter and that means the flu season is on its way. "Should I get a
flu shot? Should I immunize my children?"
Friday Food Discovery: Every week a different restaurant or ethnic
food outlet brings stories and recipes from around the world.
Discussion Panel: Canada's big cities draw most immigrants. Now towns
and rural communities are trying to compete. But how do you attract
people to these often remote and underdeveloped areas?
Credential Assessment: These days, the more educated you are,
the better your chance of getting into Canada as an immigrant. But
whether that education will help you get a job when you get here
depends on whether an employer can understand in Canadian terms what
your education is worth. For that, very often a Canadian assessment
of credentials is necessary.
Photographing Immigration: Indefinite detention, secret evidence and
deportation to countries that routinely use torture. An exploration
of the darker side of Canadian immigration system.
Regional Column: Life in the Maritimes is often a world apart from
what newcomers have experienced in their home country. Still, an
increasing number of people are choosing Canada's Atlantic coast to
start afresh, away from refugee camps and in search of better economic
opportunities. The adventure -- if mostly rewarding in the long run --
is often emotionally draining for these new immigrants.
Hockey Atlas: There are two things that really define us as
Canadians. First, we spend endless amounts of time discussing what
a Canadian is. And second is hockey. We love to play hockey and we
love to talk about it. Hockey historian Stephen Cole gives a primer.