Trust is the most valuable currency : Lessons from Newcomers

I sat down to reflect on my time spent facilitating a business course for newcomers.

I pondered how deeply rooted my gratitude had become over the time spent in this classroom, with these incredible people.

I reflected on each class, each speaker, each question, comment, or insight from our class members.

Humility
Warmth
Resiliency
Creativity
Curiosity
Courage

Each student that showed up for our class twice a week, embodied every sense of each word. While the class was made up of newcomers and refugees, on my first day in the classroom, I was the new face. And, when it came to time to welcome me into their space, they didn’t skip a beat.

The stories shared on our first day of class quickly taught me an appreciation for the word “barrier”, and how vastly different the definition looked when comparing the stories in the room, to my own. But even more noteworthy, was that although these people had overcome barriers that many of us could never imagine, they remained optimistic for the future, lead by unwavering courage, determination and a thirst for knowledge. Their drive and curiosity was palpable during every class, as I observed the students listening with intent, never hesitating to ask questions, and welcoming feedback on how they might improve. I will note that it took some time for some of the quieter students to speak up, but this was only until we, as a class, developed the understanding that in order for anyone to be successful in this course, our underlying foundation needed to be based on one principle: Trust.

Developing a sense of trust within the four walls, allowed for us to break down barriers, view each other as equals, and use the power of human connection that crosses all cultural, political, religious and socioeconomic barriers.

Trust is the most valuable currency that we have.

Syria, South Korea, Lebanon, Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Israel, Tel Aviv, made up the range of diversity across our student’s home countries. Imagine the wealth of gratitude that I felt when realizing just how culturally diverse this classroom was. It was a wealth made up of the opportunity to learn from these people first hand of their own cultural values, norms and the colloquialisms of their native countries. And with these learnings, I was quickly given the opportunity to unpack my own communication style, only to realize that I could improve on many aspects of my delivery; the speed of speech, tone, and what soon became a running joke in the class, my unique ability to use phrases and one-liners that would make anyone scratch their head. I learned this lesson early on when on day one of class proclaiming my belief that:

“The underdogs come out on top!”

First word on the definition list:

un·der·dog (a competitor thought to have little chance of winning a fight or contest. Synonyms: long shot, dark horse, weaker one.)

As the course moved along, my appreciation for the brilliance found in the classroom only continued to grow. Not only did the classroom offer geographically diverse backgrounds, but diversity was also found in the vast array of businesses that the students had owned and operated in their home countries and in the types of businesses they aspired to open.

To only name a few…our classroom was made up of talent with backgrounds in:

Retail, restaurant, judo/ gymnastics, art supplies, barber shops, pet stores, coffee shops, photography studios, bike repair shops, cheese shops, tailors, and daycares.

Each week, we thoughtfully crafted business plans and pitches, with the help from a number of local experts to help ensure the course covered all of the business basics of starting up in Canada. The creativity was endless, and often times found when the students would collaborate, learning how their businesses could complement one another.

E.g. The pet store owner could buy leftover bones from the restaurant owner.

And creativity, was especially apparent when they pitched their business ideas to the class, weaving together the narrative of how they would be unique and offer value to the business community. Did I mention, that none of these students’ first language was English? And yet, week after week, they pushed themselves out of their comfort zone to deepen their knowledge and continue moving forward.

The definition of a “barrier” is environmentally contextual. We define it by our environments, our privilege, our relationships. Many of us forget this, especially if we’ve not yet afforded ourselves the opportunity to see the alternative environments of others that offer an entirely different definition of what a barrier is.

We often forget or choose not to think too deeply about the livelihoods of these newcomers and how some were absolutely stripped of everything they had spent their lives building upon, climbing the ranks in their work, finding a home, starting a family, connecting with a community that was once theirs. They are stripped of all of this when they choose or are forced to leave their home country. Despite all of these events in their lives, they choose to show up on time, prepared, and ready to learn about how to build a new future. There is such an undeniable strength found in those who persevere in these moments. It is the kind of strength that cannot be emulated or fully understood but can be observed with absolute admiration as these people continue to challenge the status quo in the world. What incredible value that strength brings into our communities, to learn from, and gain new perspectives on our sometimes fixed lens frame of the world.

We so badly need cultural diversity to continue to thrive as a community, to help us generate new ideas stemming from our global neighbours, and furthermore to educate ourselves on the privilege that we have, and how important it is that we share this privilege generously with our newcomers.

The students in this classroom, who are now my dear friends, have taught me an appreciation, a deep-seated gratitude for their worldly perspectives, their drive and their humility. They have taught me the true definition of the word “welcome”.

Prior to the start of the business basics course, I remember losing a big contract, which meant I might not be able to meet payroll for the month. I biked home, holding back tears and when I got home, I fell to the floor and cried. I felt the world was collapsing in on me. Until of course, my rational brain kicked in. I remember looking up at the ceiling of my apartment, observing the roof over my head. And then I realized what I was crying about. I was crying about a contract for the company that I had the opportunity to build, with learnings from the university education I had received. I could do two things in that moment:

1) Continue crying and hope someone else would solve my problem

OR

2) I could get up and plan for an alternate route to overcome the current problem that was facing me.

Importantly, both options stemmed from a place of privilege, the privilege of choice. And facilitating this course has given me the opportunity to share that privilege through education and the powerful tool of trust.

As I reflect on my first day sitting in the classroom listening to the student’s stories of the past, the lives they led, the successful businesses they ran prior to wars destroying their homes and communities, I learned the true definition of “barrier” and what “resiliency” truly looks like. I learned that in so many ways, I was in fact the student in this classroom and they were my teachers.