The East and West Learning Club is a not-for-profit, grass-root group that provides interesting and meaningful learning opportunities to immigrant families for free or at a low cost, with a focus on social skills and cultural knowledge. We meet every Thursday night and Friday noon unless it’s a public holiday or school break.
SCHEDULE NOVEMBER 2018
Thursday Night Events
Pizza & Dumpling Night (regular book club meetings): November 1, 8, & 29
The East&West Dialogue (monthly special event): November 15
EAWLC Lecture (special event): November 22
Venue for Thursday night events: Iroquois Junior Public School
265 Chartland Blvd., Scarborough (near Finch & Brimley; free parking lot at the west side of the school building)
Friday Noon Events:
Snack-Talk Noon (regular book club meetings): November 2, 9, 16, 23 & 30
Venue for Friday noon events: Academy of New Echo Education
1041 McNicoll Ave，Scarborough，(near McNicoll & Pharmacy; free parking lot at the back of the building which is on top of a set of stairs with a couple of stone lions in front)
Cost: All events are free, including meals or snacks. A donation of a loonie or a toonie from each participant would be appreciated.
Language used: English
Please RSVP as soon as possible, and by the midnight of the day prior to the event at: ericliujt@gmail.com. Thanks!
EVENT DETAILS
Thursday Nights:
6:30 – 7:00 PM Meals & social
7:00 – 8:30 PM Sessions begin
@Pizza & Dumpling Night
1.Each participant will have a 2-minute presentation, sharing anything happened in his/her life, or a thought/idea etc. Then take 3 questions from other members. And
- Each participant will pick a pre-written topic, and give a 3-minute improv speech. And
- We will work in pairs to practice small talks. We will take turns to be “the host” and “the guest”, and and have conversations for 3 minutes. And/or
- We will pick a current topic to discuss, encouraging all participants to voice their opinions in a clear, polite, and constructive way. Please feel free to send your suggestion on topics. Once you RSVP’ed, we will send you the topic of the week. Here are a few examples that we discussed in the past:
* Apu, a character in the animated series ‘The Simpsons’ has a South Asian accent(played by a white actor) and perceived South Asian behaviour. Some Indian Americans criticized the character was stereotyping South Asians, and they did not find it funny any more. ‘The Simpsons’ responded that the series had been aired for decades — why people were getting so sensitive now; the comedy just made fun of all kinds of people, not only South Asians. What do you think of this controversy?
* Why do you think many people around the world are so interested in the wedding of Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle ? What do you think of the monarchy in Canada?
* Ontario Premier Doug Ford threatened to invoke the constitutional notwithstanding clause to override Judge Belobaba ‘s decision that prevented his government from cutting the number of Toronto city councillors from 47 to 25. Some people think Premier Ford, who served a term on Toronto city council himself, is doing a good job cutting bureaucracy, and pushing for a more efficient government. Others say he is irresponsible by creating a law in July to change the rule in the middle of the municiple election (election date October 22); he also sets a dangerous precedence against the judicial system which is the core of our democracy. What is your opinion about it?
@The East&West Dialogue
This is our monthly special event! Come to have a dialogue with guest speakers from different cultural backgrounds. The guests will share their experiences with cultural differences, their expertise, observation, and/or suggestions that may be helpful to immigrants. We hope that through this communication we can develop a deeper understanding of Canadian society, how other people are thinking and living, and how we can adapt ourselves to our new country better.
This month our guest speakers will be Mr. & Mrs. Tore and Marilyn Eriksen. For details, please check our Event page often to see the announcement. An announcement is usually posted a week ahead of the Dialogue, giving guest speakers’ profiles and major topics they will present.
@EAWLC Lecture:
From time to time, we will invite experts in various fields to share their knowledge and skills at our club. We will have Mr. Mason Zhou on November 22 to lecture on leadership and communication skills. An immigrant and a successful role model himself, Mason will surely inspire us to overcome cultural/behavioral barriers and become more sociable through his real life stories and practical tips. For details, please check our Event page often to see the announcement. An announcement is usually posted a week ahead of the lecture, giving keynote speaker’s profile and major topics they will present.
Friday Noons:
@Snack-Talk Noon regular book club meeting)
11:15 AM — 12:45 PM Regular book club meeting
12:45 — 1:00 PM Snacks & social
1.Each participant will have a 3-minute presentation, sharing anything happened in his/her life, or a thought/idea etc. Then take 3 questions from other members. And
2.We will discuss a chapter of Emily Post’s Etiquette(18th edition) . We will share with one another the words that impress us most in the book, points that we are not aware of or not sure about before the reading, and related stories and thoughts we have experienced in real life. Once you have RSVPed, we will send you the materials to read. And/or
3.We will listen to a short program introducing civilizations, cultures or news in English but explaining in Mandarin, and have a discussion.
Whichever session interests you, everybody is welcome, no matter you are a professional, a student or a home-maker. Let’s learn together, improve ourselves, and have fun!
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