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INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT

Latin American native speakers have settled in Toronto since the early 60’s and since then, have had to overcome many challenges to adapt to Toronto and its lifestyle. This is why organizations such as Centre for Spanish Speaking Peoples, the Hispanic Development Council, Bloor Information and Life Skills Centre and the North York Community House have all been established in order to assist Spanish newcomers to overcome the hurdles of life in the city of Toronto. They provide the Latin American people with advice as well as help to get a job and education required.

According to the TCDSB (Toronto Catholic District School Board), there has been a special program called the “Heritage Languages” program put in place since 1977 by the Ministry of Education of Canada for international students. The Spanish-speaking population is able to practice their heritage language while contributing to their education all at once because of this program.

Latin-American high school students are known to face bullying and discrimination which has an adverse effect on their education. This is why despite having all these adaptations for the Latin American immigrants, there has been a shocking 40% dropout rate in Toronto alone. The Brown Report states that many factors could account for this occurrence which are linked to the socio-economic status of Latin American families in Toronto (Daniel Schugurensky, 2009).

Furthermore, recent studies have proved that encouraging the use of Spanish as a first language in a school environment enables Spanish native speakers as well as from other generations to maintain their heritage language and excel in English. The use of Spanish, however, was not the main language spoken by the students. They were more prone to use English as it was a more effective way to communicate with their peers. Although mutual understanding is facilitated by the English language, learning a heritage language in parallel helps the student learn better in other areas of their life (Potowski, 2004).

Four in ten : Spanish-speaking youth and early school leaving in toronto (2009). In Schugurensky D., Mantilla D., Serrano J. F., Toronto District School Board., Latin American Research Education and Development Network (LARED). and Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto. (Eds.),. Toronto, ON: Transformative Learning Centre.

Potowski, K. (2004). Student spanish use and investment in a dual immersion classroom: Implications for second language acquisition and heritage language maintenance. The Modern Language Journal, 88(1), 75-101.

Fernández and A. Pérez, ‘The Spanish Iberian Community of Toronto’, Polyphony, Vol. 6, No.1 (Multicultural History Society of Ontario, 1984), pg.152–53.

Marcela S Duran, “Characteristics of the Spanish speaking Latin American Community”, Polyphony: Toronto’s People, Vol. 6, No. 1, (Spring/Summer, 1984) pg., 186-188. Moreno, Maria V. “Theatre in Spanish speaking Toronto”, Polyphony: Toronto’s People, Vol. 6, No. 1, (Spring/Summer, 1984) pg. 214-216.

Ruitort, Monica. “Latin American women in Toronto”, Polyphony: Women and Ethnicity, Vol. 8, No. 1 (Double issue/1986), pg. 73-74. Lao Berga, Latin American in Canada ‘The First Decade’, MHSO Collection, Lalo Berga

Latin American Immigrants in Toronto, North York Board of Education, MHSO Collection

Hispanic Community in Metro Toronto, MHSO Collection

‘Strangers in a Strangeland’, The Globe and Mail, Oct 28, 1986.

https://www.tcdsb.org/ProgramsServices/SchoolProgramsK12/InternationalLanguages/Pages/default.aspx

http://heritagetoronto.org/here-and-there-hispanic-heritage-in-toronto/