Rosie Smith makes a difference in the community
31 Jan 2023Rosie Smith 最初来自牙买加，于 2008 年移居加拿大。从那时起，她一直在 Epilepsy Toronto 担任成人服务总监，这是一家为癫痫患者提供支持服务的非营利组织。她还是多伦多西部医院和多伦多神经病学中心的社区癫痫联络员，以及 Epilepsy ECHO 的枢纽成员。史密斯是一名注册心理治疗师，拥有咨询心理学硕士学位。 Originally from Jamaica, Rosie Smith relocated to Canada in 2008. Since then, she has been working as director of adult services with Epilepsy Toronto, a nonprofit organization offering support services to those living with epilepsy. She is also the community epilepsy liaison for Toronto Western Hospital and Neurology Centre of Toronto, and a hub member of Epilepsy ECHO. A registered psychotherapist, Smith has a master’s degree in counselling psychology.
当她不工作时，史密斯志愿参与当地教会的同情和社区外展事工。她还喜欢烘焙和旅行。 When she is not working, Smith volunteers with the compassion and community outreach ministry of her local church. She also enjoys baking and travelling.
是什么让你来到多伦多？ What brought you to Toronto?
许多人问我是不是来加拿大寻求更好的生活，当我告诉他们我实际上在我的祖国过着很好的生活时，他们感到很惊讶。我姐姐和弟弟在这里住了很多年，我也经常去。丈夫去世后，我觉得自己的事业有些“巅峰”，觉得需要换个环境，所以选择了加拿大。 Many people ask if I came to Canada seeking a better life and are surprised when I tell them I actually had a pretty good life back in my home country. My sister and brother lived here for many years, and I have always visited. After my husband passed away and I felt I had somewhat ‘peaked’ in my career, I felt I needed a change of scenery, so I chose Canada.
今天的多伦多与您刚来这里时有何不同？ How is today’s Toronto different from when you first came here?
在过去的 15 年里，多伦多确实发生了变化。它肯定变得更加多样化，每次我参加会议或会议时，我不再像拇指一样突出，因为我是那里唯一的有色人种。我也是在 2008 年经济衰退期间来到这里的，所以事情很困难，我必须承认有时我考虑过搬回家。 Over the past 15 years, Toronto has certainly changed. It has definitely become more diverse, and I no longer stick out like a sore thumb every time I attend a conference or a meeting because I am the only person of colour there. I also came in the middle of the 2008 economic recession so things were difficult, and I must admit at times I considered moving back home.
而且我认为已经进行了许多更改，以使移民更容易过渡到加拿大的生活，例如为各种受过国际培训的专业人员实施衔接计划；为新移民提供信用卡以建立他们的信用记录；更多的移民和难民服务，以协助系统导航等。 And I think many changes have been made to make the transition to life in Canada easier for immigrants such as implementation of bridging programs for various internationally trained professionals; offering credit cards for new immigrants to build their credit history; more immigrant and refugee services to assist with system navigation and so on.
您当时面临的挑战是什么？您是如何克服这些挑战的？ What were a couple of challenges you faced then and how did you overcome them?
就业：在来到这里之前，我的资格和工作经验经过了如此严格的审查，我相信找到工作会很容易。想象一下当我得知有一种叫做“加拿大经验”的东西并且我需要申请入门级工作才能获得这种经验时我的震惊。离开牙买加后，我在那里担任管理职位，去参加招聘会并不容易，那里唯一可用的职位是在工厂和装配线。 Employment: Having had my qualifications and work experience put through such intense scrutiny prior to getting here, I believed it would be easy to get a job. Imagine my shock when I learned there was a thing called “Canadian experience” and that I needed to apply for entry-level jobs in order to gain this experience. Having left Jamaica where I had a managerial position, it was not easy to go to job fairs where the only positions available were in factories and assembly lines.
交通：我带着出色的驾驶记录来到加拿大。另一个令人震惊的是得知这无关紧要。除非你来自美国，否则你将被视为新司机，这意味着你要回到驾校，获得 G1 驾照并支付高昂的保险费率。当我开始工作时，我已经成为驾驶公共汽车、地铁和 GO 火车的专家。不用说，迷路成了一种有趣的经历。 Transportation: I came to Canada with an excellent driving record. Another shocker was learning that it didn’t matter. Unless you came from the USA, you were considered a new driver which means going back to driving school, getting a G1 license and paying an exorbitant insurance rate. By the time I started working, I became an expert in navigating buses, subways and GO Trains. Needless to say, getting lost became a fun experience.
住房：和家人住了几个月后，是时候找一个属于我自己的地方了。但你需要信用记录和过去房东的推荐信（以前从未租过）。没有人愿意给你一张信用卡，因为你在国内没有信用记录，没有信用记录就没有信用记录。谢天谢地，现在情况已经改变了。 Housing: After staying with family for a few months, it was time to find a place of my own. But you needed credit history and references from past landlords (never rented before). No one wanted to give you a credit card because you had no credit history in the country, and you cannot have a credit history without being able to access credit. That has changed now, thankfully.
毅力、自信、自我倡导以及对新体验持开放态度并且不害怕尝试，帮助我克服了其中的一些挑战。 Perseverance, confidence, self-advocacy and being open to new experiences and not being afraid to try, helped me overcome some of these challenges.
告诉我们你的工作。 Tell us about your work.
我目前在 Epilepsy Toronto 工作，为患有癫痫症和癫痫症的成年人制定和实施计划，提供治疗，促进支持和治疗小组，教育新诊断出患有癫痫症的人，并代表我的客户进行宣传。癫痫是一种以反复发作为特征的神经系统疾病。被告知您被诊断出患有这种疾病至少很难说。癫痫发作会使人面临焦虑和抑郁等情绪障碍的风险。有时，客户在适应生活中的许多变化（就业、人际关系、独立性）时会遇到挑战。通过我在 Epilepsy Toronto 的工作，我有幸为客户提供支持，从诊断到他们可以很好地接受诊断。 I currently work at Epilepsy Toronto, developing and implementing programs for adults living with epilepsy and seizure disorders, providing therapy, facilitating support and treatment groups, educating those newly diagnosed with epilepsy as well as advocating on behalf of my clients. Epilepsy is a neurological disease characterized by recurrent seizures. Being told you are diagnosed with this condition is difficult to say the least. Having seizures can put one at risk for mood disorders such as anxiety and depression. Sometimes clients have challenges adjusting to the many changes to their lives (employment, relationships, independence). Through my work at Epilepsy Toronto, I have the privilege of supporting clients from diagnosis to a point where they can live well with their diagnosis.
你觉得你的工作最有成就感的是什么？ What do you find most fulfilling about your work?
我一直都知道我的使命是帮助别人，这就是促使我从事护理和社会工作的原因。我相信我被放在这个地球上是为了改变人们的生活，尤其是那些有需要、挣扎或被生活挑战轰炸的人。当我帮助或授权他人时，我处于最佳状态。我记得当我第一次看到 Epilepsy Toronto 的招聘信息时，我想“这就是我”。在这个角色中，我可以做所有我喜欢并觉得有成就感的事情——咨询、教育、通过自我管理赋予权力，以及看到人们从无助和不知所措到被赋予权力。 I have always known that my calling was helping people, which is what led me into nursing then social work. I believe I was put on this earth to make a difference in people’s lives, especially those who are needy, struggling or bombarded by the challenges of life. I am at my best when I am helping or empowering others. I recall when I first saw the job posting for Epilepsy Toronto and thought “that is me.” In this role, I get to do all the things I enjoy and find fulfilling — counselling, educating, empowering through self-management and seeing people go from helpless and being overwhelmed to being empowered.
您对新移民和移民，尤其是那些面临健康挑战的人有什么建议？ What is your advice for newcomers and immigrants, especially those facing health challenges?
不要让您的恐惧和压抑阻止您获得所需的护理。有许多社区机构可以帮助您驾驭困难的医疗保健和社会福利系统——寻找他们。使用您的网络并进行研究，直到找到您需要的东西。不要害怕为自己辩护；大声说出来。作为一名移民，您来到这里不仅仅是因为您需要加拿大的东西；你带来了很多可以让加拿大变得更好的国际经验，所以不要低估自己。 Do not allow your fears and inhibitions to stop you from accessing the care you need. There are many community agencies that are there to help you navigate what is a difficult health care and social welfare system – seek them out. Use your networks and do your research until you find what you need. Don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself; to speak up and be seen. As an immigrant, you are not just here because you need something from Canada; you bring a lot of international experience that can make Canada better, so don’t sell yourself short.
您可以在此处了解更多关于多伦多癫痫症的信息。 You can learn more about Epilepsy Toronto here.
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