Being bilingual can help you in many aspects of life from personal development to job prospects

Multicultural education is essential especially for people who are actively involved in such a diverse region like the Greater Toronto Area. Being aware and respectful of different cultures promotes inclusion and uplifts students of different backgrounds, setting them up for success in their future.  

There are several ways to immerse yourself in a culture from reading about it to sampling their tasty specialties. But one unique way to learn is by picking up a new language. I strongly believe that learning a new language should be a task on everyone’s to do list as it bridges gaps between communities and contributes in personal development.  

Being able to speak a culture’s tongue helps you communicate with them in a manner that is the most familiar and comfortable for them. Approximately 17.20 per cent of McMaster students have an international student status.  

These students experience a huge culture shock upon entering a foreign country and many face language barriers. As a result, they will often seek people of similar backgrounds to them. This can be harmful as it creates a gap within the campus community and does not allow for these students as it stops them from communicating with other cultural groups, or practicing the language native to the country they have come to.   

Being able to communicate with these students in their language can help them come out of their bubble gradually. You can help them avoid the culture shock by integrating bits of their culture within the relevant community. In this manner, they will feel more confident and open to the idea of immersing themselves into this new culture.  

Furthermore, being bilingual, trilingual or even a polyglot helps tremendously in ones personal life. The common belief is that having more than one language under your belt helps secure better job opportunities. This is true as in an exponentially diverse and inclusive world, employers are keen on their candidates having such a skillset so that they are able to communicate with customers of several backgrounds and with overseas markets.  

Before moving on to a completely novel language, you can also expand your fluency in your mother tongue. Approximately 17.6 per cent of Canadians are second generation immigrants. As second generation immigrant myself, I sometimes feel disconnected from my mother tongue as I spend most of my day communicating in English.  

As a result, this makes feel disconnected from my culture and I find this concerning because if this is how I feel now, how disconnected will the generations that come after me be?  

So in order to keep your mother and father’s culture(s) alive in you and the generations that will come after you, it is important to stay connected to your mother tongue by continually improving your fluency in the language.  

It may seem daunting at first trying to learn a new language from scratch. However, once you overcome one barrier it is usually smooth sailing from there as you begin to make connections between the structures of languages and vocabulary, allowing you to learn multiple languages.  

Knowing more than one language is a unique skillset that is currently in demand. Not only does it bring together different cultures, but improves the soft skills of a person who pursues it. Being bilingual or beyond will open new doors for you and you will also find that it makes exploring new cities and watching foreign TV shows much more enjoyable.

Being a student at McMaster allows for an education in diversity.

A wide range of faculties and specializations, a campus with century-old architecture, and a central location in a popular city lend McMaster the potential to provide their students with a diverse knowledge of people, places and careers. But what resources are available to ensure that our students are well informed on modern diversity issues? What type of diversity is protected and promoted in our community?

“Diversity Week [is an] opportunity for dialogue, engagement, entertainment, equity, and ensuring that students feel like their different needs are being met,” explains Israa Ali, Director of Diversity Services.

Diversity Week is a series of events hosted by the MSU Diversity Services during the week of Jan. 13 - 17. The weeklong event has been on hiatus since 2007 when they were struck with the obstacle of downsizing. But with the organization’s 10 anniversary coming up this March, it seemed fitting to resurrect the tradition.

The student-run organization Diversity Services describes themselves as an “advocate for an inclusive environment in which all students feel welcome and free to embrace their identity,” according to their online mantra.

Abilities, Gender Equity, Indigenous Affairs, Interfaith, and Multiculturalism are the five pillars that unite Diversity into one unique term, according to the campus organization.

“The five pillars cover the different identities of students. By sharing those and shedding light on them, we’re allowing them to embrace their identity through that approach,” adds Ali.

Diversity Week has assigned each day of the week one of the five pillars, starting with Abilities on Monday, and ending with Multiculturalism on Friday.

Diversity seems to be an issue rooted in McMaster’s student body and current location, but encompassing ideas of equity and inclusivity may not always be at the forefront.

“This year we are trying to define what our partnership is with hospitality services over [Bridges] café,” says Ali.

Their first step in re-establishing a visible connection with the restaurant includes changing the current selection of posters.
“Although nice… they don’t really foster the inclusiveness and diversity, that the space is meant to promote,” she explains.

The vegetarian and vegan-friendly restaurant-café is labeled as a collaboration between Hospitality Services and Diversity Services. But aside from the Diversity office in the basement, there is no visible connection between the two. The organization is also looking to promote the diverse cuisine, including the selection of kosher foods, making it one of the only kosher-serving restaurants in Hamilton.

After Diversity Services’s full-time staff was eliminated a few years ago, their new part-time team has been working hard to ensure that the organization is well represented and making the most of their position.

Although a wide range of faculties and access to a popular city may emphasize a certain type of diversity, Diversity Services would like to see McMaster take a more serious step towards truly embracing the variety of identities and students on campus.

“We need to understand that diversity services, and anything related to equity and inclusiveness, really needs to have a bigger space on campus,” says Ali.

Diversity Week is the first step the organization is taking to create a larger space for equity issues. With a variety of events happening this week, hopefully our student community will take advantage of its diverse identities and work to embrace a new definition of diversity.

Photo by Eliza Pope / Assistant Photo Editor