The first time she visited the Y, Rose was an asylum seeker who had just arrived in Montréal after fleeing Iran with her daughter. “I had no point of reference but I remember having seen the name ‘YMCA’ when I was working on my thesis in kinesiology.” Her instinct pushed her to ask for a job at the Y, but instead she left with a volunteering opportunity that day.
“I was already a certified trainer in Iran, but volunteering allowed me to prove myself here, to meet people, and improve my French and English.” After four weeks, Rose was hired as a part-time trainer.
Today, she supervises a team of 100. She will never forget that the Y gave her a chance at a new life. “I stay at the Y because here people believed in me. It’s my job but it’s also people who understand my reality. I have no family here so the [work/life] balance the Y offers me is key for me and my daughter. The Y is more than my employer, it’s my support system. It’s where I was able to build a new family.”
“I was proud to have secured my first job in Canada, somewhere I felt safe and where I could help people.”
- Rose, YMCA Conditioning Room and Group Fitness Course Coordinator