Our December Volunteer of the Month, Faye (Guangfen Fu) has been with the Immigrant Centre for almost two years. In that time, she has racked up 130 hours of volunteer time and has rarely missed a shift.

Faye volunteers as a Computer Training Facilitator. On Saturdays, Faye joins a team of other volunteers which includes her husband, to teach computer skills to newcomers.

Teaching a very diverse group of students, many of whom are still learning English can be challenging, but Faye relies on her skills as a former Trainer for a foreign electronic company in Shanghai, China.

The students however, are not the only ones learning.  Faye herself has learned that students from different cultures interact quite differently with the teacher. “Some are not comfortable asking questions; they will stay quiet, so I check with each person and help.”

Faye’s interest in volunteering started in China where along with some friends, they created an astronomy club and held monthly events for the public to learn about astronomy, and used their own equipment to teach others how to use telescopes to look at the universe.  As a student at Red River College, she volunteered at student events whenever she had the opportunity. She particularly enjoys volunteering at local festivals.

“I have volunteered at the Jazz Festival, Fringe Festival and Folk Festival. I am a newcomer learning the local culture, and festivals are a good way to learn.”

Faye graduated from Red River College this January with a diploma in Business Information Technology.  Together with her husband, she enjoys spending time outdoors and building electronic gadgets. “Our life is really simple and happy” she says.