CBFY Featured on CBC Calgary Eyeopener

Recently, Frank Cattoni, the CEO of the Calgary Bridge Foundation for Youth, was featured on CBC’s “Calgary Eyeopener.” During the interview, he discussed the challenges that immigrant youth and their parents face when adapting to Canada’s school system, which often has rules and expectations different from their countries of origin. Here is a brief excerpt from the article:

“Frank Cattoni leads the Calgary Bridge Foundation for Youth. His staff work with thousands of newcomers students in schools across Calgary to help bridge this cultural gap — explaining the school to the parents and vice versa.

They speak 40 languages and help families understand why it might seem like school teachers have no discipline. They also help families understand the role of parent-teacher interviews, how to access report cards online and what a school bus is. They also set up peer mentors to help students navigate a new world.”

Click here to read the full article and listen to the feature on Calgary Eyeopener.

Tecle, Nardos and Mehari, Dibora. “’Different to back home’: Newcomers navigate what feels odd, undisciplined in Western education.” CBC [Calgary], 12 April 2024.