Shiga OMURO || BA (Hons) Social Policy & Administration || Multilingual Orientation Service Association for Immigrant Communities (MOSAIC), Canada

Vancouver is renowned for its quality of living and recognised as one of the best places to live in the world. However, like many big cities, the significant wealth gap between the rich and the poor has been a social issue for the city. Shiga Omuro, a social policy and administration student, embarked on a seven-week internship at MOSAIC Canada, a non-profit multicultural organisation providing services for refugees and new immigrants in the city, which inspired her to take on a lifelong journey of making a difference in the world.

To Shiga, the placement at MOSAIC, which assists new immigrants and refugees through a wide range of multilingual services, such as English lessons, accommodation settlement and assistance in application for financial assistance has been the most meaningful experience ever. Shiga was assigned to conduct research about social welfare in British Columbia. Knowing that fieldwork experience is very important, Shiga summoned up her courage to make a visit to a slum district where the homeless, refugees and low-income immigrants gathered.

“Even the local people regard the area as dangerous. My parents had also warned me beforehand,” says Shiga. Yet, Shiga thinks there is no better way to understand the needs of others than face-to-face interactions, firsthand observation and experience.

A good lesson from research

Learning from the experience, Shiga thinks she should be more proactive and aggressive when doing fieldwork. “At first, I just sat by them, listened and observed. Fortunately, I did gather some useful information,” she says. She thinks that poverty and reliance on Government assistance seems to be an inherited disease. “It passes from one generation to the next if no one takes the initiative to secure a job and take ownership of one’s destiny. This could become a heavier and heavier burden on the Government,” says Shiga.

Taking a hands-on approach during the internship resulted in a fulfilling experience that opened Shiga’s eyes. “I’m now more motivated, both in my studies and towards future career. The knowledge and skills I gained will definitely be a valuable reference and enhance my employability. I enjoy working overseas as it offered me opportunities to interact with different ethnic groups and explore the world firsthand.”

Inspired by the internship experience, Shiga is determined to put her efforts into helping the minority ethnic groups to integrate into local communities after graduation. “Take Hong Kong as an example. Various ethnic groups are living in one tiny city. Nevertheless, there are very few organisations that provide assistance and welfare for minorities.” I hope that I can further give them a helping hand after graduation,” Shiga says.