In this episode, we had the chance to speak with Francisco Vidal, Executive Director of Sojourn House, a Toronto-based non-profit that provides emergency shelter, transitional housing and comprehensive support to newly arrived refugees.
Every year, the Ontario Coalition of Service Providers for Refugee Claimants organizes the Refugee Soccer Cup, and Sojourn House takes part. The 2026 edition came with a very special context: the FIFA World Cup was being held in Toronto!
Francisco explains why this event means so much to the community, the benefits he sees among participants, and takes us behind the scenes of the 2026 edition, including all the changes the World Cup brought.
Listen now, link in bio!

Dans cet épisode, nous avons le plaisir de recevoir Ophélie Lemieux, enseignante en francisation.

À travers son expérience, elle nous plonge au cœur de ses cours et nous parle des défis qu’elle rencontre, mais aussi des réussites qui marquent son quotidien. Elle nous partage sa façon d’enseigner, de créer des liens et d’accompagner les personnes nouvellement arrivées dans leur apprentissage du français.

In this episode, we had the chance to speak with Arzou, a student who is now a refugee, who came to Canada on her own to study at the age of 11.

She looks back on her academic journey and her life in Canada, but also discusses the difficulties of being separated from her family and the challenges of settling in, as well as her feelings of guilt for having access to education when women in Afghanistan are denied it.

She also shares her experience of the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021, whilst she was visiting the country, and the impact such an experience can have on education.

We would like to thank Arzou for sharing her story with us!