Righting Inequalities So That Everyone Can Flourish
Q & A with Martina Nenasheff, Bachelor of Social Work student, University of Victoria
After growing a successful hair styling business as a single mother in her native Czechoslovakia (now the Slovak Republic), Martina Nenasheff moved to Canada to open a similar business in 2003. These many years later, Martina is ready to take her life in a new direction.
Now working as an education assistant in the K-12 system, Martina sees clearly the social impact she would like to make. She has completed two years at Okanagan College toward her Bachelor of Social Work, and has received a $5000 Transfer Scholarship from the Irving K. Barber British Columbia Scholarship Society to continue her studies at the University of Victoria.
In between her shifts and coursework, we caught up with Martina to learn a little bit more about how she plans to drive more good in the world.
Q: Tell me about your course of studies. You have transferred from Okanagan College to the University of Victoria?
A: Yes. I’m with the faculty of Human & Social Development where I’m pursuing a Bachelor of Social Work with a specialization in child welfare. I’m also full-time employed as a classroom education assistant with School District 83. So I’m tackling my time between the work, school, and family life, but I am seven courses and two practica away from earning my degree, so there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Q: How do you juggle your practicum if you’re working full-time?
A: My practicum will start in May. So that will be my summer semester when I will be balancing my work, my practicum and one course. Fortunately, between the flexible hours at my practicum placement and the summer off at my work I will be able to complete the 350 hours needed for that.
Q: Do you know where you’ll be doing your practicum yet?
A: I am going to be with the Vernon Women’s Transition House, which I’m stoked about. I’m very excited.
Q: You had volunteered with Vernon Women’s Transition House before.
A: Yes I did. My volunteer work was mainly front desk duty, though. I couldn’t be involved too much with the women and their children due to privacy as the majority are fleeing violence or abusive relationships. So I’m very excited that I will have the chance to learn what kind of programs and services we can connect these families with. Coming to the shelter may mean that they are basically homeless. They may have nowhere to go.
Q: What underpins your desire to work in this area?
A: When I moved to Canada, I observed that despite its culturally diverse population, the services and programs that the Canadian government developed to offset the hardship that many citizens may encounter in their life are predominantly informed by the dominant, western culture worldviews. As an immigrant raised in a completely different cultural setting, I know that there are many ways of being, and that our life experiences are actively and continually influenced by our cultural, socio-economic, political, historical and traditional setting. These influencers may contribute to the oppression and marginalization of certain groups of people. I’m speaking about Indigenous people, I’m speaking about cultural minorities, and any other marginalized groups. It’s very important to help people and recognize that the issues they are going through are often not brought by an individual’s fault but that they have deeper societal, structural issues: inflation, precarious jobs, lack of social nets. For example, there’s almost non-existent affordable child care here [in Canada]. If Mum doesn’t have child care, she cannot work. And we label her: She’s lazy. No, the truth is that she just cannot afford to have a job, because she doesn’t have enough money to pay for child care. Simple things like that.
So I feel that helping society as a whole, and advocating on their behalf with our institutions and our government, to recognize that we need to deal with those things — I think that’s the biggest why for me.
Q: As a single mother in your native Czechoslovakia, you had access to a different kind of social net.
A: Yes, I was fortunate to have three years of paid maternity leave which I didn’t even use up, because at the time the government was helping individuals who wanted to open a small business. I opened my business [a hair salon] with a grant from the government. I think it was a clever investment on the government’s part, as this transpired into creating jobs in long run. My daughter was a year and four months old at that time, and she went to preschool, which was and still is free of cost for anyone. Actually, education to this day is free: your first bachelor degree of any kind is still free. I am huge on having free post-secondary education. A report in a Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives publication found that over their working lives, Canadians with an undergraduate degree contribute on average $100K to $160K more in taxes than individuals with only a high school diploma. In contrast, the cost of a four-year undergraduate degree is approximately $20,000, so we totally can afford to subsidize it. I believe that if a little country such as Slovakia can afford that, Canada can too.
Q: How is the Irving K. Barber British Columbia Scholarship Society Transfer Scholarship helping you in your career path?
A: Oh, it’s huge. Huge. [laughs] That was such a relief when I got it, because I thought there was no way I would have the money to put on the side to pay off the rest of my courses. This is such a relief that I know, Okay, I got it. I can carry on without the stress. Because there’s a lot of stress in studying, taking courses, going to work, managing all those things together. But with this help and with the help from my family I manage well. Also, my daughter Romana, is my biggest inspiration and support. Ten years after we moved to Canada, and with no previous command of English, she graduated in top 15 % of her program from Simon Fraser University with a bachelor of arts in criminology and on the SFU president honor roll.
Martina, you are super inspiring. Thank you for sharing some time for our Q&A. We wish you all the best in your studies, and in helping to drive some of those social changes we know everyone will benefit from.