For success, always keep trying, always get your feet wet<\/em>.<\/p>\n\u201cMeaning, don\u2019t be afraid to get in there,\u201d explains the Tabaquite, Trinidad resident and six-year Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) participant at Schuyler Farms Limited near Simcoe, Ontario. \u201cIt could be your turn to shine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Felena first waded into the international worker talent pool in 2013, motivated by the end of a contract with the Trinidadian Ministry of Housing and scarcity of alternate domestic employment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never knew women were in the program,\u201d she says, admitting to the view it was populated by Mexican nationals and Jamaican men. Discovering otherwise, she was welcomed as part of a steadily-growing female minority by Schuyler Farms, a multi-generational family-run operation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not women?\u201d responds Brett Schuyler, farmer and owner, rhetorically. He wants people who are prepared to work and care about what they\u2019re doing, regardless of their gender. \u201cI have a hard time making a big deal out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause it\u2019s not a deal,\u201d interjects Brett\u2019s wife, Carrie.<\/p>\n Left to right: Meet Carrie, Emma, and Brett Schuyler, part of the family that runs Schuyler Farms Limited in Simcoe, Ontario.\n
In 2018, Schuyler Farms has 150 international employees, 24 of whom are women.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd, it\u2019s growing every year,\u201d says Brett.<\/p>\n
He heard comments that there would be problems mixing male and female workers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt adds a nicer dynamic,\u201d counters Carrie, theorizing a mix is better than an all-male ensemble.<\/p>\n
There are physical realities, says Brett, but for common farm tasks such as pruning trees or picking apples, the opportunity to shine is equal.<\/p>\n
Schuyler Farms\u2019 accommodations for workers is set up for both men and women.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got seven bunkhouses; one is for women,\u201d says Brett.<\/p>\n Felena Pereira, from Trinidad and Tobago, loves the work she does here.\n
Felena\u2019s first flight was the most frightening part for a program rookie who headed to the land, in her mind, of \u201cnatural beauty, Niagara Falls, maple syrup, and diversity.\u201d She began in the fields, pruning trees and picking apples.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a change coming onto a farm,\u201d says Felena. \u201cBut I enjoyed it from the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n
Felena hadn\u2019t considered the program would be a \u201ccontinuous thing,\u201d but she has found a powerful financial incentive.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou see money in your bank account\u2014with zeroes after it,\u201d laughs Felena. \u201cWhen I take the money back home, I can do a lot of things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Topping the list of those to help are her 13-year-old daughter, Jolie Marie, and 10-year-old son, Alessio. The youngest of eleven children, Felena also supports her mother, Medula, and other members of her family. Being away from them to work is tough, particularly when the family gathers for pelau (chicken and peas and vegetables), coleslaw, macaroni pie, and yams, with the latter being Felena\u2019s favourite.<\/p>\n Tamica Courtney, one of the 24 female international farm workers at Schuyler Farms Limited.\n
\u201cNobody is forced to be here. We choose to do it because it is a way out of poverty and unemployment.\u201d<\/p>\n
She considers herself fortunate to be employed with Schuyler Farms, calling it a \u201cfive-star\u201d option, with quality accommodation, respect, and\u2014crucially\u2014WiFi, which means regular contact with her family.<\/p>\n
\u201cI talk with family every day. That is most comforting,\u201d says Felena.<\/p>\n
Felena enjoys the annual Schuyler road trip to Niagara Falls and is looking forward to Simcoe\u2019s upcoming Carnival<\/em>, which celebrates international workers in the community.<\/p>\n\u201cAfter work, our day is ours,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Pereira knows the first female international workers were employed in greenhouses in Alberta. The cold is fine she says, although not too cold. The odd snowflake aside, she still prefers to be outside working alongside female and male counterparts.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to be as tough as the guys because of the job. We stand on our own two feet and get the job done. It\u2019s not a competition, but I feel really proud of myself because I am doing the exact same duties as guys, and I am sure the other women feel the same way. It is a very nice experience\u2014that\u2019s why I keep coming back, and I encourage people to try it. I think it works for a lot of people, and, yes, it works for me.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Story and photos by Jeff Tribe Felena Pereira lives her life with the personal philosophy, For success, always keep trying, always get your feet wet. \u201cMeaning, don\u2019t be afraid to get in there,\u201d explains the Tabaquite, Trinidad resident and six-year Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) participant at Schuyler Farms Limited near Simcoe, Ontario. \u201cIt could […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":26345,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[53],"class_list":["post-26344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature-articles","tag-labour"],"yoast_head":"\n
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