We are very proud to announce the airing for the first time on television a documentary by Corrado De Luca, “Adopted Home, A History in Progress”
on Sunday March 6th, 2011
OMNI 1 at 9:00 p.m.
Corrado De Luca is not only a documentary film-marker he is also the owner of De Luca Fine Art | Gallery which is located in the heart of Queen West Art Gallery District in downtown Toronto. http://www.delucafineart.com/ Corrado is currently working on the exhibition by Bruno Billio at the gallery and is also working on his next documentary.
“Adopted Home, A History in Progress” 
This is the story of COSTI and the people in search of a new home in a stranger society. Capturing moments of Canadian Sociological History as it unfolds before our eyes.
From the Beginning, this film recounts the origins of a grass-roots organization (COSTI) and illustrates its evolution into a vital, thriving centre for immigrants.
It illustrates when fifty years ago the Italian Immigrant Aid Society, frequently met newly arrived immigrants at Union Station in downtown Toronto before it became part of COSTI...
COSTI's growth can be viewed through the Corvetti Education Centre - today one of the organization's largest and busiest locations. At this location, we enter one of the English (as a Second Language) classrooms and hear the din of the students' collective voices, choir-like in response to their teachers' instructions. The dozen or more classrooms are filled with people from all over the world, all there with the same common goal of learning English. For many, once in Canada, language is the biggest barrier and obstacle to overcome after emigrating. Learning English at COSTI's Education Centre is a vital, first step for them to begin a transition into Canadian life. A glimpse into one of these classrooms immediately reveals a cross-section of the city's varied cultural makeup. Against the backdrop of these classrooms, a virtual microcosm of Toronto - both students and teachers (may be a student-turned teacher) are interviewed. A "the Centre for Internationally Trained Professionals", newcomers recount their story and the frustration at coming to a new country and no longer having their job skills recognized. They explain how after discovering COSTI's Centre for Internationally Trained Professionals, the CITPT program helped them to re-gain the self-confidence they needed to begin again.
COSTI's Reception Centre, established in 1989, is a 100-bed residence for government- sponsored refugees, and is the only one of its kind in Canada. This transitional "home" is dedicated to offering full settlement services to refugee families, many of whom have experienced great suffering at the hands of war and political persecution. The residents recount their experience from back intheir country until coming to Canada...
For Mary Gharwal many years have passed since she first passed through the Centre's doors as a refugee. Today, she is the director. She tells of the work she carries out every day. Mary now wants to "give back" to the community...
This documentary also highlights other community-based organizations, which "use" COSTI as a model to duplicate their organization's services. The African-Canadian community, and the Punjabi-Canadian community are an example of how groups sought COSTI's guidance to establish its own independent organization...
Representatives of other organizations, partners of COSTI, talk about the collective ongoing work in progress to always better Canada's public policy in order to embrace and accommodate the needs and changes that constantly occur within our society.
