Coaching IS and IS NOT: Shaping New Perspectives

By Bev Weise, Executive Director

“No, sorry. We won’t help you get into Canada…”

“How can a coach tell me what to do? They don’t even know me—my challenges—my culture! And they do this for free? Really? What’s in it for them? Or for Refugee JumpStart Coaching?”

I’ve heard these questions more than once when asking clients what they initially thought coaching was before experiencing it. Many refugees apply without fully understanding coaching, seeing it simply as a free opportunity. Who wouldn’t grab that chance in their position? Understandably, some believe we can secure them jobs, visas, or scholarships.

In many of their home countries, coaching isn’t widely recognized. Skepticism is natural, often rooted in a “distrust of systems and authority.” Years of navigating corrupt governments and disappointing interactions with organizations make it easy to assume this is just more of the same.

Coaching at RJS is Different.

Our first challenge is recalibrating expectations—helping clients understand what coaching truly is and, just as importantly, what it is not.

A coach is a thought partner who will:

✅ ASK QUESTIONS to clarify goals

✅ LISTEN so clients can process their thoughts

✅ MOTIVATE action that leads to progress

Coaches help clients:

🔹Rediscover themselves

🔹Clarify short- and long-term goals

🔹Identify and leverage their strengths

🔹Rebuild self-confidence

🔹See themselves in new, more powerful ways

🔹Align skills with passions

🔹Develop a successful job search strategy

However, coaches do not:

❌ Provide legal assistance

❌ Arrange visas or relocation

❌ Offer basic needs like food or shelter

❌ Make decisions for clients

❌ Do the work for them

At Refugee JumpStart Coaching, we initially focused on strengthening employability for talented refugees. But we’ve come to realize that our most profound impact is in helping people rebuild their confidence, regain control over their lives, and recognize the resilience that has carried them this far.

That transformation—from uncertainty to empowerment—is where coaching makes all the difference.