A pioneering language project, whereby people volunteer their time to teach conversational English to new migrants in their community, is looking to establish centres throughout County Westmeath.
The Fáilte Isteach initiative was developed two years ago by Mary Nally, chairperson of the voluntary organisation Third Age Foundation, in the Co Meath village of Summerhill, and has now provided basic language support to over 100 people from 19 different countries who have come to live in Ireland.
In 2006, classes began with six students from Eastern Europe, and within a year approximately 70 people had progressed from no English to basic, intermediate, and in some cases advanced level English.
Each week a topic is chosen for discussion, from everyday situations such as visiting the doctor or shopping, to more complex, practical lessons based on form filling, for example. Fáilte Isteach also operates a homework club for school children while some younger students also attend the classes with their parents. Local employers recognise the value of what the volunteers are doing and have sent some of their staff along to improve their language skills.
Fáilte Isteach volunteers are now working with students from Poland, Lithuania, Italy, Argentina, France, Germany, Moldova, Ukraine, Latvia, Algeria, Brazil, Slovakia, China, Spain, Czech Republic, Holland, Hungary, Sweden, and Uzbekistan.
Fáilte Isteach’s national development officer, Liam Carey, will work with local communities to establish Fáilte Isteach projects throughout the country. In addition, a manual has been produced with the support of Age & Opportunity which will assist local communities to establish programmes.
Speaking at the launch of the drive to establish Fáilte Isteach projects throughout the country, Mary Nally said: “The Fáilte Isteach programme in Summerhill, Co Meath has had an enormous positive impact on both volunteers and migrants. Not only have migrants improved their conversational English but our older volunteers have made many new friends and shared so much about our culture while learning about the cultures of migrants. The project embodies inclusion and active citizenship while building stronger social and community bonds and life-long friendships. That is why we are keen to hear from community groups and volunteer organisations throughout the country so that similar programmes can be established in towns, villages, and urban centres.”
Groups in Westmeath who want to find out about establishing a Fáilte Isteach Programme in their community should contact Liam Carey at (046 ) 9557766 or email [email protected]. Further details are available at the website www.thirdagefoundation.ie
