‘You need social, not educational, skills’: the citizens who teach English to migrants

The ChangeX 100 social enterprise project wants Irish people to launch 100 new community projects in 100 days. Changex. org contains an online toolkit for setting up local enterprises: from GIY groups to Men's Sheds. Here, members of the Fáilte Isteach English-for-immigrants project share their experiences

“What can I do to integrate into my community when I go back to my hometown Castlebar?” That’s the question that Mairead Horkan had in mind when she heard about Fáilte Isteach, the community programme where locals teach migrants English in conversation classes.

Having lived and worked in Cos Galway and Sligo for a number of years, Horkan had moved back to Castlebar and wanted to find a way to engage in community life in the place she was born. She had no experience of teaching English but read in the newspaper that there was help needed, which prompted her to look into the cause further.

In 2007 about 200 people from Burma, who had lived in a refugee camp in Thailand for three years, came to Ireland to start a new life. The whole community embraced the challenge to make the transition as smooth as possible for these people.

“We wanted to help them to feel welcome and support them in starting their new lives,” Horkan explains. “We showed people around in the area, organised little excursions and helped them settle into their new lives assisting them with filling out official forms or their shopping.

“A real relationship developed between both cultures, as they then invited us to their traditional celebrations and told us about the Karen [the largest ethnic minority group in Burma] culture. It proved – and is continuing to prove – to be a rewarding experience for everyone involved.”

Fáilte Isteach classes are usually organised in an informal way, and every class is different depending on what the community makes out of it. They can be given in a community centre, in a café or just on a walk through the countryside.

The classes are free and different from official courses. They wouldn’t just focus on language skills, grammar and gaining a certificate but help the new arrivals in the community to connect with others. “For many migrants the classes are really the only chance to speak and learn English and to integrate,” Horkan points out.

Fáilte Isteach classes take place in 71 locations around Ireland. Some of them are organised by community workers, others totally run by volunteers.

“We would love to see 10 more communities starting new Fáilte Isteach classes by the end of the year, particularly in counties like Leitrim, Monaghan, Westmeath and Longford where Fáilte Isteach doesn’t have a presence yet,” explains Ariana Ball from Third Age Ireland, the organisation behind Fáilte Isteach states.

“There are still many more migrants in Ireland who could benefit from the programme, especially in more rural areas, but also in cities where the demand is very high and more than just one class is needed. Even if there are just a few people living in the area who need this support, it’s worth getting started.”

One of the first Fáilte Isteach classes was set up in Blanchardstown in Dublin’s Fingal area. Fingal has one of the highest percentages of non-Irish nationals in Ireland (18.3 per cent compared with a national average of 12 per cent) many of whom find it hard to find a job because of their English skills. Monika Lawless had just stared working for Blanchardstown Area Partnership when she was asked by Fáilte Isteach in 2009 to start a pilot in the area. .

“It started as an experiment and really took off,” Lawless says. “At the beginning because we just had one room. Later we just took over the whole building.”

For the five years the programme has been running in Blanchardstown, demand has remained steady, with 50-60 people turning up every week. “We had to put a limit to the time that people can come to the classes for to one year to give new learners a chance to join in.”

Around six volunteers are teaching in Blanchardstown every Thursday for a couple of hours. “Everyone does it in his or her own way. We don’t put any rules on that. And people who come to the classes can choose which way they prefer.”

Fáilte Isteach provides learning materials for the self-organised groups.

But the skills that volunteers need to bring are not really about teaching, as Horkan emphasises: “It’s more about making a connection with people. What you need are social skills . . . And you need to be happy to give some of your time to the community. Once it’s set up it really just takes you the one or two hours a week that you spend at the class. I get so much more out of it than the time I spend volunteering. In fact, it’s really good craic and doesn’t feel like volunteering at all. Now, my life wouldn’t be the same without it.”

What's involved in starting a Failte Isteach class in your community?

See also: www.changex.org/failte-isteach