Background Language has been described as a form of ‘human capital’ and without this capital, the life of a new migrant or refugee is greatly impoverished. More than a million migrants entered Europe in 2015, according to the International Organisation for Migration. Someone who does not speak the host language misses out – on employment (people with poor language skills are 20% less likely to find employment), training and education and a social and cultural life outside the boundaries of the migrant’s immediate community. Objectives and target group:WELCOME will develop and pilot language ‘clubs’ (led by volunteers supported by paid professional Club Leaders) to support informal language learning clubs of up to 12 learners in community-based host organisations for 2-3 hours per week over a period of 12-15 weeks. The community host organisations will also be responsible for engagement for one of the hardest-to-reach groups at most risk of social exclusion. The project is based on a successful pilot carried out by a group of London Local Education Authorities in 2012/3 and was inspired by the US Brooklyn Library model http://www.bklynpubliclibrary.org/only-bpl/literacy/english-classes. It is scalable, replicable and based in the heart of local communities.WELCOME targets those people who have only basic or no skills at all in their host country language who need to improve their host language to acquire information, services, employability and digital skills and, to integrate with the wider community. Some of these may be refugees traumatised through conflict and dangerous journeys to Europe, some recently arrived economic migrants unable to access the information and services they need and others may have lived in their host country for many years but only have a poor command of the language – for example, many older women do not leave their community. WELCOME’S objectives are to:* research and compare findings in partner countries and contribute to the research on migrants, refugees and language acquisition* Understand needs of migrant and refugee learner in this context and identify examples of good practice *Create Community based Host’ organisations providing venues for WELCoME Clubs and engaging learners through assertive outreach*Establish and pilot WELCoME Clubs for learners to meet each week to practice host language skills through focussing on a range of everyday topics that are relevant to their lives and achiebveing competence in them will greatly enhance their lives: for example, communicating with a doctor, asking for information, going shopping *Create a training programme for volunteer Club Leaders: coach and facilitate at the clubs with support from professional teachers and coaches *Create the WELCoME Toolkit and online resource centre (with materials for volunteer Club Leaders and professional support staff)*Develop a WELCoME network and website: linking the clubs into a network across Europe* Disseminate high quality open educational resources – interactive resource pool, downloadable support materials and video.* Create a space in the project’s resource cenre for participants to share information and ideas with other WELCOME clubs across the EU* prepare a Lessons Learned report ‘green paper’ with suggestions for future policyTarget group and needs:Migrants who experience exclusion through poor host country language skills and overt and covert discrimination in the workplace and elsewhere. The project will work with 200 migrants, 20 volunteer language club leaders and 10 professional educators across partner countries and create in-service training courses for educators that will run beyond the lifetime of the project. Description of activities and methodologyWELCOME will create a network of Language Learning Clubs based in community organisations supported by a high quality online resource pool containing a Toolkit with self contained guidance on establishing a language club for people with poor host language skills, including training materials and video for trainers, coaching materials for volunteer club leaders and learning materials for migrant learners. This is supported by a joint staff workshop and in-service training. We will disseminate the materials widely the partners’ networks which include networks from over 500 EU projects. Results and impactsWELCoME will contribute to:* research on the needs of migrants and asylum seekers with poor or no host Qualitative achievement measures - language learners and volunteers: * learners’ improved language proficiency* the increase in social capital: (learners and volunteers): learners and volunteers progressing to further language training, other learning, volunteering, progression in job, self employment and work. For volunteers – numbers achieving qualifications work experience placements and jobs.* social cohesion and integration evidenced by learners who report increased contacts with the world
The refugee and migrants' crisis is the largest since the middle of the last century and is perhaps the EU's greatest challenge today with large proportions of people entering Europe, many fleeing persecution or simply seeking a better way of life. Acquiring effective language communication skills is one of the most effective and quick routes to integration and social cohesion. Good communication skills can support mutual cultural understanding and an easy resolution to issues before they become unmanageable. The objective of WELCOME was to develop informal language clubs, led by volunteers and supported by professional teachers and coaches. The clubs would cater for up to 12 learners and would be delivered in a community-based setting, being a community centre, a local children’s centre, local school, library or a church hall. The community host organisation would be responsible for the engagement of 'hard to reach’, most at risk and disadvantaged groups of learners. The recruitment of these target groups was achieved. WELCOME specifically targeted learners who have only basic or no language skills in their host countries but needed effective communication skills to enable them to acquire and gain access to information and services, employment options, to develop digital skills and to integrate into the wider community. The summary of the completed project is that a community-based host organisation provided venues for WELCOME Clubs and to develop effective outreach strategies to engage learners. For example, the EDUCA partners recruited learners from local street. The project established language clubs in five European countries for learners to meet each week to practice their host language. The project also successfully developed training programmes for volunteer club facilitators. A WELCOME Toolkit with teaching and learning materials was also developed. The project network and website that has linked the clubs into networks across the EU is firmly in place. In summary, the project successfully met the agreed project proposal. The online resources centre, IO2 has been developed by GIDE. The Toolkit, framework and guide to setting up language clubs, namely IO3, IO4 and IO6 have been completed with a joint collboration from the City of London and Folkuniversitetet. The joint staff training videos, as part of IO5 EDUCA have been created. Intellectual outputs IO6, IO7 and IO8 have been completed. The dissemination event took place in Brussels in the presence of MEPs, key speakers, project partners and local delivery partners. A well-planned sustainability strategy was discussed and agreed with partners. The main project delivery was concluded in November 2018. All partners are committed to continue to use the developed material and they will work through their networks to continue to promote the WELCOME methodology for informal language teaching and learning. For example, partners will upload case study success stories to national and EU network and databases. The Online Education Resource that has been created by the project is available in all partner languages and will remain available for a minimum of 3 years beyond the lifetime of the project.