North West Migrants Forum Social Café in the Embassy Building Derry.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00So first off, could you just introduce yourself please?
00:02Hi, I'm Conor Sharkey. I'm the Media and Communications Officer here at the North West Migrants Forum.
00:07Can you tell me what we're doing here today? What am I attending today?
00:11This evening is our social cafe. It runs twice a week here at the Forum.
00:16And it's really about providing a safe place for people who have come to the city,
00:21whether they've come seeking asylum, they're refugees, international students, they've come to work.
00:26For whatever reason, we give them a safe space, a social space as the name would suggest.
00:31And it's just their place. They come here, they play board games, they play cards, they learn English.
00:37So it's a classroom, it's a fun place, it's a meeting place.
00:41It's many things, but most of all it's a safe space where people can meet friends and just feel that they're among allies.
00:56Hello.
01:14Hello.
01:15Hi, how are you?
01:22First off, could you introduce yourself please?
01:24My name is Helen and I am a volunteer here at North West Migrants Forum, teaching English as a foreign language.
01:30Can you tell me how long you've been here?
01:32Since about March.
01:36What are your lessons? How do you deal with English? What can I do to help them with their English?
01:42I basically put a strong emphasis on being able to communicate and to be able to speak clearly and to understand clearly.
01:51So there's a lot of pronunciation work and the things that the migrants will be needing when they're outside.
01:58So to be able to ask questions, to be able to understand things, to be able to enable things.
02:04Build their confidence as well, which is the biggest barrier I think.
02:08And just get as much practice in as possible.
02:11It's interesting because across the spectrum of any one of the classes, we have people from all over the place.
02:17Their English and the way that they use language within their heads, their tongues and their pronunciation can be very varied and very different.
02:26And also it's translating from their mother tongue to English as well.
02:31And sometimes there can be problems with that.
02:33And I've had a couple of students who have natural speech impediments as well.
02:38So it's about building their confidence and get them to breathe and things like that.
02:42And be able to get them to speak as clearly as they possibly can.
02:46It must be difficult then, they work with people, they're all speaking maybe different mother tongues and they all suddenly teach them English.
02:52Does that take a challenge as well?
02:55It can be. I think some of the biggest barriers is, number one is confidence.
03:01Number two, they're migrants, so they come in with their own set of problems.
03:05Number three, they know that they need to be taught.
03:07So they're very gung-ho.
03:09And it's also about the way that they were taught in their own mother tongues as well.
03:14Or taught English in their native countries.
03:17And I think one of the biggest challenges I've faced is saying, we can't actually spoon-feed you English.
03:25You're going to have to put some work in and some effort in and it's not going to happen overnight.
03:29And then of course the confidence as well.
03:32And get them to actually speak.
03:33So I try and get them to do as much production as possible by being in front of the class or speaking as much as possible.
03:38Because that's effectively what they're going to be happy doing every day.
03:41So, yeah, it's interesting.
03:44You must have a lot of pride in what you're teaching.
03:46Because I guess it's important work that you're doing.
03:48Nothing gets me fired up more than seeing them.
03:51You're just giving me chills actually, just even saying it.
03:54Actually seeing people who are coming in maybe demoralised from whatever has been happening in their lives.
04:00Lifting their chins up off of the floor but also getting them to actually use English.
04:05When they had no hope in their heads that they were ever going to be able to use that English.
04:10I think that's the most satisfying thing.
04:12It doesn't matter where you are in the world or whatever the student's background is.
04:15Once you see that they are able to learn and that they are able to gain some confidence.
04:20That's half the battle.
04:22And it's very gratifying.
04:24Who wants to go first?
04:28Do you want me to tell you first?
04:30Okay, so it's pizza.
04:32Pizza, beer.
04:33Pizza.
04:34Pizza.
04:35Pizza.
04:36Pizza.
04:37Pizza.
04:38Pizza.
04:39Piper.
04:40Piper.
04:41Pecked.
04:42Pecked.
04:43A piece.
04:44Piece.
04:45Of.
04:46Of.
04:47Pickled.
04:48Pickled pepper.
04:49Pepper, well done.
04:50Okay, good.
04:51Okay, so who wants to go first?
04:53Pizza.
04:54Beer.
04:55Baked.
04:56No.
04:57Here, take this.
05:01Right, okay.
05:02So pizza.
05:03Pizza.
05:04Beer.
05:05Piper.
05:06Pepper.
05:07Baked.
05:08A pizza.
05:09Of.
05:10Pickled.
05:11Pickled.
05:12Pepper.
05:13Pepper.
05:14Okay, good.
05:15Alright, that's Marita.
05:16So first off, could you just introduce yourself please?
05:19Ahmed Nasr Almoshagi.
05:21I am from Yemen.
05:22I am 25.
05:24And can you tell me why you come to Friendship Cafe?
05:27Is it important to you?
05:28Have you met a lot of friends here?
05:39Yes, I am happy here.
05:41I like to help everybody.
05:45Here is my family.
05:48And do you like there?
05:49How long have you been here?
05:51I live here maybe two years, half.
05:55Six months.
05:58Yes, I like.
06:01Here all people, my family, my brother, sister.
06:05This office in my house, in my family.
06:09Go as loud as we can and try and be as together as you can.
06:13Okay?
06:14And it will be on three.
06:15So it's Peter Piper pecked a piece of pickled pepper.
06:19Peter Piper pecked a piece of pickled pepper.
06:25Alright?
06:26You ready?
06:27Yes.
06:28One, two, three, go.
06:30Peter Piper pecked a piece of pickled pepper.
06:35Wow, that's not bad for you.
06:37Normally it's different.
06:38Okay, again.
06:39Go.
06:40One, two, three, go.
06:41Peter Piper pecked a piece of pickled pepper.
06:45Peter Piper pecked a piece of pickled pepper.
06:49My name is Alal Singhali.
06:50I'm actually from South Yemen.
06:52I'm a city in the Middle East called Aden.
06:55And when you come to the French Cafe, is it important?
06:59So actually we spend time here.
07:02Sometimes we volunteer.
07:04We help people translating Arabic or any other languages.
07:09And it's also part of the integrations thing.
07:17And have you made many friends here?
07:20Yeah, from the Middle East, Syria, Africa.
07:27And how long have you been there you say?
07:30I'm in Jordan now for two years.
07:33I was one year also in Belfast.
07:36And what do you think of there?
07:37People are actually nice.
07:39People help us to integrate.
07:43They help us with English courses.
07:45The people are very nice.
07:47We thank the community here to support us, actually.
07:50The pronunciation is coming off as really good.
07:52So one more time.
07:53And as loud as you can.
07:54All right, ready?
07:55One, two, three, go.
07:57Peter Piper pecked a piece of pickled pepper.
08:01Very, very good.
08:02Well done.
08:03Okay.