Ahmed will soon be resettled in Canada, and is making the most of the wait by preparing for the transition. He has worked really hard and made great progress with his English since he started classes with us. His sponsor told us “Apart from improving his English language skills, the classes are exposing him to a wider world of English speakers.
Being stuck, waiting, in southern Turkey as a refugee has an isolating effect. I do not think it would be too far to say that the classes have given him some hope, something to look forward to. “Additionally, he doesn’t have access to a laptop or a library or even familiarity with email. The flexibility of the teacher to work with him across instant messaging services has made all the difference. He has begun to have enough confidence to speak some English with me in our face-to-face meetings.”
Hearing such great feedback was music to our ears here in LBB but it’s also a testament to the flexibility of our teachers. In their initial training with Language Beyond Borders each volunteer is taught about various online platforms and the advantages and disadvantages of each in our context, as well as how to use them to best deliver a class, according to the student’s needs, capabilities and device(s).
Because we are able to adapt to student needs, we can effectively deliver quality learning to students regardless of their equipment, digital skills, or the device they are using. Ahmed is not only working on his English skills but is also improving his digital literacy, and we hope that both these things will make the transition to life in Canada much easier for him when the time comes.
(Ahmed’s name was changed in order to protect his identity)
