2022-23 Festa 3-Generation Family ESL Another Year of ESL We are proud and humbled to have served a record number of people through our 3-Generation Family ESL Program this school year! God brought 727 people from almost every corner of the world right here to Central Ohio. At Festa, we are turning geography into rich community. Our whole team of dedicated staff, teachers and volunteers worked together to make this our largest ESL program yet. Festa is not stopping here; we are excited to announce that we are opening TWO new ESL programs! 1) Business ESL program: Kimball Midwest has hired Festa to teach their employees English and their managers Spanish on-location, and classes started mid-March. We are thrilled to provide this service and look forward to partnering with more businesses in the community. If your company is interested in offering this benefit, let’s connect! 2) Second 3-Generation Family program: The community of Dublin requested a program in their city to help their neighbors thrive. Learning English will be life-changing for Dublin families in need of support. We plan to open this program Fall 2023. Join us in being God’s hands and feet in our community. Serve our neighbors with Festa by sharing your time, talent and treasure!
“What have you learned about other cultures?” “I have learned that no matter where we are from, we connect on important issues such as English, family and food/cooking.” “It makes me feel better knowing that I am not alone and there are many people who want to improve their English level, know more about their new home country. Even though we are not from one place, we are similar in our goal.” “Love and respect is the same language in all cultures.”
2022–23 Statistics 727 Total Registered (449 Adults, 278 Children) 146 Online Adults, 303 In-Person Adults 72% Women, 28% Men 47 Countries of Origin 44 Zip Codes 3,959 Meals Served to Children 463 Volunteers (Representing 38 Churches and 16 High Schools) 339 Adults, 71 Teens, 53 Children Volunteers 7,580 Total Volunteer Hours 50 Volunteer Zip Codes 4 Children’s Restaurant Nights
Outcomes
Feedback from Adult Classes & Kids Club
100% adult students achieved their goal of communicating with others in the community using English
“I am learning to read and write. Now I understand better and can depend on myself, not like before when I was silent.”
88% adult students were able to get a better paying job 84% were aided in moving toward getting U.S. Citizenship 80% adult students feel more connected to their community
“It has allowed me to exceed my own limits and trust that I can help other people. it really is an excellent ESL program”
92% say Kids Club helped their children socially
“It makes me feel better knowing that I am not alone and there are many people who want to improve their English level, know more about their new home country. Even though we are not from one place, we are similar in our goal.”
100% say their children describe the Kids Club activities as “great” or “good”
“My children are really excited to come to Kids Club, they are learning more and more English by interacting with their friends here.”
71% say Kids Club has helped their children with their behavior
Memorable Moments from Volunteers “It has been a joy getting to know a mom from the Intro class this year. She and her family arrived in the US last year as refugees from Afghanistan speaking zero English. It has been amazing to watch the family become part of our ESL community and grow in confidence speaking English. One day before class, she walked in carrying a Tupperware container full of treats. She pointed upstairs and said, ‘For the break. You come up?’ She had baked pastries to share with everyone! It was so thoughtful, and it’s an inspiration watching all the adult students push themselves to learn and build relationships.” “Our intro class has grown into a close-knit community and I get to witness this at every class. We combine tables to practice lessons, so our tables of Spanish-speakers and a family from Afghanistan combined. To encourage a Spanish speaker who answered correctly, an Afghani woman piped up and said, ‘Si!’ It warmed my heart!” “A mother and daughter walked into the International Potluck looking cold and frazzled with backpack in tow. The mother immediately asked, ‘My daughter needs help with math homework, can you help please?’ Two of our wonderful Green Shirt staff members stepped right in to help even though it was technically supposed to be a night off from working so everyone could relax and focus on eating international food and getting to know one another. The ladies did not hesitate to encourage the shy girl to come over to a quieter table where they patiently sat together for 45 minutes helping her feel more confident about her homework. As they wrapped up the mom asked, ‘She’ll be good now?’ It put into perspective the challenge of raising children in an English-speaking world as a parent with little to no English comprehension, and how valuable our staff can be in building trust and comfort with the students as they learn new subjects and a new language.”
The Need is GREAT in Columbus for ESL CLASSES! Join us at this critical time to be God’s hands and feet in our community. Serve our neighbors with Festa by sharing your time, talent and treasure! Email at info@wearefesta.org
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Learn more at wearefesta.org/volunteer