PASTRIES, LEARNING ENGLISH AND ARABIC COFFEE

Words by & Photos Haley Wilkinson

You might be familiar with the AMEP (Adult Migrant English Program), a national program funded by the Commonwealth Government, Department of Home Affairs. Melbourne Polytechnic support delivery of the AMEP across five regions in Melbourne and regional Bendigo through a network of TAFEs and Learn Locals called the Melbourne AMEP. Prace, the local adult education provider in Reservoir, is part of this network.

A very special part of the Melbourne AMEP is the Volunteer Tutor Scheme (or ‘VTS’), which offers people from migrant and refugee backgrounds further opportunities to practice English and connect to community through the support of a volunteer for one hour a week. The VTS has a proud history in the North, where Melbourne Polytechnic has delivered the Melbourne AMEP continuously since 2003. The VTS now boasts upwards of 700 volunteers across the regions. Volunteers make a big difference through small gestures such as supporting someone to build confidence with conversational English, learn more about life in Australia, access local services or explore pathways into further study or employment. Volunteers themselves gain a lot from taking part - new skills, practical experience, increased cultural awareness and a more cohesive community.

Locals, Josie and Sabrieh shared a little about the mutual benefits of making a new connection. Josie brings pastries. Sabrieh makes Arabic coffee. A weekly routine they have both found comfort in.

Sabrieh, from Syria, arrived in Melbourne via Lebanon in 2014 on a humanitarian visa. For the past year, Josie has been supporting her with learning English and settlement. Recently, the focus has been Sabrieh’s Citizenship exam (which she just passed!) Josie said they have spent the best part of a year “just chatting”. Sabrieh added “yeah, she is good. We talk - not just for the English session but also about what is happening in my life - my family, my kids”, and added that while getting to know each other, Josie has helped her to understand more about the public transport system, writing emails, understanding bills, and many areas of English that relate to her daily life.

Josie mentioned phone calls to services was something they often spent time on, but recently Sabrieh had begun to do this independently, having called Vic Roads to update the terms of her car rego payments. Gaining the confidence to advocate for herself has been a big win for Sabrieh. As a mother to four children her weeks are busy so when her energy is less, the two return to their routine: pastries, coffee, chatting. Josie says she has made a friend who is very funny – “when you ask her, she’ll probably tell you I’m a terrible tutor (as a joke). We’re from two different worlds, but similar people.” Reservoir, https://www.melbourneamep.com.au/volunteer/

LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/company/melbourne-amep-volunteer-tutorscheme

Phone: (03) 9269 1514

Email: amepvts@melbournepolytechnic.edu.au