The Home Language Conversation Cafe

On May, the 18th we held the first edition of The Home Language Conversation Café at St Pauls's Learning Centre. In an informal and friendly environment, 3 groups of immigrant native speakers of Italian, Spanish and Portuguese had the opportunity to share their experiences of leaving their home country to live in the UK. We heard fascinating stories from people at different stages of their settlement in the country. Missing family and communication difficulties were the most common challenges emerging from the discussions at this first meeting.

Sharing the experience of living abroad

Whatever the reason for moving abroad, living in a country with a different language and culture can be an interesting and exciting experience. However, although it may vary from person to person, the process of relocation usually involves a long period of adjustment, with different stages and also hidden challenges along the way, such as the steps to access jobs, housing and health care.

A typical challenge starts with communication difficulties. More than just an idiom, a language is inserted into a socio-cultural background and even for those who already speak English as a second language, it takes time and effort to assimilate the complexity of elements involved in this new environment. Lack of confidence and communication difficulties can affect people emotionally, leading to isolation, loneliness and even mental health problems. More than that, it affects the way people participate and contribute to the betterment of the local society.

Based on these concerns, the Home Language Conversation Cafe is an initiative created to informally welcome and connect immigrants from the same language and cultural background around various topics related to their experiences of living abroad. In a friendly environment provided, people from outside the UK can meet their peers to share individual experiences of immigration in their first language.

Our monthly meetings welcome different language groups in the café area journey since leaving their home countries. In the end, one piece of feedback was: “Today's discussion was relevant because we know about the many challenges we face when living in a country with a different language, but we don´t always stop to reflect on how it really affects us”.

Paul's Learning Centre, with each group speaking in their own language. We currently have 3 groups: Spanish, Italian and Portuguese speakers, with the aim of expanding to other language groups in the future. We aim that, through these conversations, people can fight isolation and make connections; overcome difficulties at the different stages of adjusting to life in the UK; develop a sense of belonging; and grow in confidence to develop their potential for creativity, productivity and more effective participation in society at local and national levels.

Plans to expand and welcome new language groups

According to Bristol's local government (Bristol.gov.uk - Insight, Performance and Intelligence), Bristol's population has become increasingly diverse in recent years. By 2021, it included 45 religions, 187 nations represented and at least 91 different languages spoken! We wonder how these migrants cope with the challenges of adapting to a new social organisation, language and culture. Do they ever miss home or feel lonely? Do they suffer from the fear of not speaking English? What about the amenities, new opportunities or additional learning in this new settlement process?

The book of my life

The discussions on this first day explored the common stages of settling in a new country and gave participants the opportunity to reflect on their own journeys as immigrants. Living away from family and language barriers were among the most common challenges reported.

We had so many interesting stories, some expressing the difficulties of adjusting to such different socio-cultural circumstances, but the stories also included positive achievements, overcoming situations and life improvement opportunities. After sharing their experiences, participants were encouraged to represent their experiences by creating a "book" to illustrate significant moments of their

Every migrant has stories to tell. Stories that can help others cope with the process of adjusting to a new country! This month´s Home Language Conversation Café will take place on 22/06 and we are receiving the same three native language groups: Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. Join us if you are an immigrant and native speaker of any of these languages (contacts below). In the future we aim to expand to welcome new language groups so If you are an immigrant speaker of other languages, you are welcome to join our team of volunteers and help us to expand this project. homelanguage.contact@gmail.com