YOUR local
ISSUE 031 FRIDAY, 6 JULY, 2018
FULL LIVESTOCK REPORT
YOUR INDEPENDENT COMMUNITY
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THE 2016 Australian Census revealed that we’re a fast changing, linguistically and culturally diverse nation. There are more than 300 identified languages spoken in Australian homes, with one-fifth of those households confined to speaking a language other than English. However, for better or for worse, English is quickly becoming the world’s universal language, and like every other language today, has never been so easy to learn. Advances in technology allows opportunities to learn faster, more comprehensively and whenever we choose. These days, it only requires reaching for a smart phone to receive a quick language lesson. There are many English teaching organisations which incorporate smart phones and tablets into their curriculum, and Wagga’s Language Café at the Civic Library is no exception. The Manager of the Civic Library, Claire Campbell, realised there was a need for a language program. “It became obvious that when people are new to town, they often visit the library. We noticed many multicultural visitors coming through the doors, so we started
collecting educational language tools. “We also noticed over time that people just wanted to practice English. Some had already attended TAFE and completed English language courses, but were still searching for other aids to help them learn,” Claire explained. “There are couples who have lived in Wagga for quite some time, and only one of them has learnt English to help them run a business. “We also have people at the other end of the spectrum who have spent many years educating themselves in English, but still are not at the level where they are able to work within Australia,” Claire said. A total of 900 people has attended classes at the Civic Library’s Language Café since it began one year ago, with the first attracting 16 people from nine different speaking backgrounds. The Language Café is far removed from the structured classroom setting. “We put on tea, coffee and biscuits to make the atmosphere as relaxed as possible. It’s not school. It’s not like you must pass a test,” Claire said. “We are continually buying new resources to support the program and
are always prepared to cater for different language backgrounds. We supply various literature in many different languages so if participants want to take a break, they can relax and read something in their native language,” Claire explained. The Language Café also collaborates with the Red Cross, the Multicultural Council and Wagga TAFE to help it keep up-to-date with the latest language programs and to help it coordinate volunteers for the classes. “When we started out we were quite surprised at the level of interest the program attracted, and we soon discovered that we didn’t have enough staff in the library to run the program effectively. “So, we did a call out to the community and had about 60 volunteers contact us who said they would love to help people learn English. The response was overwhelming. “We enrolled volunteers at TAFE over a three-week period and had them learn the basics of their English as a second language course, which was very helpful. The training also helped give the volunteers an insight into what it’s like to educate people from different cultural backgrounds. Everyone knows how to have a chat, but
we thought it was important to teach the volunteers simple ways to start those conversations,” Claire said. “A typical device that might start a language conversation is a shopping catalogue. These are great when people want to learn a language because there’s a picture of the item, the name of the item and the price of the item. It’s the kind of thing that people would otherwise throw out, but they are useful visual ques for those trying to learn a new language.” Language Café is not only useful to those wanting to learn English with many English-speaking volunteers also obtaining a language education from the participants. There are many different reasons to learn another language. The most obvious being that it enables you to participate in the cultures of other people, but studies also suggest that bilingual people are less likely to suffer dementia, are better at multi-tasking and have increased brain plasticity. Language Café operates three days a week, on Monday, Thursday and Saturday from 11.00am until 12.30pm. For further enquiries, ‘phone 6926 9700 or email wcl@wagga.nsw.gov.au.
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