ESL / Life Skills Classes
Classes are held every Tuesdays and Thursday from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm at 411 Dunsmuir (between Cambie Street and Richards Street) in Downtown Vancouver.
Inland Refugee Society offers four levels of English for speakers of other languages:
- Literacy/Beginner
- Upper Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
The main objective of Inland Refugee Society’s ESL and Life Skills program is to provide refugee claimants with a practical understanding and usage of English in a Canadian context. These classes help claimants function in society by providing the language and skills necessary to fulfill their daily needs including finding a job, managing their finances, finding accommodation, shopping and accessing medical services.
Intake for English classes occurs throughout the year. Please contact the office at 778-328-8888 extension 26 for more information.
A COLLABORATIVE AND SUCCESSFUL YEAR FOR ESL CLASSES 2009-2010
By Brianne Fung, ESL and Life Skills Program Coordinator
Inland’s ESL and Life Skills Program saw much success during the 2009-2010 year. Our program provided classes to roughly 100 students from 23 different countries. Despite the Olympic interruptions and the slight drops in attendance, there was a promising group of not only newly-registered, but also regularly attending learners. Most notably, our fall/winter term has experienced a fresh breath of enthusiasm, thanks to the warmth of many spirited newcomers from Sri Lanka, as well as the welcoming reception that our learners have offered.
ESL students at the Folk Festival 2010
Just as noteworthy were the many fieldtrips and guest speakers that highlighted each term. In addition to the outings and activities that brought our classes to the library, the pharmacy, and the grocery store, some workshops came to us at the 411 Seniors’ building. Liz Moss from the Canadian Red Cross provided basic First Aid training and emergency response procedures to our learners during our April/May term.
Following this term was the summer session, in which our classes were once again able to experience a daylong event of music and performance. Thanks to the generous efforts of Linda Tanaka, artistic director of the Vancouver Folk Music Festival, 28 of our learners attended the festival and enjoyed listening to a variety of music from around the world. The most anticipated performers were El Puchero del Hortelano from Spain and Las Alegres Ambulancias from Colombia.
Thanks to the Vancouver Public Library for their assistance with issuing library cards during our field trip, to Save On Foods for providing our classes with an informative tour about shopping for healthy food on a budget, and to the Canadian Red Cross. I would also like to give special thanks to Linda and the Vancouver Folk Music Festival for once again including our class members as “guests of the day”.
With the support of VanCity, we are expanding and improving the Literacy and Beginner-level curricula, offering professional development for our teachers and providing additional classroom support materials.
Last but not least, Inland’s ESL and Life Skills program could not succeed without the dedication of an amazing team of volunteer teachers who have not only given their time, but also contributed their creativity and expertise to ensure that our classes are a welcoming place for learning and sharing.
Another Year of ESL Classes 2008-2009
By Cari Chan, ESL and Life Skills Coordinator
(November 2009)
The 2008-2009 year brought a wave of new students, many from Mexico and Latin America. Numbers remained high throughout the year with new students registering on a weekly basis. However, there was a dip in attendance during the July heat wave with the classrooms became too hot for some to bear.
During that same time in mid-July, our students were given the wonderful opportunity to attend the Vancouver Folk Music Festival. Since the Folk Festival also has an office in the 411 building, Linda Tanaka, artistic director of the festival, saw our students each week. She then very generously invited our group to attend the festival for a day. The response from the students was overwhelming; over 70 students wanted to attend! On the actual day, however, there were about 40 students and staff who attended. Everyone enjoyed the music, entertainment, and positive atmosphere of the festival. Thank you, Linda, and the Vancouver Folk Music Festival for your generosity!
Vancouver Folk Festival 2009
Over the year the students enjoyed meeting some excellent guest speakers from Vancity Credit Union, The People’s Law School, and the Red Cross. These speakers were able to expand upon the monthly topics that the students had been studying. On top of this, the classes went on several field trips including the Vancouver Public Library, the Vancouver Art Gallery, and to Trout Lake.
The success of the past year was due to an excellent group of volunteer teachers, without who none of these events could have taken place. Thank you for your hours of work and dedication.