Moving to another country is a far from easy experience, and Mandurah-based organisations Zonta and Peel Multicultural Association know it all too well.
In a bid to help migrant women settling in the Peel region, the two service providers have teamed up to hold conversational English classes, hoping to provide a safe space for women to socialise and improve their language skills.
The initiative builds on the previous work of both organistions, who have more than two decades of experience assisting community members and helping migrants settling in Australia.
The weekly classes would be open to migrant women who don’t speak English as their first language and would focus on basic conversational skills.
“Some of the refugees that I’ve met don’t speak a word of English,” Peel Multicultural Association president Virginia Pitts said.
“They don’t even know the parts of the body, but they have a great desire to mix and get a sense of belonging.”
Women attending the course would have the opportunity to meet other migrants, socialise with Australians and become an active member of the Mandurah community.
“It breaks those languages and isolation barriers and gives them a sense of belonging,” Ms Pitts said.
“Most of these people are highly qualified and highly motivated people who want to contribute to the community,” Zonta’s Paddi Creevey said.
The organisations are currently looking for keen volunteers to teach the students.
Ms Creevey said it was a good opportunity for locals to meet people from different backgrounds and learn about their cultures while giving back to the community.
“It’s mutual learning,” she said.
“It’s a very satisfying experience.”
The classes would be held at the Greenfields Family and Community Centre from 12pm to 2pm once a week.
The team hopes to start running the courses in August.
For more information about the initiative contact Virginia Pitts from the Peel Multicultural Association on 0428 888 575 or peelmulticultural@gmail.com.
To find out more about how to become a volunteer call Zonta’s Paddi Creevey on 0437 517 593.