They speak different languages, have diverse backgrounds and came to England for various reasons — but a group of young adults are becoming friends and learning English together at the Bournemouth Ward in the Poole England Stake.
One Sunday a month, the ward hosts the Youth Integration Program where young asylum seekers, refugees and young adult Church members meet together. They eat a meal together, mingle and play board games to help practice their English in a non-classroom setting, reported the Church’s U.K. Newsroom.
Right now, the program includes people from Ukraine, Sudan, Chechnya, El Salvador, Morocco, Iran, Iraq, China, Vietnam, Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Members of the International Catering Project cook the meal. The organization includes the local charity Unity in Vision and the Westbourne Rotary Club.
Poole stake communications specialist Jayne Kyprianou said the young people appreciate the program and how often they are able to meet.
“The students haven’t seen anything similar anywhere,” Kyprianou said. “They have seen other organizations trying to accommodate them, to make them welcome, and those welcomes are maybe once a year. The young people that attend the YIP event in Bournemouth feel the welcome every time that they come.”
Kyprianou said the stake has been working with Unity in Vision for a few years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they spoke about how asylum seekers and refugees might benefit from online EnglishConnect classes offered by the Church’s London Friendship Center. Twice a week the online lessons were set up and had great attendance.
Because of the success with the online classes, weekly face to face classes are now offered at the Bournemouth Ward building. The first evening class began July 22, 2022.
A beginner’s class, two intermediate classes and an advanced class meet on Tuesday evenings. Full-time missionaries and members of the Poole stake help teach the classes, with Elder Steve Carroll and Sister Angela Carroll acting as the facilitators.
One of the teachers is Celeste Griffiths, a young adult in the Bournemouth Ward. “I love to teach. It has been a blessing to have this opportunity — truly the best part of my week,” she said.
Marjo Reed, the Poole stake JustServe specialist, said she loves taking part.
“It is very special to be part of a dedicated team of volunteers of different ages and backgrounds who get together every Tuesday,” she said. “It is a privilege to get to know the students and their stories and to be able to help give them the tools to learn to communicate in their new home.”
Rita El-Gazali, the chair of Unity in Vision, said the program is building bridges and trust with the community. One student said in the past, he believed he must not enter a church building. But now he is happy to go to the Bournemouth Ward and many others have said they are happy with the way the Church has accommodated them.
She said these events are leading to other activities such as soccer matches, a Saturday morning breakfast and future self-reliance classes.
“We hope that together we can continue to build bridges that could lead to other things that will help all our young people,” El-Gazali said.
