From 2017-present, I have been involved in a number of activities related to community-based English in NI, which often includes participants who are migrants and ethnic minorities in Northern Ireland. In this post, I share some of the ongoing projects and activities, with brief insights, highlights and reflections.

Impact of COVID-19 on Community-based English (ICE) Language Programmes in NI

Working in collaboration with colleagues Claudia Belloni, Aisling Cartmill and Arthur McKeown from Belfast Unemployed Resource Centre, I have been investigating the support for social integration and language education of refugee and asylum-seekers in Northern Ireland using interview data from hard-to-reach groups/persons in positions of vulnerability. The community sector in NI has long provided free and non-formal language classes to meet the socially embedded communicative needs of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers (DfC, 2020; McNulty, 2017; Parizzi and McKeown, 2019 ). While language learning through non-formal English conversation classes may seem trivial to some, there is an alternative way to view such inconsequential interactions. For refugees and volunteers, non-formal English classes become temporary sites of sanctuary, which benefit both those who give and take refuge therein (O’Boyle et al., forthcoming).

Having worked for decades to create ‘safe spaces’ where people in situations of vulnerability can have their social and educational needs met, community groups and volunteers have had to close and/or restrict access to such spaces due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This has broken the vital links to social and educational programmes and access to informal social interaction which these spaces had been providing for people in situations of vulnerability and their families. Whilst formal learning may adapt somewhat readily to digital alternatives, non-formal online substitutions are not necessarily easy. This small-scale research has two modest aims: i) to begin gathering evidence on the impact of COVID-19 on pre-existing community programmes supporting the social integration and English language education of migrants, refugee and asylum-seekers ii) to pilot feasibility and acceptability of online non-formal language support for migrants, refugee and asylum-seekers. The preliminary findings have been presented in May 2021 and the associated report will be available August 2021.

This project was funded by School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work COVID-19 Research Committee Funds

Advisory Activity: Design and development of an Initial English Language Support for Adults and Children  

In 2017, I led a volunteer project to create an approach and materials for initial English language classes for newly arrived refugee families. The materials were produced as a result of a language needs analysis conducted with NGO, volunteers, and contributions from MSc Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) students. The materials have been used in the English Classes every 6–7 weeks for Syrian families coming to NI under the Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme as part of the Welcome Centre Delivery Model, NI (DfC, 2020). More information is available here.

As you can see below, this activity was highlighted in the newsletter of the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social work in Winter 2017.

 

“Learning English as a Refugee: the Syrian Experience”

In 2018, we held a one-day symposium event at Queen’s University Belfast for 65 delegates sharing an interest in the provision of non-formal language support in church, community and voluntary settings. The event was developed by: Aisling O’Boyle (QUB), Alison Rankin (BURC), Arthur McKeown (BURC), Carolyn Mason (BURC), Emma Tolland (Friends of Syrian Refugees), Neil McKittrick (Barnardos).

The Symposium was set up to look at current English language learning opportunities for Syrian refugees, and to explore ways of building upon and improving existing provision for them and for other refugees and asylum seekers in Northern Ireland. Compared by journalist Declan Lawn and hosted by the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work, this event focused on English Language provision for adults, children and families. It aimed to raise awareness of the issues amongst different stakeholders and collect evidence to inform action in the months and years to come. A series of short presentations were accompanied by group discussions. Rapporteurs summarized the discussions as a basis for action planning. The event received TV media coverage.

“Teaching English to Migrants Refugees and Asylum Seekers”

With Arthur McKeown (BURC), I co-deliver a short course with the above title for volunteers delivered through the QUB Open Learning programme. To date, this course has run four times face-to-face and once online, reaching over 90 volunteers. It provides background information on contexts of migration and knowledge and understanding of approaches to community-based language classes. It also provides direct links to voluntary organizations for those interested in volunteering.

The short course is planned to run again Autumn 2021.

“Migration and Community-based Language Education”

In partnership with the Belfast Unemployed Resource Centre,  we have secured a PhD scholarship for the project: “Migration and Community-based Language Education: A comparative analysis of community and volunteer-led initiatives for the social integration and language education of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers”. This collaborative project between QUB and the Belfast Unemployed Resource Centre (BURC) is an enhanced and integrated doctoral experience, with the student spending at least three months with the collaborating partner organization (BURC) as part of this studentship.

This scholarship was a Co-operative Award in Science and Technology (CAST) Collaborative Partnership PhD Scholarship (DfE fees & stipend) with the Belfast Unemployed Resource Centre.

For me, the shared history of working in partnership is important to highlight. Our current projects would not be possible without everything that had gone before. Gathering evidence, conducting research-the rationales, the needs, the designs the reality of the plans, procedures, and outcomes have only been possible through partnership working. And not because it ticks a box on a form or is on trend, but because it probably shouldn’t really be done outside of a partnership model. As perhaps as highlighted in our Centre for Language Education Research Inaugural Annual Lecture, there is a need to properly unify theory and practice in language education and realize the social impact it has on our lives.

Dr Aisling O'Boyle

School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work

Media

Recommended reference for this page:

O’Boyle, A. 2021. Community-based English Language Programmes in NI. A blog post on ‘Queen’s on Ethnic Minorities in NI’.