Story: Byron Wood Women’s Voice Group
Women learning English at Byron Wood school have started a new course with the WEA called Women’s Voice. The course is about learning how to be more active in the community and finding a voice on issues that matter.
The women are planning to start a support group for women in the area. This is what members of the Women’s Voice Group said about their course:
This group helps women to speak English, we practice talking to each other. It will help us to find work and we can go to GP and talk to the doctor ourselves. We can talk to teachers at our children’s school. We are learning about the community, the group is good because we speak different languages, Urdu, Arabic, Somali, English and Punjabi.
The Women’s support group is about community change and being more active. It is very important that we are learning English Language because when women speak English they are helping their children in school and can go to the Doctors, it is very important to have communication skills.
I want to practise more English
In June 2011 when I joined an ESOL class my teacher Sandra told us about one girl who came from another country and she didn’t speak English very well. She had to go to hospital and she asked her husband what to say when she wanted to come home, he said tell someone “I am going, bye, bye”. She said this to the nurse, who said ok, but when she came out of the lift she was lost, all she could say to people was “I am going, bye bye,” and everyone thought she was crazy. That day she decided she would learn English properly. When I listen to this story I feel it is really important for women to be able to learn English together.
A Women’s support group is important because when women come from another country they need to learn English. It is good for women to come together to feel confident about learning. Women come to the class to help each other and to help their children.
To find out more about the Women’s Voice group contact Smaira Sadique at Byron Wood on 272 3624.