ARVIN, Calif. (KERO) — Community members in Arvin are going back to school to learn English. The free classes are offered by missionaries and volunteers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
- Video shows how missionaries and volunteers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are opening learning opportunities to community members in Arvin.
- Through a program called “English Connect” the missionaries provide individuals in the neighborhood with free English classes.
- According to the missionaries, the purpose of the classes is to help people interact with others and open up job opportunities for them.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Missionaries and volunteers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are trying to combat the language barrier in the community. They're doing so by offering free English classes every Tuesday at the Arvin Branch Library.
Guillermo Enrique Nolasco is one of the community members who's been attending the classes this year. He says what he most enjoys about coming to these classes is the teacher's dynamic instruction.
"I've attended other classes in the past, but what I like about these classes is that the teacher and the missionaries are very patient with us," said Nolasco. "They give us homework so that we can practice at home and it's helped me understand the language better."
Craig Neville is a volunteer with the church and one of the English teachers instructing these classes. According to Neville, he didn't always know Spanish. Growing up in a foreign country, he says he was taught the language and saw this as his chance to teach.
"I was asked to share my English with Spanish-speaking individuals, so I thought it would be nice and proper to return the favor," stated Neville.
Neville says that even though his students call him the "maestro," he is also learning more about Spanish through his conversations with them.
According to one of the missionaries, Saffi Hallam, the English classes are funded and organized by one of the church's programs called "English Connect." The program's curriculum is made up of 25 chapters—this week the focus was on months of the year.
"We just want to help people be able to grow their ability to communicate with other people and have this skill that can help with self-sufficiency in the future, with jobs, family relations—basically all aspects of life," explained Hallam.
Nolasco shared that he is excited to continue the classes so that he can dominate the language and open more doors for himself.
"I want to learn English to help me at work and communicate with English speakers—it's very frustrating not being able to understand and communicate with others," said Nolasco.
In addition to Arvin, the church offers classes all over California including Bakersfield, Lancaster, and Santa Clarita.
To learn more about the program and to obtain resources, visit www.ChurchOfJesusChrist.org.
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