Language

This week we had the pleasure of speaking to Fatemah Al-Ansare, the Events and Publicity Manager for the Iraqi Welfare Association, a community hub in Wembley. The IWA has a large focus on welfare – running our own Creative English programme plus fitness groups and […]

At dinner last week with a number of friends from Eastern Europe, our conversation moved from the nerve agent attack in Salisbury to what patriotism meant to us and who felt they belonged and wanted to stay in the UK.  My dinner companions were all […]

The Government has released its long-awaited integration strategy, developed methodically behind the scenes with the close involvement of civil society organisations – including providers of community-based English programmes like Creative English. As Eric Pickles, former Secretary of State for Communities, said when the 2010 coalition […]

This week, we had the pleasure of speaking to Saira Neam, Manager of EASA, a community hub in Bradford. Based in the centre of town for the last 30 years, the organisation has its finger on the pulse of the community and its needs, specifically […]

We recently had the pleasure of speaking to Julie D’Souza Walsh from The Furnival, a community hub in Sheffield. Working largely with young people through the mentoring and therapeutic project ‘Cellar Space’, they have branched out more recently to include Creative English, after school clubs, […]

Barking and Dagenham Somali Women’s Association (B&D SWA) is a registered charity that empowers and enables women both in the London borough and surrounding areas. It offers services to women from a variety of backgrounds – all women in the area are welcome. As well as running FaithAction’s Creative English classes, […]

You know that thing about you remember 20% of stuff you are hear, 30% of what you see and 80% of what you do?[1] Well, learning English doesn’t have to involve teachers, textbooks or listening to language CDs. It can be very practical, and very […]

Community projects are great. They galvanise volunteers, they engage new residents and beneficiaries and sometimes they even attract funding! And that’s not all. They are locally rooted, they address practical needs and they are a good use of local community centres and places of worship. […]

What makes a Briton and a ‘British value’ is the thorniest of issues, but whether we agree with current government policy or not, we can agree that speaking English is a key entry point for anyone who is to integrate within the United Kingdom today. […]

All human beings need a sense of belonging. It is integral to our well-being. A lack of belonging underpins the divisions in UK society that the Casey Review has identified. Segregation, deprivation and social exclusion are both the source and the consequence of failing to feel that we belong.