Human Rights Commission

English Language Partners New Zealand is a not-for-profit organisation that works with 8,000 migrants and refugees in 23 locations throughout the country. Last year they delivered just over 800,000 hours of English-language provision. They have 280 staff, 3000 volunteers and train 1000 new volunteers each year.

English Language Partners deliver English language tuition and settlement support to adult migrants and refugees through a range of services. The national office is in Wellington.

Vision:

That migrants and refugees have the opportunity to learn English, to pursue aspirations for themselves and their families, and to participate in all aspects of life in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Visit the website of English Language Partners New Zealand.

Projects 2011

English language groups

Social, community-based groups where learners practise English and share experiences. Migrants and refugees with a range of language abilities attend for two-three hours a week. They are led by an experienced paid tutor often supported by trained volunteers.

One-to-one, home-based ESOL home tutoring

The programme involves individually tailored, English-language support with a volunteer home tutor for approximately two hours a week. Learning sessions frequently include learning about New Zealand culture.

ESOL-Literacy classes

Attended mainly by refugees, the programme offers a structured, weekly class (8-10 hours a week) for learners who do not read and write well in their first language. Teachers have a mix of TESOL and teaching qualifications and are supported by bilingual assistants. Both teachers and bilingual assistants undergo a specialised training programme run by the association.

English for Employees programme

English for Employees is tailored to meet the English language needs of employees. It is a part-time, Tertiary Education Commission-funded programme for people wanting to improve their language, literacy and numeracy for the workplace.

The programme is free to adults who have Permanent Residence and are working either part-time, full-time or are self-employed. Email the national office or the relevant local centre for more information.

E 100

The organisation will deliver an ongoing intensive block of 100 hours of literacy and numeracy teaching to migrants and refugees living in Dunedin and Christchurch. The project is funded by the Tertiary Education Commission.

Building partnerships

The organisation will build partnerships through Memoranda of Understanding with other organisations such as the National Refugee Network. The organisation also intends to build partnerships with businesses and local government.

Connecting Cultures magazine

The organisation publishes Connecting Cultures magazine twice a year, available in print and online via the association’s website. The magazine celebrates the achievements of members: volunteer tutors and migrant and refugee English-language learners. Each issue features a ‘Guest Word’ message from a key stakeholder. Connecting Cultures also highlights the work of English Language Partners in building New Zealand’s social capital – the organisation’s contribution to settlement outcomes. In 2011 the magazine will transition to an online document.

International Mother Languages Day

International Mother Languages Day was celebrated on 21 February 2011. English Language Partners partnered with CLANZ (Community Language Association of New Zealand) to celebrate the day by producing new resources, a poster and bookmark. The resources featured greetings in 29 languages spoken in New Zealand, encouraging people to speak their mother tongue and try words from a different language.

International Year of Volunteers

The organisation will hold celebrations to mark 2011 as the International Year of Volunteers, particularly around International Volunteer Day – 5 December 2011 – and Volunteer Awareness Week – 19-25 June 2011.

Focus on Indian and Somali communities

The organisation will have a particular focus on Indian and Somali communities in New Zealand in 2011. The focus will include analysing which English Language Partners services the communities access, strengthening relationships with their community leaders, and developing resources in their languages.