A bit shy, two Iraqi women look around the room. Whether they are at the right place here, they ask carefully. They would like to improve their language skills and have heard that they can practice german here. The honorary verbal- and reading- mentors greet them warmly and they quickly engage in conversation while playing a game. Through this they also learn new vocabulary and phrases.
Since March 11, refugees can practice german three times a week at the Wülfrather Kulturkirche in the newly established Sprachtreff. The Sprachtreff Wülfrath is part of the EU-funded project “Sprachtreff – für Integration auf dem Land“”, which supports refugees during the process of general and job-related language acquisition. Almost 20 interested people came to the kick-off in Wülfrath and after a short get-together quickly formed groups and teams of two to study with. Practice took on very different forms, be it general practice through games or in conversation or specifically tailored to the individual, in order to prepare for a pre-vocational exam. This is exactly what Sprachtreffs are for: to improve language capabilities in german in a relaxed setting and to respond to the wishes and needs of the refugees.
These wishes can vary, many refugees enjoy the opportunity to speak german with locals without the fear of making a mistake. The speech practice is a good supplement to the existing local language courses that they are attending. But the volunteer verbal- and reading- partners also support vocational preparation or vocational training. For example, technical terms or customer pitch are practiced with corresponding media and work processes are practiced until the are internalised. Applications can also be written and printed on the newly established computer workstation.
The language meeting in Wülfrath is coming to an end for this Monday. The two Iraqi women are making their way home with a smile on their face and a promise to return to the next meeting. The Sprachtreff invites again on Wednesday with a special program, because on Wednesdays the Sprachtreff becomes a meeting café, where conversation is practiced alongside coffee and tea.
From now on, the Sprachtreff Wülfrath in the Kulturkirche (Tiegenhöfer Str. 14) is open for all interested parties at the following times: Monday 17:15 – 19:00, Wednesday 15:45 – 17:00 (Café), Friday 10:00 – 12:00
Text and Foto:
Judith Schumacher
