austraLasia
1496
When English stirs
the creative juices - Poipet experience
(A
'towards #1500' entry from Cambodia. For further details see #1492 on Bosconet.
As you can see the entries are varied and interesting so
far)
POIPET: 20th March 2006 -- School is
serious business, one reason why the Salesians in Poipet, who run a Technical
Skills Centre, decided to open another venture which could be less serious, less
rigorous. This was the Youth Centre. But then, aside from the need
for technical skills, young Cambodians are keen on learning English, so the
Youth Centre, which only opened its doors in November last year, decided to
start out with informal classes in English.
Learning a
language might be serious business too, but the Poipet Centre has demonstrated
just how popular it can be when it is offered informally - and free!
English teaching is big business in many parts of Asia, but paid attendance (at
US$ 10 per month, the going local rate) would be just beyond the capacity of the
very people Don Bosco Poipet would like to see given the chance to learn
English: those who attend the Youth Centre in their free time. They found
they had no need to publicise the offer. Word of mouth ensured full
classes of youngsters from 7 to 20 years of age. The teachers are
volunteers.
English classes have stirred creative juices,
the creativity of the Salesians and their young leaders. The presence of
so many young people coming to learn meant an opportunity to learn things about
local reality. They discovered, for example, that Poipet has a 'business'
middle class, and this group is very much interested in English as a way ahead
for development opportunities. Other Don Bosco Open Classes are
opening. The English classes have become a real beacon of hope in the
midst of a fairly impressive list of Poipet's evils; there's so much chaos
about. When you see a 100 children and teenagers arriving daily for their
informal English class, though, you can only believe things are getting better
in Poipet. Then there's 'Prodal', the Cambodian cultural martial arts
passion, another informal offering, but that is another
story.....
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