Cross-cultural Friendships

English Conversation Classes to Cross-Cultural Friendships

Project Date: April 2024 - Jan 2025

Location: Forest Hill Community Space by Whitehorse Churches Care

I want to share a proud achievement from 2024 . Hopefully, this serves as inspiration for you to bring changes to your communities!

In 2023, I was seeking volunteer opportunities in Forest Hill, a new suburb that I had just moved into, with the goal of being more involved with the local community. I eventually came across the Forest Hill Community Space run by Whitehorse Churches Care and they were welcoming volunteers of any kind. So, I decided to start a regular conversation group.

At first, I thought a language exchange group would be perfect. Forest Hill is a multicultural suburb, and I imagined it would be the ideal setting. But after a month, only one or two people attended, and the group eventually faded.

So, I decided to try again with something different: English conversation class. Simple. From then on, I hosted it every Friday at the community space, and to my surprise, word spread quickly.

Over time, the group grew to 12 to 15 participants, with members from China, Colombia, Mexico, Iran, India, Korea, Vietnam, Nepal, and more. We had a mix of retirees, mothers, and even grandmothers of young children. It was an amazing, diverse group of people, all brought together by their personal goals to improve English.

What made these classes unique was that I didn’t focus on grammar or rules. I wanted to create a space where people could feel confident speaking English, regardless of their skill level. They had already learned grammar in other classes—I wanted to give them the opportunity to practice and be understood, without the pressure of speaking perfectly.

All we used in these classes were: two small black boards and Talking Point Cards. Upon reflection, it blows my mind how simple things and a common interest can bring people together.

It has been truly beautiful to be a part of this community over the past eight months. Watching people grow in confidence and connecting with others from different cultures using English. It has been truly rewarding!

Let's see what community projects I'll be a part of in 2025!