“I can see I am doing something massive for their lives.” - supporting young people building up confidence and settling in through English class.
Michael and his father Chan
Annie* and Michael*, aged 11 and 12, have only been in the UK for a few months. Both at secondary school, they are very aware, as they start to make new friendships in and outside of school, that being able to speak English well is crucial for them to be able to connect and build friendships with other children.
The newly arrived Hong Kongers have joined an English learning programme being run by the organisation Positive Youth Foundation in Coventry, which specifically aims to help Hong Kongers arriving in the area to be able to settle in well. The Youth Engagement Officer who is supporting and encouraging them to take part had a similar journey to many of the young people he now assists in his role.
Moshin, Youth Engagement Officer of Positive Youth Foundation
Mohsin understands fully what it is like to arrive in the UK with low levels of self-confidence and a lack of English. Aged 22, Mohsin came from Jordan where he had lived for years after leaving Iraq as a young boy to seek safety with his family. Mohsin says he struggled to speak English and closed himself off from people. His own breakthrough also came when he connected with the Positive Youth Foundation, first as a member of the youth group, then a volunteer and finally as a paid member of the team.
Mohsin loves his job, especially seeing the impact he can have on the young people’s lives: “All I think about is that I am supporting young people, I don’t look at the hour when I am with them. I can see I am doing something massive for their lives.”
The support for newly arrived Hong Kongers has been specifically adapted to suit their needs. Most of the children have basic English but lack confidence in the language. Initially they were not comfortable to meet other nationalities at the youth centre, so PYF set up English classes at their offices. Once their confidence had been bolstered and they felt comfortable with the staff, the young people started to attend the youth club or other classes such as badminton and karate.
“We chat about how it helps with school,” says Mohsin. “They enjoy doing lots of activities. Hong Kongers like to work really hard on education, or when they choose to do a sport they take it very seriously. They think if we play, we aim to be the best, or don’t do it at all. They work hard and are clever, they pick up things very quickly. Coming to our sessions gives them that extra confidence to make friendships and things like that.”
Mohsin explains that Annie barely stayed for ten minutes of the first session and only spoke to her sister. They came back the next week and as they were given space to play and get used to the staff and other children their confidence grew. Annie now says: “I come here at the Foundation to learn English because it helps me in the school to make new friends. I [also] like going to the youth centre because I love playing the games and it makes me feel happy.”
“The English class will help me enjoy the youth club more,” says Michael, “Because it helps me have confidence to speak English and I’m not afraid to go to a place where people only speak English not other languages.”
Since attending the English lessons, Annie and Michael have also gone to youth club sessions and enjoyed playing games like table football with Mohsin. The young people and their parents are happy to receive the support to help them in their journey to integrate and set up life in Coventry.
Michael’s father Chan said: “The positive Youth Foundation can make my family more confident to start our new life in the UK.”
*Pseudonyms are used.
About Positive Youth Foundations
A registered charity working in the Coventry area, PYF offers intensive frontline services to young people through programmes relating to education, employment and training, wellbeing, arts and culture, as well as social action.
About the Welcoming Committee for Hong Kongers and the government’s Welcome Programme
The Welcoming Committee for Hong Kongers has been set up in response to the BN(O) visa scheme. It brings together the ‘welcomers’ and the ‘welcomed’ and helps coordinate efforts across the UK’s nations and regions from civil society, communities, business, education and government to support Hong Kongers to settle in the UK. It also conducts research to inform policy, share best practice and support organisations to make their voices heard. The Welcoming Committee is hosted at independent think tank British Future, which works for a confident and inclusive Britain, welcoming and fair to all.
Through the Welcome Programme, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is providing funding to 42 locally based organisations around the UK to ensure that local grass roots community groups can meet the needs of the local Hong Kongers in the communities where they are based.