by Oisin Duddy
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by Oisin Duddy
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North West Regional College languages’ lecturer, Arnie McAteer believes the college is providing a vital service for a group of refugees who fled war-ravaged Ukraine for safety in north west Ireland.
Arnie is teaching the group of 17 women English. However, he believes the twice-weekly classes provide much more than instruction in English. They are also a crucial platform for the women to come together and collectively deal with the shock of their forced departure from their homes as they embrace Irish culture.
A seasoned language lecturer, Arnie has taught people from all over the world.
“It’s a social thing as well where they meet up on a Tuesday and Friday and they’re so friendly. I tend in the class not to bring up things so that they feel safe in the class but, if they bring it up, I’ll chat to them about it but if they don’t bring it up I won’t. I just want to make it a place that they look forward to coming to,” he said.
The classes were organised by the Foyle Friends of Ukraine although many of the students already had good English.
“It’s a great class; there are different levels,” Arnie said.
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