Failte Isteach featured in report on Language and Migration in Ireland
Posted on 7th November 2017
The work of Failte Isteach featured prominently in a national report launched by David Stanton TD, Minister of State for Equality, Immigration and Integration in Dublin on November 7. The report on Language and Migration in Ireland [pdf, 400kb] is the result of a collaborative research between NUI Galway and the Immigrant Council of Ireland, funded by the Irish Research Council.
At present over 13% of the overall population in Ireland are multilingual. This amounts to 612,018 people in total, or eight daily bus commuters, three children in every classroom or one person in every small business. This growing number has implications for a changing Irish society as highlighted by the report.
The research involved surveys of migrants, focus groups, interviews and an analysis of language policies in Ireland. The report looked at the linguistic challenges that migrants face on an everyday basis, the migrant experiences of language barriers and the centrality of language to an individual’s identity. “The work of Fáilte Isteach featured prominently in migrant accounts of language learning in Ireland and represented one of the few opportunities for migrants to have real interaction with Irish people and Irish accents”, said Dr Anne O’Connor, NUIG, report author.
Failte Isteach is a community project involving predominantly older volunteers welcoming migrants through conversational English classes. The project provides the necessary language skills to new migrant in a student-centred welcoming and inclusive manner, while involving older volunteers as tutors, and recognising their skills, expertise and contribution to the community.
Failte Isteach is a national programme of Third Age, a not-for-profit organisation committed to social inclusion in 21st-century Ireland. All Third Age programmes provide a bridge of friendship, connection and contact for people, who may be isolated by age, language, technology, or frailty. Established 10 years ago to respond to the needs of new migrants to Ireland, Failte Isteach now has 110 branches in 25 counties, with 3,200 students receiving tuition each week, totalling 72,000 hours of learning over the academic year. Liam Carey is Programme Manager of Failte Isteach: ‘Failte Isteach is different in that in combines education with integration. Our Irish volunteer tutors are drawn from the local community. As well as passing on conversation language skills, their aim is to welcome new migrants into their community. This helps break down any barriers and facilitates friendships and neighbourliness,’ he says.
This point is echoed by Dr O’Connor: ‘A central recommendation of the report will be the support of community initiatives such as Failte Isteach which allow for opportunities for linguistic exchanges which are valued greatly by migrants’ she says.
Failte Isteach receives funding from the Department of Justice and Equality and the Iris O’Brien Foundation. Aine Brady, CEO of Third Age, attended the launch and welcomes the Report. “This is a very timely publication. We particularly welcome the interviews with migrants, many of them students of Failte Isteach. We are very grateful to our funders, the Department of Justice and the Iris O’Brien Foundation who make it possible for us to continue this valuable work. The use of trained older volunteers makes ours a very cost effect initiative, and also builds in community involvement at its heart.”
Read the report on Language and Migration in Ireland [pdf, 400kb]
